Sunflower
Organic Drawing for Beginners
I like starting with the sunflower due to its shape and how the petals look at different angles. It really is a great start to drawing organic shapes from observation. I also use this opportunity to have students take the drawing from a sketch to a more finished looking art piece by using single contour line. So, it is really important to emphasize sketching lightly. As we know, if you press to hard with a pencil, no matter how much you erase, there will still be a mark. To help with this, students draw the flower on light colored paper. This way, if there are heavy marks that could not be erased completely, it will not be as noticeable.
I like that the colored copy paper helps with possible craftsmanship issues and it takes a simple single contour line drawing to a more finished looking art piece.
Sunflower Demonstration Video
Sunflower.mp4
Closing Assignment
In Chapter 1, students are asked to draw a hand with a plant in single contour line using colored pencil as the closing assignment. Even though the project requires accurate proportion, it allows for Surrealism (taking the unreal and making it look real). Students turn in a rough draft that shows their plan for the project. I use that moment to help with proportion and to see if they followed the requirements. I also use it as an opportunity to challenge students to go further idea wise to promote creative expression.
Other Plant Projects
For my example, I changed grapes into dinosaur eggs and as it hatches there are baby t-rexes. This is pastel with ink.
The Surreal Plant Life
In Intermediate Art, students go further with the idea of Surrealism and plants. They have to transform fruit, vegetables, or other plants into other subject matter.