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Lesson Plans:
Days Nine, Ten, and Eleven: Drawing a Hometown Building
Author: Kathryn Maxwell
Grade Level: Art Class Grade 8
Indiana Education Standards: Visual Arts Standards 7, 8, 9, and 10
(Production)
8.7.1
Rationale: Students have viewed and discussed slides of architectural
styles. They have completed vocabulary definitions, drawn architectural
structures, drawn a two-point perspective drawing with step-by-step instruction.
Students have been quizzed on the structural elements of buildings. Students are
enthusiastic about recognizing buildings in their hometown in by Joanne Raetz
Stuttgen. Therefore, using several available resources, students are ready to
select a building in their community to draw in two-point perspective.
8.9.2
Preparation: Teacher should reserve the computer lab for student
access to the "Designing Place" website. Have a classroom set of
Martinsville: A Pictorial History ready for student use. Set out enough
drawing tools--15” to 24” rulers, 2H and 3H pencils, erasers, 12”x18” tag board,
and unlined practice paper--for the entire class.
8.8.1, 8.8.2, 8.9.2, 8.10.1
Objectives: To complete a two-point perspective inked or colored
drawing of a building in the student’s hometown.
- Given a variety of visual resources, students will
select a picture of a hometown building to draw in two-point perspective.
- Students will utilize paper, pencil, ruler, and eraser
to lay out a two-point perspective drawing.
- Students will use the "Architectural Styles" handouts
and the teacher guided step-by-step two-point perspective drawing as
references to help draw the hometown building of their choice.
- Students will create a drawing that uses correct
two-point perspective, vanishing points, architectural elements, and careful
attention to detail.
- Students will use black fine line permanent marker or
add color with colored pencils to their finished drawing.
- As the drawing develops, students will appreciate
architecture as an art form in their hometown.
8.9.2
Introduction: We have worked very hard
developing an understanding of architectural styles in our hometown buildings.
We have drawn several structural elements that appear in buildings. We have
drawn a building in two-point
perspective. Now we are ready to draw a
building of our own choosing. Let us look at the book Martinsville: A
Pictorial History by Joanne Raetz Stuttgen, a local architectural historian.
This book, the "Architectural Styles" handouts, and the "Designing Place"
website have many pictures of important period architecture that existed or
still exists in our town. You are to select a building that you like, and then
draw the building in two-point perspective. Challenge yourself. Don’t try to
draw the easiest, simplest structure. Pick a building that you will want to hang
up in your room when you are done. The teacher will help you develop the tougher
areas. We will be displaying all of the drawings at the end of this art unit.
You will ink or color your finished drawing. There are plans to display your
drawings in downtown businesses. So, do your best.
8.7.2, 8.8.1, 8.9.2
Activity: Students will begin with a 12”x18” piece of tag board and a
15” or longer ruler. Tape 8 ½”x11” paper extensions to both ends of the tag
board in a horizontal format. Draw a horizon line about a third of the way up
on your paper. Extend the horizon line onto the extension papers. Put vanishing
point VP1 on the horizon line at the far left side of the of the extension
paper. Put vanishing point VP2 on the horizon line at the far right side of the
right extension paper. This placement of the vanishing points beyond the drawing
surface will make your architectural drawing appear more realistic in its
dimensions. Find the front foremost corner of your building in the illustration.
This will be the first vertical line you draw. This vertical line is very
important because it determines the height of the building you are drawing and
the proportionate width of the structure. Connect guidelines from the top of the
front vertical to the VP1 and VP2. Connect the bottom of the front vertical to
VP1 and VP2. Your drawing should look like a kite. You must judge about how
large your structure is. Lay your ruler on the illustration so it parallels the
angle of the roofline. This is the slope of the roof. This also shows you how
perspective lines up the sides of the building. The building should appear to
get smaller as it goes back in space. Now, you must decide how wide the left and
right sides of the building are. If the left side is narrower, draw your left
vertical closer to the front vertical. Allow more space on the right side of
your paper to draw the right vertical. Remember, these verticals connect from
the top guidelines to the bottom guidelines. Your side verticals should appear
to be at least two-thirds above the horizon line and about one-third below the
horizon line.
From here onward, you must make many judgment calls about the width and
height of the architectural elements in your building. Use your two-point
perspective sample house drawing to help you remember how various structures
were drawn in perspective. Also use the "Helpful Visual Architectural
Dictionary" handout. Exchange ideas with fellow students. Some students
understand the concept of perspective more quickly than others. Help one another
with drawings when the teacher is busy answering other students' questions.
Sketch the building lightly so that extraneous lines can be easily erased. Use
your ruler! Don’t try to freehand a straight line in perspective. Once the main
structural parts of the building are complete, begin drawing the detailed
adornment of the building like shingles, window hoods, brackets,
ginger-breading, spindles, dentils, bricks, and quoins.
After your structure is completely drawn, use a fine tipped Sharpie marker to
outline all the buildings’ lines. OR, use colored pencils to add value, gradual
shading, and embellishments to the drawing. If you choose to ink the drawing
with a marker, erase all your pencils lines after you have traced. Your work is
then ready to be mounted for display.
Materials:
- 12" x 18" tag board
- 3H and 2H pencils
- eraser
- 15" or longer ruler
- 8 ½" x 11" scrap paper
- masking tape
- extra fine and fine tipped Sharpie permanent markers
- set of 24 colored pencils
Resources:
- "Architectural Styles" handouts
- "Helpful Visual Architectural Dictionary" handout
- Martinsville: A Pictorial History by Joanne Raetz Stuttgen
- "Designing Place" website
Resources:
Optional: A classroom textbook in your school that has lesson(s) on two-point
perspective
Optional: "Art Textbooks for Individual Student Exploration" handout
can be used by students in their spare time. |
