Blind Contour
I taught this lesson to freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors in Art 1 (introductory 2D) classes. This was one of four lessons that were pre-determined based on a foundation curriculum that all the Art 1 teachers were expected to follow. I haven’t attached the lesson plan because I don’t feel that it’s mine to share, but it was a great learning experience for me as well as my students!
This was a very quick two-period project, focused on moving away from realism and loosening up. We spent the first day doing quick blind contour drawings, using paper plates on pencils to discourage peeking. We flipped through a slideshow of images of fruit and worked on trying to capture detail in a short amount of time, rating our papers between each fruit. When we finished the slideshow, students had the option to go back over their lines in sharpie. Students then had the choice of using watercolor, watercolor pencils, colored pencils, or marker to add color. Unrealistic coloring was highly encouraged! Some students really loved this project, and some had a very difficult time making something abstract and non-representational, but it was a great stretching exercise for everyone to move out of their comfort zones!
