Shapes & letters.

Can you remember some of the first things you ever learned? You learned to hold a spoon and feed yourself. After falling down many times, you learned to get back up. You learned the names of colors. Then, when you were ready, you learned the ABCs - the letters of the alphabet. Later, you learned to put the letters together to make words. Letters were exciting and new to you then.

What is a letter? It is part of a word. It is a sound. It can represent your name if it is used as an initial. You are familiar with the way letters are used in words. You can read them and understand their meanings.

Have you ever noticed the shape of a letter. Some letters are straight and strong. Some are curvy and fancy. A letter may be thin or fat. You can get to know a letter by just looking at it as a shape.

Graphic artists sometimes use letters to make designs. The letter can be turned upside-down or backwards. Several letters may be put together in unusual positions to make interesting graphic designs. Letters of different sizes may be used together.

In this design, only three letters have been used to make an interesting graphic design. What three letters can you see? How are the letters used differently? You can learn something new about letters by using them as shapes instead of as parts of words.

MAKE YOUR OWN GRAPHIC DESIGN

1 Cut out several letters from construction paper. You might want to vary the color or size of the letters.

2 Place your cut letters on a large piece of construction paper. Move them around and try different combinations. Turn them over and around. Push them up against one another.

3 The letters may begin to "speak to you." They may remind you of an animal, or a flower or a friend|s face. They might form a beautiful abstract design.

4 When you have discovered your graphic design, glue down the letters one at a time so you do not lose the design as you are making it.

WORDS TO DISCUSS

letters

graphic design

creative

discovery

shapes