Using the elements of art.

The beginning of the school year is the best time to capture your students' interest. I wanted to provide a lesson where the dements of art could be used to review and refresh after the summer hiatus. This art problem proved to get students immediately involved using problem solving and creative thinking skills.

Reviewing the Elements

The project for fifth grade students was to use the elements of art in a black-and-white design. As a class, we reviewed and defined the elements of line, shape, texture, value, and positive and negative space. When reviewing the elements with my students, I found that many had a hard time understanding how to use texture in their artwork, so for this design, emphasis was placed on the use of texture.

Objectives

Students will:

* become more familiar with the elements of art by using them in their work;

* experience working in the negative space of their work;

* create a design using the letters of their name;

* use line and shape to create texture;

* find new ways to create composition;

* use creative problem solving when planning their designs;

* use the background (negative space) to create contrast with the positive areas;

* prepare ideas by brainstorming using thumbnail sketches;

* be able to identify positive and negative space in their work and the work of other artists.

Defining the Problem

Students created a minimum of seven areas of negative space using only the letters from their name. They were allowed to create any kind of letter, as long as they left an area of space within the letter itself. Students drew a different texture within each negative space, using line and shape. For value, they varied the degree of white space left between their drawn textures. This created a contrast with the white positive areas within the letters of their name.

Creating a composition was another challenge. Students changed from the traditional way of writing from left to right and moved the letters around, upside down, or attached them to another letter. They still had to remember to leave at least seven areas of negative space.

When students completed three thumbnail sketches, they chose their best idea.

Refining the Idea

On 9 x 12" (23 x 31 cm) white oak tag, students lightly drew their design using pencil. This allowed any mistakes to be easily erased. Students used black markers to outline the letters and to create textures within the negative spaces.

Students learned through discovery. They learned how they almost automatically work in the positive spaces of their artwork, and thought of the negative spaces simply as background. They also began to discover how to create movement, as they varied the directions of their lines. As students worked with leaving more or less of the white of the background paper with their textures, they began to notice how certain negative spaces became lighter or darker in value. The darker the negative space, the more contrast with the positive space.

Students thoroughly enjoyed working on this project. An advantage to the project was the opportunity to learn the names of new students that had transferred into the district.

NATIONAL STANDARD

Students select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of their ideas.

Lynda A. Lord is an elementary art teacher at Roy B. Kelley Elementary School in Lockport, New York, [e-mail]