LESSON PLANS SUMMER TERM 2023 (2nd half) Drawing with a continuous line - linking the world up.

In this lesson I'm asking my students to make a study of what they see in front of them, beginning with whatever's on their tables, and following through to anything they can see in the distance via everything inbetween. It can be a challenge at first but as one becones a ccostomed to it, it's a wonderful way of lesring the relaionships between things. It' helps massively towards the understanding of perspective. In the drawinfg above you might be able to identify a stool in the foreground - the drawings travels all the way through the garden to our front porch travelling via various shapes and in-between spaces.

Summer term 2nd half 2023 – lesson 3: Drawing with a free running line.

The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone. The leg bone’s connected to the knee bone. The knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone. Doin’ the skeleton dance…..

· Everything is connected to everything else, one way or another. If your table is empty perhaps spread a few mugs from the kitchen on it. If it’s covered in your junk – that’s perfect!

· Put your pencil on the page and make the shape between two mugs. As you travel around a mug, see where it leads to - the edge of the table? Something on the next table?

· Find the next place to bump into and follow. Without lifting your pencil from the page. There’s no rush so take your time.

· Keep trying to identify shapes between shapes because on the flat surface of your page, these exist as much as the ‘thing’ itself.

· As you continue, you’ll begin to discover things that are much further away from you, it might be a far window…in which case you’ll then discover what’s outside the window as well.

· In every place where you think there’s nothing you’ll discover there is actually something!

· Move around your table for a different view and try again. Have several goes.

· Just enjoy it without having fear for the drawing itself – you’ll see that it teaches you to understand the relationship between the things close to you and the further away things.

Next lesson: A lovely lesson using pen and wash and a small bunch of wild flowers/foliage. Bring watercolours and watercolour paper or heavy drawing paper. Bring a black gel-type pen – can usually be bought at Tesco. We’re going to work loosely with watercolour and further define with pen. You’ll need a little bunch of flowers and perhaps a jam jar to put them in.