Abstract Art Using Lines, Shapes & Music

Objective

For this art lesson I will be addressing the Grade 4 Visual and Performing Arts: Visual Arts Content Standards for California.  You can find them by clicking here.  1.2 Describe how negative shapes/forms and positive shapes/forms are used in a chosen work of art.  & 1.5 Describe and analyze the elements of art (e.g., color, shape/form, line, texture, space, value), emphasizing form, as they are used in works of art and found in the environment.  Students will learn about the life of master painter and art theorist Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky and how he influenced the abstract art of today.  They will also create their own abstract composition.

Methodology 

Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky is credited with painting the first piece of abstract art.  Abstract: art that does not represent anything you would find in our reality.  For example, if you were to draw a heart on a piece of paper it would be the opposite of abstract, because a heart automatically makes you think of love.  Or if you were looking at a painting of a boy, that is the opposite of abstract because you are thinking of a boy while you are looking at it.  Abstract art is created by using different types of lines, shapes, colors and textures.  Here are some examples of the types of abstract art that Kandinsky created. 

Composition VIII

 Black And Violet, 1923  

Standhaftes Grun

Harmonie Tranquille Quiet Harmony

Let's take a look at a video about Kandinsky and learn about his life and his art. Click HERE

Now that we have a good idea of what abstract art is lets talk about how to use positive and negative space in a composition. Composition:  Is how all the different ingredients come together to create a work of art.  Positive Space: Are the main elements of the artwork like shapes & lines.  Negative Space: Is the background of the composition.  When you have a good balance of positive and negative space your composition is more visually interesting.  (Model examples of a composition with too much positive space and too much negative space).  

Let's get back to Kandinsky.  In the video you watched, it mentioned that Kandinsky had synethesia. Synethesia: is the blending of two or more senses. For Kandinsky, his sense of sight and sound were meshed together so he literally saw colors and shapes when he heard music.  Take a look at this video where one woman explains her experience as a synethese.  Click HERE

Today we are all going to be creating an abstract composition while we listen to different music.  Chances are maybe one of us has some form of synethesia.  But even if we do not have it, music makes us all feel a certain way.  When we here the dark mysterious music in a show it can make us feel nervous or scared.  When we hear our jam in the car it makes us feel happy and carefree.  All of these types of feelings can be expressed in your art work.  

Let's talk about some more ways to make our art interesting.  The most basic form of drawing is a line.  Line: An element of art defined by a point moving in space.  A line can be thin or wide; round or jagged (Model how using the marker straight up and down makes a thin line but when you turn it on it's side you get a fat line. Also, show different line forms like straight, curved and diagonal)  When you start a line and go in a different direction but end up back at the starting point you have created a shape.  Shapes:  Are a closed form with a certain height and width. (Model making different shapes by starting out with a line and closing the form) Kandinsky used all sorts of different shapes to make his abstract art.  Another way to make your art unique is by using different types of textures. Texture: An element of art that refers to the way things feel, or look as if they might feel if touched. For example, a drawing with lots of dots may look bumpy or a painting with lots of hash marks may look scratchy. (Model a few textures.) 

We are ready to begin our abstract compositions.  I will play some music while you work.  If this music makes you feel a certain way try to convey it in your art work.  During the first song I only want you to work with the black marker while you lay out your lines and shapes, remembering the positive and negative space within your composition.  After that you can grab any of the colors and go wild with textures, additional lines, shapes and colors for your back ground (negative space).

Here are the tracks we will be listening to.

Grieg - In the Hall of the Mountain King 

Beethoven-Fur Elise

Tchaikovsky - Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairy

Mozart - Turkish March

Now that we have our compositions finished we will be mounting them with a background paper to finish them off.  The goal here is to have the same width of paper on all four sides of your composition.  (Model how to mount art on additional piece of paper)

Supplies

9"x12" Mixed Media Paper (Found here)

24'x36' Large construction paper (Found here)

Elmer's Glue (Found here)

Markers (Found here)

Will need to make sure each student has their own black marker.

Line Lesson K-5

Objective

For this lesson I will be addressing the AZ Anchor Standard #1 Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.  Students will explore how to make art in creative ways. The sound component in this lesson encourages children to think creatively and outside the box.  They will also gain new art vocabulary addressing line within creative works of art.

Methodology 

Line is the most basic aspect of art.  There are lots of different types of lines.  Zig zags, curves, straight, horizontal, vertical.  (Draw these on the board for students as you speak about them.)  Lots of art work is made completely out of lines.  Today we are going to explore how lots of lines together, set to music create a composition. (A composition is all the different ingredients that come together to make a piece of art work)  

Art created with Sound Viz based on a track

Write these vocabulary words on the board and have students add them to their sketch book.
Vocabulary
Line- A point moving in space
Composition- All the ingredients that come together to make a piece of art

Show this video on line...

Lets open up our computers to a really cool website that is going to help us make art based on music, Sound Viz (You can book some computer lab time for this portion of the lesson or make sure students bring their tablets with them to class this day).  Sound Viz is a site that will let students pick a color pallet and then set it to music.  Let students play around with different colors, spacing, widths and style.  Our project is going to be based on the radial style they offer so be sure they play with that option as well.  Once they have their composition show them how to screen shot it and email it to you. 

Line Homework

Homework - Here is a fun printable I created to help further comprehension about line at home. Younger students can measure the lines with yarn.  Older students will probably know the answer right away so encourage them to time the distance with a stop watch.

On your next class meet-up bring the students art from Sound Viz printed from your email.  Have them add it to their sketchbooks to reflect back on another time.  Now we are going to explore an interesting idea!  Have you ever heard a sound and it brought an image to mind or maybe you immediately thought of a certain color that matched a sound?  Today we will listen to some short tracks and I want you to grab the first 4 colors from your box that come to mind.  Next, use straight lines coming out from your circle to represent how the song progresses.  Maybe there is a part of the song that really stands out to you and you want to show that by making thick, long lines.  Or perhaps a part of a song is soft and delicate and you want to show that with thin soft lines.  Now model for students how we create this art that is inspired by the Sound Viz activity.  Let these pics guide you.

Start with a sheet of paper, circle stickers and crayons. Use different size circles for 
each track, let them pick.  It will make it interesting

Cut your paper into 4 equal parts

Students will choose color based on soundtrack and
begin using line to represent the audio

Have them continue around the circle, replaying track if necessary

Mount on black poster board 

Here is the podcast that will walk you through the soundtracks for the kids.  Feel free to pause or replay to accommodate your class.  There are four tracks in total...that's why you have 4 pieces of paper.  The goal is to create different looking art for each soundtrack.  Have students share with the class so we may all see how each person experienced their sounds in different ways.

Podcast with music tracks - Download this episode (right click and save)

Or you could play each track in full as they work

Curse of the Scarab

https://sites.google.com/a/sweetteaandswagger.com/sweet-tea-swagger/mp3/Curse%20of%20the%20Scarab.mp3?attredirects=0&d=1

Final Battle of the Dark Wizard

https://sites.google.com/a/sweetteaandswagger.com/sweet-tea-swagger/mp3/Final%20Battle%20of%20the%20Dark%20Wizards.mp3?attredirects=0&d=1

Frost Waltz

https://sites.google.com/a/sweetteaandswagger.com/sweet-tea-swagger/mp3/Frost%20Waltz%20%28Alternate%29.mp3?attredirects=0&d=1

Quirky Dog

https://sites.google.com/a/sweetteaandswagger.com/sweet-tea-swagger/mp3/Quirky%20Dog.mp3?attredirects=0&d=1

Assessment

Since this is a series of lessons on line there is no rubric, that will come when assessing the entire portfolio.  For now, you want to check for completeness and craftsmanship.

Evaluation

Since this is a series of line lessons you should save the formal critique until the end of the segment.  If you are using this lesson to supplement a multi-subject classroom you could draw popsicle sticks to have students share, encouraging them to use the vocabulary they learned in the lesson.  This will allow them to evaluate themselves and for their peers to evaluate them.  Prompt them to talk about why they selected the colors they did or why certain portions of there compositions change from one look to the next, relating to the song.

This week in my Multimedia and Interactive Technologies class we are learning to make digital flashcards.  You can click here for 25 great art terms to share with your students.  

Line Lesson 1 - Grades 9-12

Objective

In this Lesson we will explore how line is used in art.  We will be addressing a portion of High School Arizona Art Anchor Standard #1 (A) - Organize and Develop Artistic Ideas and Work. We will begin to explore line and how it can create movement and depth within an art work.

Paolo Ceric's One Line Drawing

Methodology

Line is considered to be the most basic element of art.  It can be called a moving dot and it has an endless number of uses in art.  It can control your eye and move you through a space.  It can describe edges in different ways. Line can add value and shape to a picture.  It can add texture and form. There are different kinds of lines...vertical, horizontal, zig zag, diagonal, curved.  Lines can carry different weight, texture, width & length.  For example, Paolo Ceric's drawing above is created by one single line, there is no picture behind or laid over top.  He uses different line weights and directions to create the form and depth.

Introduce students to the vocabulary they will be using within this project and final critique.  Have them write these down in their sketchbooks.  Let them know they will be expected to use two of these terms during a self evaluation and peers will draw from this list when critiquing.

Vocabulary:
Line- An element of art defined by a point moving in space. Line may be two-or three-dimensional, descriptive, implied, or abstract.
Value- The lightness or darkness of tones or colors.  White is the lightest value: black is the darkest.
Shape- An element of art that is two-dimensional, flat, or limited to height and width.
Texture- An element of art that refers to the way things feel, or look as if they might feel if touched.
Form- An element of art that is three-dimensional and encloses volume; includes height, width and depth (as in a cube, a sphere, a pyramid, or a cylinder). Form may also be free flowing.
Depth- The apparent distance from front to back or near to far in an artwork. 

During the first half of class we will watch videos and view presentations on line.  We will explore different artists who use line similar to our project.  Encourage students to write down the names of artists they like so they may google them at home.  You can even have them start a file or Pinterest board dedicated to artists who inspire them. (This could lead to an interesting classroom discussion at a later time where students share their inspiration boards.)

Now it is time for students to get out their sketch books and micro sharpies.  I used an art activity from Julianna Kunstler for this lesson plan.  She has many free lesson plans on her site. Click here for the step by step. 

Assessment

I did not create a rubric for this assignment since it is a series of warm up activities leading to a final piece of work in a line series.  Check for completeness and craftsmanship.

Evaluation

Students will keep this activity in their sketch books.  After our line series is over (probably three or four more activities) they will include it in their portfolio to critique as a whole.  Students will come to class prepared to showcase their art work.  They will reflect on their piece explaining how they chose certain features and why they used them the way they did.  They will be required to use two vocabulary words discussed in the lesson plans.  They will also need to speak about one way they were influenced by the art work shown during the lesson plans.  During peer reflection they will be encouraged to use the art vocabulary they learned about in the lesson and NOT use adjectives like cute, pretty and cool unless they can back it up with a substantial reason why.

Shape Lesson with Pablo Picasso K-2

Objective

For this lesson I will be addressing the K-2 Arizona Art Anchor Standard #2 (A) - Organize and Develop Artistic Ideas and Work.  Students will be able to create art with different formats and mediums. They will see how an artist from a different cultural background vastly changed the landscape of art.  Students will be able to create a self profile allowing them to explore their personal interests.

Methodology

Pablo Picasso is one of the founders of Cubism and is largely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.  He used various shapes and line depth to create compositions.  This lesson will show students how to create interesting pieces of art using shape and line in different mediums.

Pablo Picasso Self Portrait

Students will first watch this video on the style of Pablo Picasso.  While video is playing pause at intervals that discuss shapes and lines, write those vocabulary words on the board so students may jot them down in their sketch book along with the name Pablo Picasso.  (3:00 is a good point to pause for shape discussion & 5:24 is a good spot to talk about lines)

Next, students will go to a site where they can create their own Picasso profiles.   You can either book a day in the computer lab for this or have students bring their tablets with them to class that day.  Here is a look at my Picasso Head I created using the generator.

In Between

Take the rest of the class time letting students explore the generator.  They can experiment with color, increasing image size, rotating, flipping, coloring the shapes, bringing shapes to the front or sending them back.  When they have an image they like, have them email it to you.

Before students leave, pass out the homework assignment.  You can find a detailed explanation of it here.  It is called Roll A Picasso and you can download it for $3!  Very basically, roll the dice and draw the shape that corresponds to the number you rolled.  Students should play this at home with their family and draw their Picasso's in their sketch book.  Hopefully this will also lead to discussions about Picasso and the family can research his work together.

For the next class, print off the Picasso heads that your students made with the generator and have them at the desks when they arrive.  Add these to their sketch book. (Their sketch book should have all sorts of goodies to reflect on by the end of the year.  Their portfolios will be comprised of their masterpieces).

Now comes the masterpiece!  I visited Kelsey Lapin's blog for some great inspiration on how to create the final work of art.  Have student's reflect back on the Picassos they have made via the generator and game.  Ask them to create 4 features (eyes, lips, hair etc.) using shapes and then color them. Cut them out and paste on a paper.  Using line, they can add a face profile or full face outline.  Demonstrate how adding borders or varying line thickness creates their own unique look.  Now encourage them to add lots of color to create a certain mood. VOILA! Below is the process for the project.  Mine was inspired by my Picasso generator image above.

Ms Cahoon's Finished Composition

Mr. Sage's 5th Grade Class

After students have completed their art find a place to proudly exhibit them.  If your school does not have a lot of exhibit space search out other locations like libraries, cafes or churches.

Assesment

Rubric

Evaluation

Students will come to class prepared to show case their art work.  They will reflect on their piece explaining how they chose certain features and why they used them the way they did.  They will be required to use two vocabulary words discussed in the lesson plan.  They will also need to talk about one way Picasso influenced their art work.  During peer reflection they will be encouraged to use the art vocabulary they learned about in the lesson and NOT use adjectives like cute, pretty and cool unless they can back it up with a substantial reason why.

Introduction

This blog is aimed at art lessons for K-12 and will explore the seven main elements of art... Line, Shape, Form, Value, Space, Color & Texture.  Each element will have one or more lessons that accompany it.
We will also be diving into the world of design via Balance, Contrast, Repetition, Emphasis & Unity
All of the lessons will use a variety of mediums so that we can explore different ways to create art.
An important part of Art is how to reflect on it and critique it appropriately.  This blog will explore vocabulary and interesting critiques of art around the world.

Me! I'm Megan

Hi.  I'm Megan Cahoon.  I graduated from San Diego State University in 2007 with a BA in Art -Applied Design.  Since then I have built a small design based business and sell my art on Etsy and at local craft fairs.  In 2015 I decided to go back to school to gain my teaching credential and Masters in Education with a specialization in technology with National University.  I am so excited to use my love of art and education together as an art teacher.
Welcome to introduction to art!  This blog will be lesson based.  You can come here to view which lesson we are working on.  It will also provide you with all the links and downloads you will need to complete each lesson.