How to Draw a Grid in 1 Point Perspective

To follow this tutorial, you should have a basic idea of how to use 1 point perspective. This particular use allows you to set up a grid. The grid can be used to draw a number of things:

• a checkerboard pattern
• a distorted drawing in 1 point (imagine drawing an image, putting a 1 inch grid on it, then draw using this distorted 1 point grid)
• patterns along the walls of a drawing to make sure they 'shrink' appropriately

The point of drawing a grid in 1 point is to make sure that whatever you are drawing gets smaller at the appropriate ratio. Sure you could just draw a checkerboard and make everything 1 inch by 1 inch, but it wouldn't look right in a 1 point drawing. 

The following are images that explain what steps to take. My drawing area is very small. When you draw yours it will be larger and provide more spaces. Click on the images for a larger view.

Your 'defined area' is where you want to see a grid. This could be an entire wall, floor or ceiling, or only part of something, like a table.

O'Keeffe Inspired Flowers and Abstractions

Kids are SO convinced that they cannot draw! Actually, all adults are convinced of this as well.I constantly hear the grief of, "I STINK at DRAWING!!!" It simply isn't true.  A more accurate cry would be, "Gosh darnit! I've never been taught to draw and I find that SO frustrating!"

Anyone can draw. I swear. Just like anyone can do math, lose weight or drive a car. These are not natural talents/instincts for MOST people. They are things you must learn to do and work at!

Back to the flowers. I don't know if there is a lot of controversy over using grids to draw because I really don't care. Grids work. They teach students how to narrow their focus to one specific area and draw things in relationship to other things. 

So the kids have been amazing and put up with every silly drawing exercise I made them do: blind contour drawing, draw the silly kindergarten shape from the left in the square on the right, silly grid drawings, how to draw cylinders, cubes, etc...and low and behold, when I gave them the tast of drawing a flower, they rocked!! Now some of them missed the boat on their coloring skills, but everyone did SO WELL drawing a flower! 

Part 1:

Find a suitable flower image. Draw a grid on the image. Lightly draw a grid 2x the size on your final paper. Draw the flower. (Insert quick step for part 2 here) Color the flower using colored pastels. 

Part 2: 

Use newsprint or tracing paper and draw a 2"x3" rectangle. Trace a 2"x3" section of your flower drawing. Now draw THAT section much larger on a second piece of final paper. Color this using an analogous color scheme. 

Now you have a flower that shows off your fancy technical skills and a very cool abstraction. Quite a pair!

Mixed Media Art

After drilling students on the Elements of Art and Principles of Design for an entire semester, I thought a great project for the end would be a Mixed Media Self Portrait that incorporates a personal goal. I quickly threw together an example today:

Like any good artist, I started this having no idea what it was going to look like. ;-)

I knew I wanted a checkered floor done in 1 point perspective and to create a room or setting for the scene. My original thought was to express my love of baking...hm.

I found a few images I liked (going for speed, not skilled drawing today) and found that they inspired a theme. Score! I glued them down, added a few bells and whistles to have a quick mixed media art project. The words 'tame the mind.' are written under the peaceful head. 

So what do we have here...

• repetition is used to draw the eye towards the figure in the back
• emphasis is also created by the presence of a second figure looking towards the first
• blue is a dominant color, creating unity
• string is used twice, once to bind a head, the second to bind feet to a weight (rock)
• texture created with fabric, newspaper and quilled papers

The overall message I decided to go for was the desire to tame or control the mind. I indicated a weight or lack of movement in the foreground figure. Presumably the one who's mind needs binding. 

We haven't started the project yet. I am a bit nervous. I know that many students will want to rush through the project and not really think about what they are creating. I plan to have them develop it in stages to limit this. Before explainging the project, I plan to have them complete these steps:

Step 1: List 5 things that are important to you and why. List 3 personal goals you have for yourself. 

Step 2: Choose one of these things you want to use in your project. Answer the following quesions: What colors do you associate with this? If your goal or object were to have a setting, where would you put it? What are some images that symbolize your goal or object that do not include the item itself?

After this I will introduce the class to mixed media art and review the skills we have been learning throughout the year. Good luck!! 

Update on Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 5:58PM by sonja

Student artwork from the mixed media project! Amazing what they come up with. I love it!!! 

Messy Mache

Currently I am helping five Art 1 classroom complete a messy messy Paper Mache project. It's a lot of fun and at the end of the year an engaging activity to keep students going.

Aside from the obvious lessons in uses, history and experimenting with 3d work, Paper Mache acheives what I feel is one of the best lessons in art: Problem Solving Skills!

Every step of this process is ripe with problem solving activity - oh no! my monster is falling over! How do I make a sphere? Why won't he balance? Um...It like, totally, collapsed and I hate it. 

All of these are wonderful opportunities to jump in and tell a student to 'Keep going' and 'it will look better when it is complete...just stick it out!' They don't believe me, but low and behold, two class sessions later, their paper mache monster looks awesome. 

this dragon was huge. amazing. scary monster flowers!