RATIONALE
Our physical bodies are a core part of the ways we view and understand ourselves. In this unit, students will have a chance to better understand their bodies and how they work in the world.
Bodies are also are a very common subject in art. They are used in not just painting, but areas such as fashion, animation, cartoon, and graphic design. This unit seeks to give students a basic understanding of figure drawing that can then be used in such fields.
Also, figure drawing can be quite intimidating. Students can feel reluctant to draw the body because there is a lot that can go wrong. This unit will give students the confidence and skill freely in their art.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
How are bodies portrayed in various media?
How do artists use bodies to convey a message?
KNOWLEDGE BASE
Artists
Giacometti
Erik Erikson
René Gruau
Kara Walker
Kehinde Wiley
Gustav Klimt
Henry Moore
Rodin
Fashion Illustration
Old Master Drawings
Hot Press vs. Cold Press
Paper Weight
LIVE MODELS
MATERIALS: Charcoal Newsprint Pencils
GOALS:Students will gain a basic understanding of the human figure. They will learn basic figure drawing techniques. They will practice using charcoal to make a variety of marks.
Demonstrate to the students how to break down the body. Show ways that different charcoal marks can help the image.
Start with quick gesture drawings of just the torso. Gradually add body parts.
During the model’s breaks, discuss progress with the students.
Increase the length of poses. Teach other techniques, such as shading, as needed.
LIVE MODELS (2)
MATERIALS: Charcoal, Newsprint, Ink, Water, Chalk, Pastels, White Paint, Paint brushes
GOALS:Students will practice using their new skill. They will experiment with the ways that different media changes the final image.
Once students have a a little confidence when figure drawing, slowly introduce other media that they can use.
Start with adding colors of charcoal and chalk.
Demonstrate ways that students can use ink in their images. Let them experiment.
Add other media if desired.
FASHION ILLUSTRATION
MATERIALS: Ink , Water, Newsprint, Paintbrush, Pictures of Fashion Illustrations
GOALS: Students will discuss the technical and aesthetic qualities of fashion illustration. They will compare this to basic figure drawing. They will create their own images with these techniques.
Give them examples of Fashion Illustrations from various artists.
Discuss how these images portray the body. What do they show? What is left out? Talk about proportions, line quality, etc.
Let them copy a few of the pictures.
Have them repeat the exercise with a live model.
COLLAGE BACKGROUNDS
MATERIALS: Foam Board, Tissue Paper, Paper Scraps, Magazines, Various types of paper, Various Media
GOALS: Now that students have experience working with different media, they will now experiment with a variety of surfaces. Students will experiment balancing background and foreground elements.
Discuss different types of paper and their different uses.
Give students different types of paper and let them experiment by figure drawing. Let them use a variety of media.
Have them create collages on foam board. Students will draw on these, so they will need to make it interesting without overpower the future drawing.
COMIC AND GRAPHIC NOVEL
MATERIALS: PENCIL, PEN, COLORED PENCILS
GOALS: Students will explore ways that the figure can be modified for different purposes. They will also discover how an understanding of the figure helps draw in a variety of styles and how those changes can help tell a better story.
Discuss different styles of comics and their uses. (Ex. Manga, clip art, superhero comics etc.)
Have students draw in 3-4 styles while using previous figure sketches as references.
PERSONAL FINAL PROJECT
MATERIALS: STUDENT’S CHOICE
GOALS: Students will find ways to personally connect with figure drawing.
Students will choose a figure drawing style to work with.
They will gather reference photos of the style and of the pose(s) they want to draw.
They will use these images to create an original character in their chosen style.