Skills in Art & Design

hints, tricks, techniques & reminders

Krzysia Stevens - 2008

Art and Design Skills

Recording from first hand observation MONOCHROME drawing
A lot of these skills will be appropriate for older children, it is never too early to begin mentioning
and practicing these things. Just because a child doesnt manage to show where a shadow is in
their drawing does not mean they are unable to see it. Seeing is the key to observational drawing.

Children need to be taught to draw what they really see, not what they expect to see children

need to spend more time looking at what they are observing than looking at their own drawing.
Children need to be reminded to look at the direction of the light source - important for seeing

where the shadows will be. Try using colored directional lighting.
Children need to understand the importance of contrast in their observational drawing. A light
colored object does not have a hard outline; you can show the edge of a light colored object by
contrasting it against a dark background and vice versa. Encourage children to dispense with
outline. A good exercise is to scribble all over the paper first and then lift the drawing from the

paper using a combination of line, shading and hefty use of a putty rubber.
Children need to use at least three different tonal values in a monochrome drawing, very light,
very dark and a mid tone. The paper can count as one of those tones, the medium can count
as another and manipulating the medium (pressing harder and softer with a pencil, smudging

charcoal or chalk, diluting a wash etc.) counts as the mid tones.

Children need to use different points of the object they are drawing as reference points for other
parts of their drawing. E.g. you can check that an arm is in the correct position by looking to
see where it touches the leg and where that leg touches the sofa it is sitting on and where that
sofa is in relation to...etc. Remind children how important negative space (gaps between

things) is in working out objects positions.

Children need to be taught how to use a putty rubber. A putty rubber can be molded to a fine
point to pick out areas of detail from previously shaded areas, with pencil and chalk or charcoal.
A putty rubber can be used to smudge areas of pencil, chalk or charcoal to add interesting

effects.
Children need to retain a sharp pencil at all times, even for shading.
Children need to experiment with different mark making and different ways of shading with
pencil, charcoal or chalk. E.g. soft, even, incremental shading, crosshatching, scribbling etc.

Art and Design Skills

Recording from first hand observation COLOR drawing

A lot of these skills will be appropriate for older children, it is never too early to begin mentioning
and practicing these things. Just because a child doesnt manage to show where a shadow is in
their drawing does not mean they are unable to see it. Seeing is the key to observational drawing.

Children need to be taught to draw what they really see, not what they expect to see children

need to spend more time looking at what they are observing than looking at their own drawing.
Children need to be reminded to look at the direction of the light source - important for seeing

where the shadows will be. Try using colored directional lighting.
Children need to understand the importance of color in shadows. The shadow of an object will
contain the complementary color of the light and the complementary color of the object. E.g. A
green apple in white light will have a dark shadow with touches of red in it. A purple bag in
white light will have dark shadow with touches of yellow in it. In green light the shadows will be

red, in orange light the shadows will be blue etc.

Children need to use complementary colors a lot to give their drawings depth. A picture with
grey shadows will look very flat. A lemon with purple shadows on it will look right. Trust me, try

it!
Children need to use different points of the object they are drawing as reference points for other
parts of their drawing. E.g. you can check that an arm is in the correct position by looking to
see where it touches the leg and where that leg touches the sofa it is sitting on and where that
sofa is in relation to...etc. Remind children how important negative space (gaps between

things) is in working out objects positions.

Children need to be taught how to blend colors on the page instead of on a palette. With
colored pencils star with the darker tones and work lighter, it is easier to lighten a tone with a
white pencil than it is to deepen a tone with a darker pencil. With chalks and pastels the same

applies.
Children need to experiment with different mark making and different ways of shading and
blending with colored pencil, pastels or chalk. Cross hatching works well with colored pencil,
one-directional, linear shading also works well with pencils as well as with pastels. Pastels can
be blended with a fingertip, cotton wool, leather pad etc., though careful and delicate use of
pastels with no smudging can be more effective. Oil pastels lend themselves well to pointillism
(dots).

Art and Design Skills

Recording from first hand observation WATERCOLOR painting
A lot of these skills will be appropriate for older children, it is never too early to begin mentioning

and practicing these things.

Health and Safety Point be aware that some watercolors are slightly toxic possibly enough to
make a child sick if ingested in large quantities - cobalt blue, cadmium yellow etc. for example
even though the threat they may cause is barely significant, it is good practice to encourage
children to keep brushes and paints out of their mouths.

The first key to good watercolor painting is good quality watercolor paper. Dont use cartridge paper if

you want good results. If you must use cartridge paper, use the heaviest weight you can.
The second key to good watercolor painting is to use a lot of water.
The third key to good watercolor painting is the ability to spot a happy accident and go with it.
The fourth key to good watercolor painting is the ability to know when to stop painting.
Work from light to dark. It is hard to remove color and depth of tone once it has been painted.
However, it is not impossible: if the paint is still wet, use a tissue to dab away the unwanted paint and
most of it should come up if you are using good quality paper. If the paint is dry, dampen the area you
want to remove or lighten with some clean water and then dab with a tissue to remove the pigment.

Different pigments will respond better to this, whilst some pigments stain.
Children need to be taught how to paint a wash. Enough paint to cover the required area needs to be
mixed up first. Then as big a brush as is available needs to be loaded with paint so that it is dripping
wet. Beginning at the top left (for right handed people) or top right (for left handed people) pull the bead
of paint across the page. Reload the brush whenever necessary so that the painted paper stays very
wet and pull the bead of paint back on the other direction, below the line already painted but touching it.
You need to work quickly so that the line of paint doesnt dry out as you are working. Dont paint over

what you have already painted. This sounds complicated but just needs a little practice.
Children can also mix colors on the page as watercolors are translucent.
Children can be taught how to paint wet-on-wet this is not easy and requires a lot of practice but is
beautiful when done well. This involves working very quickly, leaving a lot of white gaps - dry paper -

where the paint cannot run and lots of rich color.

Children need to be taught how to apply colored washes in blocks where the paint is mixed first in the
palette (refer to color mixing chart) and painted on, leaving gaps of dry paper between the areas of color

so they dont bleed into one another.

Children need also to be taught how to layer watercolor washes, so that the colors are mixed on the
page rather than the palette. This requires that each layer of washes is allowed to dry between each
color application. It doesnt take long, especially in hot dry weather.

Art and Design Skills

Investigating pattern - PRINTING
Printing is the process of creating multiples of the same piece of artwork. Prints are made from an original surface
called a matrix. Common matrices will be: metal plates, usually copper or zinc for engraving or etching; stone, used for
lithography; blocks of woods for woodcuts; and fabric plates for screen-printing. There are many other things that can
be used to form a matrix (like polystyrene tiles...).

Printmaking techniques:

Relief printing where the ink goes onto the original surface of the matrix woodcuts, etc.

Intaglio where the ink goes beneath the original surface of the matrix engraving, etching, mezzotint, aquatint
etc.

Planographic where the matrix retains its entire surface but some parts are treated to make the image
lithography, mono-typing and digital techniques.

Stencil screen printing.

Mono-typing a surface is painted with ink and then rolled flat. Paper is then applied to the ink and an image
sketched onto the paper. The ink where the pencil has been used will adhere to the paper to produce a print.

Many of these techniques can also be combined, especially within the same family. For example Rembrandt's prints
are usually referred to as "etchings" for convenience, but very often include work in engraving and drypoint as well, and
sometimes have no etching at all.

Woodcut a sketch is drawn onto the surface of the matrix and then specialist tools used to remove parts of the
block that are not to receive ink. Raised part of block is inked, then paper placed over the block. Paper then rolled
with roller. If in color, separate blocks are used for each color.

Engraving the engraved plate is inked all over, and then the ink is wiped off, leaving ink only in the engraved
lines. Plate put through a high pressure press with paper. The plate can be used hundreds of times.

Screen printing - The first time man placed his hand against a cave wall and blew ash and dried blood against it
was the first time a stencil was used. An image is drawn onto paper or plastic or film. The image is cut out to
create a stencil. The pieces that are cut away are the places where the ink will go. A screen is made from fabric,
originally silk, and stretched over a wooden frame - an old picture frame will do. The stencil is then fixed to the
screen. The screen is then placed on top of a piece of paper and ink squeezed across the top of the frame. A
rubber blade is used to drag the ink across the screen, allowing the ink to seep through the silk onto the paper
where there are gaps in the stencil. Colors are added layer by layer, suing different stencils. The screen can be
re-used after washing.

Colors will interact with each other, which has to be remembered when using more than one color. Begin with the
lightest color first and get progressively darker. The reductionist approach is to start with a block that is blank. Upon
each printing the printmaker will then cut into the block further and then apply another color and reprint. Each
successive removal of material from the block will expose the already printed color to the viewer of the print.
Different colors can be painted directly onto the print block.

Art and Design Skills

Investigating pattern - SCULPTURE

An artistic form in which materials are worked into three-dimensional art objects. The designs may be freestanding
objects, in reliefs on surfaces, or in environments ranging from tableaux to contexts that involve the spectator. A
huge variety of media may be used, including clay, wax, stone, metal, fabric, glass, wood, plaster, rubber, and
random found objects (try making a sculpture in a shoe box from found objects). Environmental sculptors use
natural mineral objects or dead animal or vegetable objects. They use thorns, water, snow, mud etc. as glue and

nails.
Materials may be carved, modeled, molded, cast, wrought, welded, sewn, assembled, or otherwise shaped and
combined.

The two most important elements of sculpture are mass and space.

The sculpture extends into or moves through space; it may enclose or enfold space and create hollows within the
sculpture. Holes and cavities in sculpture are of equal importance to the overall design and can be referred to as
negative volumes.
Armatures are frameworks around which sculptures are built. They can be made from pretty much anything wire,
mesh, newspaper, cardboard. etc. and then covered in plaster of paris, clay or paper mache.
Working With Clay:
Clay artists throughout the ages have invented many ways to shape things out of clay.
PINCH - Use your fingers to pinch and poke a single lump of clay into any shape.
SLAB - Roll the clay into flat sheets (like a pie crust) to cut apart and assemble.
COIL - Roll out long snakes of clay and twist them into coils and shapes.
WHEEL - Spin clay on a potter's wheel to form pots and vases.
Some Tools to Use When Working with Clay:

Fingers

Rolling pins and canvas

Candy sticks and toothpicks

Cookie cutters

Plastic bags

A clay cutter (wire)

Sponges

Various carving tools, nuts and bolts, old toothbrushes and anything else you can get your hands on that will
create texture in the clay

WARNING:
DO NOT ALLOW CLAY TO GO DOWN YOUR DRAIN! If clay gets into your sink, you will have a major problem.
Always rinse your hands in a bucket of water - the clay will settle to the bottom and you will be able to pour the water
off the top (outside) and you will be able to use the slurry clay at a later time.

Art and Design Skills

Recording from first hand observation (SELF) PORTRAITS
A lot of these skills will be appropriate for older children, it is never too early to begin mentioning
and practicing these things.

A lot of the information to do with observational drawing and painting in color and monochrome

is relevant to portraits.
Remember to keep a sharp pencil all the time.
Children need to see the differences between the proportions of an adults head and those of a
child. (See Appendix 1) Make sure the children draw enough forehead, especially when
drawing children there needs to be enough room for the skull and brain! Children have much

more forehead than adults.

Show the children the tricks for drawing noses and lips. (See Appendix 2) Dont draw a line all

the way around the lips remember what is left out is often just as important as what is drawn.
Remember to include a highlight in the eyes, otherwise the face will look flat and...well...dead.
Not all the iris can generally be seen, but what is seen still needs to be a part of something that

is round and the pupil needs to be in the centre of it.

Make sure your eyebrows are far enough away from the eye and often a suggestion of

eyebrow is all that is needed, big hard lines look weird.

Try not to draw lines for different features but use shading and chiaroscuro (light meeting dark)

to show where different features re.

Remember the anatomy of the face where are the muscles and bones beneath the skin?
These shape the face. Remember where the skin is thinnest will have a tinge of blue to it

where the blood vessels are closer to the surface of the skin, around the eyes for example.
When using color on the face, look hard at where the face is the palest often around the eyes.

Go easy on color and build up from the palest shades, even when painting black skin.
Remember to use your complementary colors for shadows ion the face, even if it seems weird,

it will look right.

Dont draw individual teeth, hint at them.

Art and Design Skills

Sculpture and textiles - PAPER MACHE
Paper mache originated in China the Chinese were the first to invent paper. Paper was an expensive commodity so
they experimented with ways of recycling it. Amongst other things paper mach was used to make war helmets!
Paper mach pot lids have been found in China, dating from 206 AD.
Indian paper mach artifacts have been found dating from the 17 th century plates, mirror frames, pencil boxes etc.
Paper mach objects, from all over the world, tended to be lacquered and polished.
During the industrial revolution in Britain, paper mach was mass produced, using steam compression. However,
paper mach is so strong and long-lasting that the demand soon died out. Today, paper mach is seen as an art form
rather than a technology.

Paper Mach dough:

7 -8 full sheets of newspaper soaked in boiling water to form a pulp
An equal volume of fine sawdust
Half the volume of ground chalk or talcum powder
1 tbsp PVA glue
2 tbsp linseed oil (preservative)
3 4 tbsp wallpaper paste
Mix pulp with sawdust and talc
Mix wallpaper paste with appropriate amount of water
Add linseed oil and glue
Knead
Shape, mould, create, sculpt...
Bake for approx 45 mins (more or less depending on thickness of creation) at 250 275F
Coarser sawdust can be added for a rougher texture
Food coloring, poster paint or powder paint can also be added at this stage or the item can be painted once dry.
Unless a clear lacquer is used, paper mach objects cannot become wet...
Paper mach strips:
7 -8 full sheets of paper torn into strips
3 -4 tbsp wallpaper paste
2 tbsp PVA glue
2 tbsp linseed oil (preservative)
Coat inside of mould with talcum powder, Vaseline or a layer of paper strips dipped only in water
Mix wallpaper paste with appropriate amount of water
Add linseed oil and glue to wallpaper paste
Coat both sides of paper with glue mixture and smooth onto mold
Leave until completely dry before attempting to remove from mold
Strips of other, decorative paper or fabric can be added to the first and final layers if the object is not to be painted
Cardboard can be stuck onto the object once dry and before painting to aid balance, or add shapes etc.

Art and Design Skills

Investigating textiles - WEAVING
Weaving was probably invented much later than spinning, around 6000 BC, in West Asia. At first people just
wove narrow bands with their fingers, and it was only later that they began to use looms.

Try weaving with natural materials or incorporating natural materials into weavings

The Basics
You need to know only two words to weave: warp and weft. The warp is the vertical threads that form the
backbone of the weaving. The weft is the horizontal threads that you weave in over and under.

The most basic weave, called plain or tabby weave, is the over-one-and-under-one.
If you are right handed, start working on the left side of the loom. If youre left-handed, reverse this.
Warping Your Loom
Take the end of the yarn and put it into the upper, left-hand slot, leaving the end of an inch or two facing you.
Youre going to warp starting in the back so youll have enough yarn for the fringe. Wrap the yarn firmly around
the back and insert it into the first left-hand slot on the bottom. Then bring it up the front, again with a firm tension,
and slide it into the same first slot that you put the end in. Keep wrapping the yarn firmly around the cardboard,
placing it in each slot as you go. When you finish, turn the cardboard over and cut the yarn more than half-way
down the loom - youre doing this so youll have enough yarn for the fringe. Then tuck the end into some of the
warp yarns to keep it safe and out of your way.
Finally, turn the cardboard back to the front and gently bend each end towards you. The key word is gently.
Youre not trying to fold the board in half, but to create a little concave curve, which will make weaving easier.
Now you have warped the loom!
Weaving
O.K. Now youre ready to begin. Cut of a piece of yarn about three times the width of your loom and thread it into
the needle. Weavers usually work from the bottom up, because that makes it easier to pack down the yarn. So
youre going to start from the lower left corner. Start by going under, then over, then under then over, then under.
The object in plain weave, which is what youre doing, is to alternate over and under on each row. Since you
ended your row by going under, youre going to start your next row by going over. But because you just wove in
your starting end, you are going to start your next row below that row. So start going over and under and over
and under until you reach the right end of your loom. Push the yarn down to the bottom with your fingers and
weave back to the left.
Now all you have to do is keep weaving until youre finished, pushing down each row as you weave it. When you
reach the end of a piece of yarn, stop with an under and leave the end on the top. Start the next piece in the
same place you stopped, with the under, and keep on weaving.
This is a very easy technique which most children will be able to use to create some very impressive weavings. Once
they have mastered this basic skill, there are an infinite number of variations which will allow each child to make their
own original weaving.
Resources - Each child will need two Popsicle sticks and some wool.
Technique:
1) Start by placing your two Popsicle sticks in the cross shape shown on the
right. You might want to glue them together to hold them still, although the
wool will hold them in place when you start weaving.
2) Start by wrapping the wool around the intersection
in an X motion, as shown on the left.
3) Once this is done, look at the diagram and follow
the instructions below:

A - After you have made your X in the centre, put the end of the wool in the bottom-right hand corner.
B - Now, wrap the wool over the right end of the horizontal Popsicle stick, and pull it behind
C - Pull the wool lightly to remove any slack (not too tightly) and rotate the sticks ANTI-CLOCKWISE by 90 degrees.
D - Put the end of the wool in the bottom-right hand corner, and again wrap it over and behind the horizontal Popsicle stick.
E - Pull the wool lightly, turn 90 degrees (anti-clockwise again) and wrap.
4) Repeat this process (WRAP, PULL, TURN, WRAP, PULL, TURN...), moving towards the ends of the Popsicle sticks
5) When you reach the ends (leave about 1cm at the end of the stick showing), to stop it untangling, get a large needle and thread
the end of the wool into the back of the weaving, or tie the wool around one of the ends of the sticks.
Here is what your finished weaving should look like...

Variations

Change the color of the wool half-way through.

Weave using two different colored lengths of wool (at the same time).

Change the direction you weave in halfway through.

EXPERIMENT!

Why not make lots of these, then glue them together to make a large wall-hanging / classroom decoration?
Weaving Frame

A simple weaving frame can be made by making incisions in both ends of strong cardboard.
With a heavy ball of string, cover the frame. Start at one of the edges and thread the frame up and around each
incision. Then fasten and cut. You can use any flexible material, for example, wool, ribbon, yarn, fabric strips, raffia,
twigs, etc. The more variation, the more interesting the result will be. The children could experiment with twisting yarn
together before weaving, to achieve interesting texture variations. A piece of card or a ruler may be used to hold up
the thread to make the weaving easier.

When finished, pull off the frame and cut the loops and the side and tie knots. Children particularly enjoy weaving with
great variety. Be sure that they can do paper-weaving before they use a frame.
Circle Loom Coaster

Begin with a circle of cardboard, notched around the circumference. Punch a hole at the center of the circle.
Wind string around the cardboard, beginning at any point on the circumference, through the center, moving forward
one notch each time, until the string is wound around the circle. Tie loose ends.
Beginning at the center, weave yarn over and under, using any pattern the child wishes. This can be completed in one
color, or the child may choose to make contrasting stripes.
Variation
The fan loom is a variation of the circle loom. After cutting the desired shape out of stiff cardboard, notch the edges, as
shown. Sew a small ring to the bottom of the loom frame, on both the front and back sides. Attach the warp thread to
the ring on the back side. Wind the warp threads across the notched edge through the ring on the front, and through
the next notch to the back ring. Complete in the same way.
Beginning at one side, weave yarn over and under, using any pattern the child
wishes. This can be completed in one color, or the child may choose to make
contrasting stripes.

Watercolor
Drawing box
box
Contents:

36 pastels boxes
Watercolor
boxes of
red
Watercolor
4B
drawing Boxes
pencils black
Watercolor
Putty
rubbers
brushes large
Watercolor
Charcoal
brushes
boxes of medium
Watercolor
Oil
pastels brushes
boxes of
small
Skills card
Metallic
oil pastels boxes of
Message
Skills
cardboard
Message board

7
25
10
144
20 10
20
5
20
10
1
10
1
1

Message board
This box is short of / has run out of...

Something in this box is broken...

We are short of...

We could also do with...