Fall Still Life Drawing For HS Students

Below is a lesson plan that my partner and I had written to teach in a basic studio course given by our mentor teacher.  We decided to help offer students some different drawing techniques that they hadn't used before. The power point presentation given was on George Seurat to cover stippling, and Rembrandt to show cross hatching techniques.

Fall  Still Life



Lesson Overview:  This lesson will take place over a forty minute class period.  After a 5-7 minute slide show reintroducing artists from the previous week , and showing new examples, students will begin work on a still life drawing.  Students will spend the remainder of the class period working on drawing their fall still life using the technique of choice (stippling, cross hatching), or a combination of the two.  Emphasis will be placed on not using lines to suggest the exterior of items in the still life, as well as creating a ground line to place objects in a feasible space.

Theme/Subject matter: Observational Drawings

Learning Objectives

Student will learn:
-how to suggest volume and mass in a still life, as well as areas of light, medium and dark through stippling and cross hatching techniques.
-how to draw from observation what they see, not what they know.
-how to use a ground line in a composition to suggest a setting for objects drawn.
-how to utilize dramatic light settings for shadows and bolder contrast in their work.


Rationale:  Through this drawing activity students will gain a better understanding of how to utilize stippling and/or cross hatching in a still life.  Students will see how famous artists and their instructor(s) use these techniques in their own work.  They will be able to understand and communicate about the various techniques they have learned.  Students will gain cognitive growth though experimentation and exploration of media.

Standards Addressed:

Standard 1:  Creating, Performing and Participating in the Arts
Performance Objective:  Students will create their own drawing from observation that suggests volume and mass.

Standard 2:  Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources
Performance Objective:  Students will use different types of markers to practice cross hatching and stippling, and will do so in a manner suggesting areas of light to dark.

Standard 3:  Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art
Performance Objective:  Students will view various drawings and paintings made by artists that utilized the techniques they will be working with.

Standard 4:  Understanding the Cultural Dimensions and Contributions of the Arts
Performance Objective:  Students will learn more about introduced artists, the works they produced and use of techniques.

Materials:  Bristol board 8x8, Bic Mark-it markers, Precise fine and extra fine point markers.
Still life set up materials: pumpkins, gourds, lights

Concepts and Vocabulary:
Overlap- to extend over or cover a part of something.
Stipple- to paint, engrave or draw by means of small dots.
Cross Hatching- to mark with two series of parallel lines that intersect.
Ground Line- line which marks the edge of a surface or area suggesting a definite space.

Instructional Procedures/ Strategies:
(Before class begins a still life will be set up at each table, and drawing materials put out.)

Motivation and exploration:  Class will begin with a slide show presentation and examples of instructor(s) work (approx 5-7 minutes).

Demonstration:  Done during previous class before warm up/ practice activity.

Implementation:  Students will begin working on their drawings.  Assistance and feedback will be offered to students during this time.  Students who finish early will be encouraged to produce a second still life study

Clean up:  About five minutes before the end of class students will be reminded of the time and to wrap up work on their drawings.  Students will place finished work and drawing materials at a table set up in the center of the room.