Composition Grid Lesson Plan
Composition Grid Lesson Plan
Composition Grid Lesson Plan
Prior Knowledge
- Following the Aesthetic collage/study, pattern study, and still life value project the students will
have a basic working knowledge of value, cropping, as well as color theory.
- Basic art skills such as how to use pencils, measuring devices, and erasers.
- Techniques such as shading and blending graphite pencils.
Central focus
- To teach students methods of abstraction involving the extreme cropping of a photo, as well as
how to use color and value to represent three dimensional objects in a two-dimensional plane.
- To create an interesting grid-based composition using the aforementioned techniques.
Materials
- Sketchbook
- Colored pencil
- Ruler
- 18 x 18” Papers
- Still life arrangements
- PowerPoint/Laptop and Projector
- Rubric
Procedure
- Students are expected to enter class as usual and sit at their assigned tables. The first ten
minutes of silent sketching will take place per usual as they complete their weekly sketch.
Concluding the first ten minutes I will introduce the power point that discusses the concepts of
cropping an image, value scales with graphite, as well as color pencil coloring.
- Students will then take the “crud collage” that was monochromatic and begin practice sketching
and adding value and color to a contour drawing in their sketchbooks for a grand total of 4
practice sketches, one for contour, one for value, one with color, and one with extreme cropping.
- Before the end of class each student will be given a rubric that describes what is expected/ will
be graded in their final project they are to complete
Language Function
- The students will develop an understanding of cropping an image and will use this definition to
frame an abstract composition that is appealing to them.
- Vocabulary: cropping- what is included in the picture plane you are trying to capture. Value- the
lightness or darkness in tone or colors. Composition- the arrangement of a piece of art.
- Discourse: students will articulate their choices for or against compositions and defend their
choices using artistic language.
- Practice: During the initial sketching stage, as well as the final stage I will use the artistic
language to describe processes or aspects of art to reinforce the vocabulary. I will also respond
to questions as reasonably as possible including the language and terms covered.
Lesson Segment Two
- This lesson segment will extend for roughly six class periods as this includes a demonstration of
what will be done for the final project on the same size paper that the students will use.
- Students should enter the class and complete ten minutes of daily sketching ending when we
begin to work on our Composition Grids.
- Students will create a grid of 9 Squares on their paper (6”x6”) and will zoom in as much or as
little as they wish within each square capturing a different part of the still life to create an
abstracted composition of the original monochromatic design.
- Students will then pick at least 3 squares to add color to using colored pencils, leaving the rest to
be shaded using graphite.
Lesson Segment Three
- We will immediately begin class by having students present their art to the class describes their
artistic choices such as the composition, how much they cropped the image, and which squares
they chose to color.
- Students will then complete their own self reflection rubrics to be turned in at the end of class,
as well as their final piece and their sketchbook.
- This will continue until all students have presented their work and all assignments turned in.
- Students will be graded based on their sketchbook exploration and final project, their self-
reflection, as well as my evaluation of the rubric.