Lots and Lots of Lines

Capdau, 5th-8th Grade | ELA & Visual Art

Ms. Chiarizio & Ms. Bailey

No matter what grade level I am teaching, I always hear at least one student say, “But I can’t draw!” Breaking down drawing into its basic elements makes it more approachable and accessible to artists of all skill levels. During the fall term, Ms. Bailey’s 5th-8th grade class has been working on learning and practicing different line types. We began by looking at Adolfo Best-Maugard’s seven motifs. Students drew these lines with their fingers in the air or even with movements using their whole bodies! They then practiced drawing each line type multiple times in their sketchbooks. Next, we played Line I Spy, finding each of the line types in a pelican drawing by Walter Anderson. Finally, students used as many line types as they could to draw their own picture of whatever subject they chose. Some students started with a definite idea of their subject while others’ subjects emerged from their experiments in line making. 

In later lessons, students used their knowledge about line types to illustrate spelling word stories. Students identified the line types as they drew and thought about how they could add details to their illustrations by incorporating different line types. We will continue to build on this learning with other visual art skills as we continue in our arts integrated journey this school year!