Suggested Grades

Any

Objective

Students will recreate works of art by analyzing their lines.

Materials

• variety of examples of art work with distinct lines (eg.Picasso’s Three Musicians, many of Roy Lichtenstein’s works, Matisse’s collages and ink drawings). Use photocopied handouts, a slide-show, or display a postcard/print collection.
• use dark drawing mediums in order to emphasize lines, not colours (eg. charcoal, crayons, pencils, markers, etc.)
• paper

Method

• Demonstration:
  • Hold up one of the art works and trace the lines in it from start to finish with your finger.
  • Pick a line to copy and reproduce it on your piece of paper.
  • Continue picking and drawing lines until you’ve reproduced the art work.
  • Note: With older grades you may also want to point out the various textures and thicknesses of lines. As well, you may want to show older students how lines “pull” your eye through the picture by following it’s entrance/exit on the canvas/page.
• Students follow example.
• Variation: With older students you may want to try gluing string onto the paper to reproduce the lines.