The Van Wert City Schools art department at the middle school and high school level have long felt that drawing is fundamental. Without a strong foundation in drawing, students really struggle to become successful in high school art classes. With that in mind, all middle school art classes start the trimester drawing still-lifes. I typically set up about 4 throughout the classroom and as long as the students can handle it, I let them choose which ones they draw and where they sit. This trimester I decided to set up some still-lifes that I haven't done before. Here are some of the results.

Still-Life Drawings

Drawing: it's the ABC's of art. I would imagine that most of my students would say that they really don't enjoy drawing still-lifes. However, the many things I can teach through still-life drawings are priceless. We cover shape, value, space, gauging, highlights, color, blending, shadows, and craftsmanship. It's really amazing to see how far the kids come from their first drawing of the trimester to the last still-life they create. We only spend the first 3 1/2-5 weeks (of a 12 week grading period) on drawing, but to see how far they come in that time is awesome!

The 8th graders have been sketching the still-lives, using different types of media. Their first still-life was in regular pencil. The second still-life they created was with white pencil on black paper. The final still-life sketch was done on scratch board. I'm very happy with the results.

Drawing Unit

The seventh graders just finished drawing the still-lifes that I had set up in the room. They first learned about value and how to make things look 3-D. Their next challenge was to sketch a still-life using colored pencils. I think the final results were very nice.

Still-Life Drawings

Here, I've posted some of the still-life drawings that the 7th and 8th graders just finished working on. All 3 grades begin still-lifes with a value sketch. The 7th graders then do a sketch in colored pencil. The 8th graders move on to reverse-value and scratch art. I have 3 girls taking 8th grade Art for the second time (they are more advanced). Those girls used charcoal and chalk. I find the results to be quite nice! Great job artists!

Buttons! Buttons! Buttons!

The 6th graders always start the trimester with about a week of button drawing. We begin with them sketching buttons without my help, so I can see where they are coming from. The next 3 days we start class with me demonstrating different skills that will help them improve (value, making the drawing look 3-D, sketching details, etc.). It's amazing how much they learn and how far they come in just a week!

8th Grade Still-Lifes

The 8th graders are really challenged with value drawings in art class. The first still-life drawing they do is a value sketch in regular pencil. Then, they move onto a value drawing in white pencil on black paper. This is difficult because the pressure of the pencil changes. However, it is a great drawing to get them ready for their scratch art drawing. All of their drawings are supposed to have 8 values. They really do a great job and it's so nice to see how far they have come since their first sketch for me, in 6th grade.

7th Grade Still-Lifes

The 7th graders actually do 2 still-life sketches. The first one is in regular value and the second one is in colored pencil. Enjoy a few of the best!