An Art a Day takes the Blues Away Series: Lines (Part 2)

Previously posted on July 21, 2015 @ homescool.ph

If you were not able to check out the introductory post for this series, please click http://homescool.ph/2015/07/18/an-art-a-day-takes-the-blues-away/ here.

I am using our much used and abused Art Curriculum, How to Teach Art to Children by Evan Moor Publications in this post. I will also use some illustrations from old time favorite stories to demonstrate the use of lines in creating a specific effect.

You can use your own story books. Choose your students’ favorites. You can even go back to the ones your kids loved when they were younger. Here are some examples:

See the many different lines and how its use creates some form of texture or feel.

See how just by using lines, you can create a facial expression:

By the use of lines, you can create “movement” and “depth”:

You can create a BLAST!

For this post, we are doing another session on lines (straight horizontal, diagonal or vertical, curvy, zigzag, spiral, etc.).

This activity will stir your child’s imagination and see things in different ways. If you feel like your student is stuck, then you can show it first by giving your own idea and creating a small drawing.

1. Do some simple exercises such as these:

• Draw any kind of line. Ask your student to add simple details to create something out of it. For instance, he can add a few details and make a rake/mop to a vertical line. A curly line can be made into curly hair of a girl. A spiral can be turned into a lollipop. Use colored markers to make it fun. Tell your students that “lines put together make a shape.”
• Draw a circle, an oval or square and make him/her create a drawing out of it. You can turn this into a 3-D activity using play dough.
• Draw letters and make him/her again create something form them. An “H” can be made into two people holding hands, or a “B” can be made into a butterfly.

2. Divide a bond or A4 paper into 4 postcard sized boxes. You may opt to make 2 lines per box as shown. 

Or you may opt to just do this:

Then ask the children to create a scene out of this pair of lines such as these below:

In detail, look at what my daughter, Raya did with these pairs of lines:

So there! Hope you have lots of fun with lines! Lines and more lines**

** you may stretch the lesson further to discuss the word, “line”! What are the other definitions of a line: Lineage/genealogy, the connection (“The line is busy.”), a queue or to queue, a field of work, parts of a script or poem, a … oh, my gosh, there are so many!

Did you know that Isaac, Judah, Rahab, Ruth, David and Solomon were all part of the line of Jesus? Check out Matthew chapter 1!