Directed Drawing

Blog-PirateIs there a difference between step-by-step drawing, guided drawing, and directed drawing? Not one I’m aware of. I just completed my first directed drawing lesson. (Argh! That’s the pirate you see here.) And I have to admit that, after completing the lesson and seeing my final product (which I think is pretty darn cute), I better understand why youngsters like it. Directed drawing is definitely a confidence booster! I feel certain this approach to art strengthens listening skills along with directional and spatial awareness too.

But here’s my wonder: is this really art? Perhaps the key is finding the right balance between draw-along lessons and more open-ended art experiences. What are your thoughts about directed drawing? Do you incorporate lessons of this type into your weekly or monthly plans?

Eager to hear from you!

Diane

 


3 thoughts on “Directed Drawing

  1. I try really hard to create a balance of opened ended and teac her directed crafts or art. Part of the problem I see is the parents see this cutsey craft on pinterest and wants the kiddos to do the same all the time.

  2. Directed drawing is a great first step to art and helps students with an end product that they really like, but it is just a stepping stone to teaching art. They do need to know the basics of placement, size, proportion, etc. which directed drawing helps to teach. I like to take this a step further and add in a few other principles. For this, I might discuss color – the scarf on the head of the pirate shows value. They could mix white paint with the red paint to make pink. (All kids love mixing paint.) Or I could discuss how to round an object by using curved lines or darker values of colors at the edges and blend in the other colors. We could discuss directionality of lines – that straight lines flatten an object. All of this depends on the grade level being taught.

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