Drawing with Shapes and Lines

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Drawing with Shapes and Lines

In this lesson, students will begin by drawing with shapes to create the objects they see. They will use the shapes to form the basic sketch the object, then draw straight and curved lines to add the details.

SUPPLIES:

• Pencils (2B drawing pencils are recommended, but #2 or HB pencils will do)

• Drawing or Computer Paper – 3-4 pieces per student

• Pink Pearl Erasers

VOCABULARY:

• Sketch

Before we start drawing, let’s go back and talk about how “drawing is seeing.” The objects that we draw are made up of basic lines and shapes put together in certain ways. The three basic shapes are:

1. Circle (Ovals are included here)

2. Triangle

3. Square (Rectangles are included here)

Look around the room. Can you find a circle? (Circles can include door knobs, light fixtures, heads of the other students.) Can you find a square? (Squares might include picture frames, window panes, doors). What about a triangle?

Now let’s look at a picture. What shapes do you see in this drawing of an eagle? Do you see a circle for its head, an oval for its body, and rectangles for its legs and tail? Or, you may see the head as a small oval and the wings as ovals as well.

When you draw, it’s helpful to begin by drawing with shapes first. You’ll want to sketch these, drawing them lightly, as you may need to erase some of them later. For example, if you were drawing the bear below, you might first draw a large oval for its body, a smaller oval for its head, two round ears, rectangular legs, and round paws.

Your drawing might look like this:

Ready to practice drawing shapes? What shapes do you see in this drawing of a rose? Draw the shapes – but only the shapes. Don’t worry about drawing any details. As you draw, be sure to note where the shapes connect with each other.

Your picture (of basic shapes) might look like the one on the left, or you might include a few more shapes like the one on the right.

Good job! Here’s another one to try. Pay attention to where the shapes meet, such as where the ears connect to the head and where the legs attach to the body.

Your drawing might look like something like this:

Now that you understand how to look for shapes, let’s look for the basic lines: straight and curved. You can see straight lines on objects such as the edge of a door, window, or book. Curved lines are everywhere else – an apple, a smile, an ear. Looking again at the picture of the puppy, let’s add the lines ON TOP of the shapes we drew. Pay careful attention to where the lines are straight and where they curve.

As you draw the lines, remember that you DON’T have to the shapes exactly – use the shapes as a guideline for where the lines should go (notice that you can still see part of the shapes in the example above). After you’ve drawn in the straight and curved lines, simply go back and erase any extra lines you no longer need. If you are working on this puppy drawing with a child eight or under, you might find she has a hard time understanding the concept of drawing the basic shapes first and erasing the lines later. In this case, just help her follow the shape of the lines, paying close attention to where they connect to each other.

Want more practice drawing with shapes? Check out the lessons in Drawing Step By Step for more instruction using the examples above as well as others. Or, continue on to Lesson 3: Measuring for Proportion.

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