#8 Drawing "Value" Animal
Grade Level K - 6
Description/Objective
Students explore drawing animals by learning to see shape. The line drawings are shaded and they begin to understand the concept of value range in a drawing. Value range is the lightness or darkness of a color.
Time
1 hour
Materials
Photographs of animals - reproduce 7 or 8 of each animal.
9" x 12" gray construction paper (1 per student)
#2 pencils (1 per student)
Erasers (1 per student)
White and black colored pencils (Berol is one brand name) (1 black, 1 white per 3 students)
Procedure for Drawing
1. Hold up the polar bear photograph. Notice how the body looks like a pear leaning to one side. Demonstrate drawing the polar bear's body on the board. The head is also shaped like a pear. The ears are round. The eyes are small to keep out the glare of the snow. The front leg is a vertical line. The thigh is shaped like a square. The feet are large with a horizontal line on the bottom. Tell the students to draw the animal they choose as big as or bigger than the photograph. Remind them to draw lightly so they can adjust (erase) their lines.
2. Hold up the rabbit photograph. Notice the body is a bumpy circle. It is important to put the bumps in the right place. Demonstrate drawing the body and head. To draw the ears, draw the negative space between the ears that looks like the letter "V". The ears extend beyond the body, and have rounded tips. They become wider near the head.
3. Demonstrate drawing the raccoon. Start by drawing the diagonal line from the right hand corner up to create the tree branch. The raccoon's body is shaped like a rainbow. It arches nearly to the top of the page. The head is an oval with a triangular nose.
4. Use the #2 pencil to lightly sketch the shapes that can be seen in the animal photograph. Start with the largest shapes, then add smaller shapes. Use the white colored pencil to add all the white areas on the animal. Always add a light reflection in the eye. Use the black colored pencil to add all the black areas on the animal. The eye is usually the darkest shape. Be sure to leave some gray paper. The drawing will eventually have a value range from black to white.
5. Have the students choose the animal they wish to draw. Give each student a pencil and eraser. After they have lightly sketched in the shapes, give the students the white and black colored pencils to finish their drawings.
Subject Matter Integration
LANGUAGE ARTS: Research the animal you have drawn. Turn your research into a poem or story.
SCIENCE: Explore with students each of the animals’ habitat.
Variations/Extensions
1. If you do not have supplies listed above, students can use #2 pencils on white 9x12 construction
paper. Follow the lesson, shading in darks and leaving whites with the pencil.
2. Use the same photographs to paint a colorful animal. Use cotton swabs to paint texture. Use light and dark paint to begin to understand value in color.
3. Do a value pencil drawing of a Canadian goose. These are successful because of their black head and white cheek shape.