My little class (6-7 year olds) rocked this lesson (2017). I just adore these little bears and their wintery sweaters. And they are just in time for the onset of winter.
2022 Update: my new group (ages 6-9) just did this lesson and LOVED it! We explored various pen and line techniques for this project; hatching (face), cross-hatching (neck), scrubbing (ears), stippling (snout) and patterns (sweater).
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| Teacher Sample |
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| 6-7 year olds |
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| 6-9 year olds - teacher sample top left |
The kids really grasped the concept of using small lines in a systematic, organized way in order to create darker and lighter tones, as well as indicting the direction of fur growth and the 3-D shape of the head.
HEAD: I provided plenty of visuals of animal illustrations using pen and line for the kids to look at. The bears were drawn in a directed line drawing exercise, with me drawing and 'talking out loud' as I drew on the white board, and the kids following my step by step instructions. The teacher 'talking out loud' aspect sharpens their listening and observations skills, while reinforcing art vocabulary related to line and shape. Seeing me consider my drawing options, correct my mistakes, make measurements before drawing, and map out my composition reinforces the importance and usefulness of these important skills.
BODY: After the bear heads were complete, we drew a simple upper body shape - more or less just a continuation of the head but slightly wider due to shoulder. (No sweater details yet!).
FUR IN FACE: Students used little lines in black pen (fine-liner) using wider spacing for lighter toned areas and tighter spacing for darker tones areas. We considered the direction of fur growth, and used little lines in neat rows to mimic the growth patterns. Around the eyes, we used 3-4 concentric rows or tight lines; then used vertical rows for the rest of the face, spaced wider where there is less dark tone (forehead). The snout areas is left blank. The nose and eyes are colored black. See our inspiration samples below:
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| illustration inspiration |
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| illustration inspiration |
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| Student progress after Day 1 |
SWEATER PATTERNS: After our face was complete, we decorated our sweaters. Students first drew several slightly curved horizontal lines across the body (to create a rounded looking body), and then filled each row with a different SIMPLE pattern. Pencil lines were outlined in thick permanent marker.
**The rule was: half the patterns must be colored in black. The rest may be filled with your choice of 3-4 bright colors. This gives contrast to our more delicately detailed bear face, and adds that graphic feel.
Below are a few pattern samples. Many of these are too complex though. Depending on age, the simpler the better (stripes, zig-zag dots, etc)
COLORING: Students were encouraged to color each patterned row in a careful PATTERN of colors, rather than randomly coloring, for example: red, yellow, red, yellow, red, yellow. This helps to emphasize the pattern.
BACKGROUND: Once complete, bears were cut out and students chose a subtly pattered deco paper to paste their bear on. These are fit for a children's book illustration!
Below: 6-7 age group
Below: 6-9 age group
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