Submitted by: Cecilia Laureys, Marywood-Palm Valley School, Rancho Mirage, CA
UNIT: Drawing - Observation and Fantasy
Lesson: Hand-scapes
Grade Level: middle school through high school

Note: Hand-scapes was the last project for Cecilia's 7th – 12 th graders in their first year of "Foundations in Art” program at MWPV. It is important to note they had covered Line, Value, Color, / Balance and Contrast pretty heavily.  This was a review and a final assessment. Click images for larger views.                                     

Objectives   Students will:   draw hands from life - careful observation combine realistic hand drawing in fantasy "scape" utilize elements of design - show good composition skills/principles of design - value shading

Materials anatomy books  white drawing paper Seral transfer paper (optional) pencils, colored pencils (optional)

Motivation/Instruction:

1. Optional: Introduce students to hands in art - look at expressive qualities.

2. Demonstrate careful drawing from observation.

3. Introduce Surreal/Fantasy art (through PowerPoint, slides, Internet or books).
   Note: Cecilia had them look into Dali, Magritte, Brad Holland, (blatant fantasy imagery) and then the Pre-Raphaelites etc. like John William Waterhouse, Rossetti, Mucha (atmospheric subtle fantasy). They used books in the classroom, and then researched on the Internet as one of their home assignments.

4. Demonstrate transfer process - review shading 

Procedures:

1) @ 1- 2 Days

The projects began with students drawing their own hands.  After, drawings were reviewed in class critique.   Group discussion concluded the main challenges were:    
A) majority of hands seemed made of rubber or paper, lacking sense of structure/ support like their own appendages

B) Had not seen correlation- thus did not apply- basics learned when drawing subjects prior to anatomy.   For example: when drawing, say, the knuckle of a thumb from the side, or the finger bent and foreshortened - they didn’t see overlapping in practice… nor the use of line emphasis and contrast to pull shapes out of the page…

2)  @ 2 days

Next we researched anatomical reference from various art and anatomy books. Students were to use materials to  build the hand up in 3 sequential drawings… NOT be from life.  I wanted them to reconstruct an existing anatomical study in three steps, same ‘pose’.  I keep a library in the art room chock full of great life study books and more for reference:

- First they drew the skeleton of the hand,

- Then the skeleton with muscles and sinew,

- Third drawing was to be the hand as we see it. 

Instruction during this phase concentrated on facilitating students ability to see how principles and elements learned thus far, applied to creating any illusion: (record shapes first, then break shapes down (receding or projecting out of page) using overlapping, emphasis of line, size disparity, etc.)

Note: For students struggling with above correlation, I had them put down the hand assignment. Then I addressed and applied the same concepts, while I drew just their nose.  After this demo, that incorporates all of the above and more, they drew mine.   An epiphany every time!

3) @ 2- 3 days

Next, they again drew their own hands equipped with all the above criteria.  So now, each student has:

-1st attempt drawing,

-anatomical studies, and     

- 2nd drawing of their hands after anatomy studies. See examples below.

 

4) @ 3 days

They have max of 3 days to come up with ideas for an environment in which to place drawing of their hands that:

Must portray the hand as a prominent, totally unusual & unexpected ‘character’ in its environment.  Show hands interacting w/that environment… passively, or actively.

5) @ 4-5 days

They execute the finish… This phase from sketch to final includes lessons in how to transfer a drawing with light box, or graphite sheet, how to selectively keep or discard elements of a sketch, how to size up or down for a final…etc …

6) Final critique

Assessment Rubric adapted from rubric by Marianne Galyk

Assessment Rubric
Student Name:						Class Period:
Assignment: Fantasy Hand-scape						Date Completed:
Circle the number in pencil that best shows how well you feel that you completed that criterion for the assignment.		Excellent	Good	Average	Needs Improvement	Rate Yourself	Teacher’s Rating
Criteria 1 – preliminary sketches of hands - observation skills		10	9 – 8	7	6 or less
Criteria 2 – composition - originality - use of design principles		10	9 – 8	7	6 or less
Criteria 3 – pencil rendering - value shading		10	9 – 8	7	6 or less
Criteria 4 – Effort: took time to develop idea & complete project? (Didn’t rush.) Good use of class time?		10	9 – 8	7	6 or less
Criteria 5 – Craftsmanship – Neat, clean & complete? Skillful use of the art tools & media?		10	9 – 8	7	6 or less
Total: 50  x 2 = 100 (possible points)	Grade:					Your Total	Teacher Total

Student Comments:

Teacher Comments:

National Standards (depends on how much discussion there is)

National Visual Arts Standards Courtesy of Kennedy ArtsEdge