This week’s picture is of a SNOWY LANDSCAPE using POSTERBOARD and white ART STIX or COLORED PENCILS as the medium.
In this picture, your child explored:
· Three-dimensional black and white art.
· Creating a drawing with a notable light source.
· Using contrasting light and dark shades and values to add depth and perspective to a drawing.
THE DRAWING:
Functional Art
This week’s drawing is integrated with a very basic craft which makes it an example of functional art: something which is both beautiful and useful. Functional art can be very rewarding for children, who enjoy putting their art to good use. Creating a portfolio is also an encouragement to children to continue creating; a safe place of their own to store art can encourage children to take ownership of and pride in their work.
Three Dimensional Art & Light Sources
The interest in this black-and-white picture comes from its realism, despite the presence of just two colors. So what makes a picture appear realistic and three-dimensional?
Point out the importance of proportion in creating a unified composition; for example, the snowman, the tree and the house should not be the same size. In this picture, much of the three dimensionality of the picture comes from the “roundness” of the snowman and the moon; they should appear to be round balls, not flat circles. Look at this picture of a moon and observe how the shades and brightness show it is a sphere, not a flat object.
Shading and light source are also important - to craft realistic shades there are a few things to keep in mind:
* you must recognize where exactly the light comes from
* notice which angle and direction the moonlight is shining at
* the proper silhouette/outline of the shadow cast by the moonlight shining on each object
For a great explanation on the effect of light source on a picture, look at this article and the extremely helpful (kid-friendly!) drawing demonstrating the different ways it is possible to draw light sources.
THE MEDIUM:
Using Art Stix & Colored Pencils
At KidzArt we often use Prismacolor Art Stix, which are simply woodless colored pencils, in lieu of actual pencils. Similar in shape and size to the NuPastels we use for chalk drawings, their consistency is smooth, hard and almost waxy, creating clean, rich color. The thick lead comes in a wide variety of colors. Art Stix work well on large areas, and are excellent for layering.
In this picture, with white as the only color, the pencils should be used softly at first, adding layers of colors to add dimension and realism. The pencil should also be used to create texture and interest, such as in the tree bark and the ground.
Art Stix’s unique size makes it easy to lay colors down fast, without the constant need to sharpen pencils or worry about broken pencil tips. Colored pencil, with or without lead, is a very “forgiving” medium if applied lightly at first; this makes it particularly effective in a drawing such as this, where shading and values are crucial.
Ask Your Child:
· To explain the light source in the picture – how the moon is shining over the landscape.
· To point out unique elements in the landscape.
· To demonstrate how he added layers with the Art Stix to create depth and texture.
