lesson plans from “drawing with envelopes”

LESSON PLANS FROM
GRADES 6-8 / DRAWING
“DR AWING WITH ENVELOPES”
OBJECTIVES
• Students will be able to identify what envelopes are, and what makes good envelopes
• Students will practice making envelopes
• Students will apply envelopes to observation
drawings.
• Students will be able to identify the use of
envelopes in the work of other artists
STANDARDS
This lesson meets National Arts Standards 1.a,
1.b, 2.a, 2.b, 2.c, 4.a
Plate from the Charles Bargue Drawing Course
SUMMARY
MATERIALS
This lesson explores what an envelope is, how
to make a good envelope, and how to apply
envelopes in observation drawings.
Paper, Pencils, DaVinci Worksheet (attached),
Prints of Paintings (attached) Pint of Mushrooms
“DR AWING WITH ENVE LOPE S”
GRADES 6-8 / DRAWING
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
There are many advantages to
understanding the concept of envelopes.
Envelopes allow artists to view the shapes
of subjects abstractly. They help artists set
proportions for subjects at an early stage in
drawing, and focus attention on dominant
angles in the composition. In a drawing
with several objects, envelopes enable the
artist to consider the group of objects as a
whole before considering the constituents
of the group. This practice respects the
principle of working from general to
specific, which is very important when
learning how to draw.
Equally important are mistakes that are
avoided by using envelopes. They prevent
artists from using preconceived ideas
of what objects look like. For example,
many people would draw an apple by
first making a circle and adding a line
for a stem instead of drawing what they
really see. An envelope forces the artist to
find angles in the apple and draw a more
accurate version of its overall shape instead
of what the artist believes an apple to look
like. An envelope also stops artists from
focusing on tiny details at the beginning
stages of a drawing, which is a very difficult
habit for drawing students to overcome.
Classically trained artists often use
envelopes and it is helpful to study how
and why they do so.
In the image to the right, Charles Bargue
simplifies a foot by using a triangular
envelope. In this series of drawings, it is
easy to identify how this envelope helped
the artist view the foot as a whole. It also
helped him to decide on proportions and
to find smaller shapes within bigger, more
obvious shapes.
Artists sometimes begin by choosing an
envelope that has a specific shape and then
develop a composition with it in mind.
This type of envelope often has a symbolic
purpose that allows artists to imbue
their compositions with meaning. In the
painting below, Raphael uses a threesided envelope and by placing all of his
figures within this triangle, he invokes the
symbolism of the trinity. Used in this way,
the envelope adds a layer of meaning to the
painting.
“DR AWING WITH ENVE LOPE S”
GRADES 6-8 / DRAWING
The following exercises are designed to
teach students what makes envelopes
effective. They will also teach students how
to make good envelopes, how to apply
knowledge of envelopes in simple still
life drawings, and how to synthesize this
information into more complex works.
Other times an envelope is chosen by the
artist for design purposes before deciding
on a subject. In the drawing below,
Andrea Schiavone starts with a triangular
envelope in order to create designs for an
architectural element.
Before attempting to make envelopes, it
is important to understand thoroughly
what makes an envelope effective. A good
envelope uses the smallest number of
lines possible to describe the subject. A
good envelope uses only the biggest or
most obvious lines. An artist who uses
envelopes effectively thinks about subjects
as flat shapes instead of three-dimensional
objects.
It is also very important to understand
what an envelope should not look like. It
should not have interior lines nor have
many small lines. A good envelope does
not include insignificant lines or extra
lines. It almost never has curved lines.
When making envelopes, experienced
artists frequently cut off portions of
their subjects in order to conserve lines.
Drawing lines through portions of subjects
is often unnerving to students at first, but
becomes second nature with practice.
“DR AWING WITH ENVE LOPE S”
GRADES 6-8 / DRAWING
STEP 1: What do you know now?
STEP 6: Skill Building Cont.
Give each student a mushroom, piece of paper,
and pencil. Ask students to draw their mushroom to the best of their ability.
Have each set of partners join their mushrooms with another set of partners, so that
every student is now looking at a grouping of
four mushrooms. The mushrooms should all
be touching each other and grouped closely.
Have students draw this pile of mushrooms by
starting with an envelope.
STEP 2: Look at examples
Show class the images of Raphael and Charles
Bargue. Lead a discussion about what an
envelope is, and how and why each artist uses
an envelope (Refer to background information
page in this lesson plan).
STEP 3: Practice
Distribute DaVinci worksheet, and have each
student practice making envelopes using the
worksheet as a guide.
STEP 4: Application
Have students return to looking at their
mushrooms. Give each student a new piece of
paper, and have them draw their mushrooms
by starting with an envelope.
STEP 5: Build on the Skill
Have students combine their mushroom
with their neighbor’s mushroom, so that each
student is looking at a grouping of two mushrooms. The mushrooms should be touching.
Ask students to start their drawings with an
envelope that encompasses BOTH mushrooms, and then draw the mushrooms inside
the envelope.
STEP 7: Final Skill Building
This time, have each group of students move
one of the mushrooms from the pile so that it
is not touching the other mushrooms. Have
students start a drawing of this grouping of
mushrooms with an envelope.
STEP 8: Compare & Contrast
Ask students to compare their final drawings
with the first drawing they did. Sample Questions:
• Did you use a different thought process with
the last drawing than you did with the first?
• What are advantages of using envelopes?
•What are disadvantages of using envelopes?
• What types of drawing problems can be
solved with envelopes?
STEP 9: Complete Assessment
Please see assessment page in the lesson plan.
STEP 10: Display Artwork
Display the artwork. Students do their best
work when they know that others will see and
respond to it.
“DR AWING WITH ENVE LOPE S”
GRADES 6-8 / DRAWING
ASSESSMENT
Assessments are one of the most important tools educators have at their disposal when teaching skill-based
learning. Students need specific feedback in order to learn and understand advanced drawing skills. Use
this rubric, or write one of your own, to evaluate how well students understand the concept of envelopes.
Straight Lines
Small # of Lines
Cropping
Craftsmanship
3 points
Envelope includes
curved lines.
Envelope uses many
unnecessary lines.
4 points
Envelope mostly uses
straight lines.
Envelope uses almost
the smallest possible
number of lines.
Envelope crops somewhat tightly, and/or
includes some of the
major parts of the
grouping.
5 points
Envelope uses only
straight lines.
Envelope uses the
smallest possible
number of lines.
Envelope does not
Envelope crops tightly
crop tightly and/or
to the grouping, withinclude some major
out unnecessary white
parts of the grouping.
space. The envelope
includes all major
parts of the grouping.
Student needs to more Student mostly disDrawing displays high
carefully consider
plays good craftsman- level of craftsmancraftsmanship.
ship.
ship.
This envelope is not well done because it
crops out too much from the pile of mushrooms, and the envelope does not accurately
describe the overall shape of the mushroom
pile.
This envelop is well done because it tightly
crops the mushrooms without cutting out
too much information. It does not have
extra white space inside the envelope.
This is a poor envelope because it leaves too
much white space. It does not crop tightly
enough.
If one mushroom is not touching the
others, it should be included in the envelope. This envelope is well done because it
tightly crops the mushrooms without
cutting out too much information. It is
acceptable to have some white space
because the envelope should include
non-touching mushrooms.
“DR AWING WITH ENVE LOPE S”
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Art Renewal Center
Online Image Museum
www.artrenewal.org
Charles Bargue Drawing Course
Charles Bargue drawing course: with the collaboration of Jean-Léon Gérôme
Charles Bargue - Jean LéonGérôme - Gerald M.Ackerman - Graydon Parrish - ACR
Edition - 2003
Classical Drawing Atelier: A Contemporary
Guide to Traditional Studio Practice
Juliette Aristides - Watson-Guptill Publications - 2006
Lessons in Classical Drawing: Essential
Techniques from Inside the Atelier
Juliette Aristides - Watson-Guptill Publications - 2011
GRADES 6-8 / DRAWING
ENVELOPE WORKSHEET
NAME:
DIRECTIONS: Make an envelope around each of these DaVinci drawings using the designated number of lines.
Pick only the most significant lines to use for your envelope. Remember that it is okay to crop minor parts of an
“DRsuch
AWING
WITH
ENVE
LOPE
S” Good envelopesGRADES
DRAWING
image,
as hair or tips
of feet in order
to simplify
an envelope.
should not6-8
use /curved
lines,
should not have interior lines, and should not include insignificant lines. Before starting, study Example 1. Notice
that the envelope emphasizes the most important aspects of the drawing and that it crops out a piece of hair.
DAVINCI DRAWING WORKSHEET
Directions: Make an envelope around each of these DaVinci drawings using the designated number of lines. Pick
only the most significant lines to use for your envelope. Remember that it is okay to crop minor parts of an image,
such as hair or tips of feet, in order to simplify an envelope. Good envelopes should not use curved lines, should
not have interior lines, and should not include insignificant lines. Before starting, study Example 1. Notice that the
envelope emphasizes the most important aspects of the drawing and that it crops out some of the feet.
EXAMPLE1.
Use 4 lines
2. Use 4 lines
3. Use 4 lines
EXAMPLE 1
4. Use 5 lines
5. Use 3 lines
6. Use 3 lines
7. Use 5 lines
10. Use 5 lines
8. Use 4 lines
9. Use 3 lines
Madonna in the Meadow by Raphael
Lithograph of a Foot from The Charles Bargue Drawing Course