Grade Eight Art Lessons

Children should be encouraged to discover their creative strengths and to experiment with art.

Art is an important part of any grade level's curriculum. Children in the eighth grade can benefit from art in particular, because it will encourage them to continue to grow creatively as they reach the high school level. There are many fun and enriching art lessons that can be taught to eighth-grade students.

Portraits

Have students complete three portraits of a partner, each in a different style. The partner will sit for about two minutes for the first portrait, as the drawer renders her in charcoal. Three minutes will be allowed for the second sitting, as the partner draws her in graphite. And 10 minutes can be allotted for the third sitting, as the student uses paints to create an image of her partner. With each new medium students should use a new style, such as abstract, linear and realistic. The varying styles and mediums, along with the time limit, will encourage students to draw strictly what they see without fear of correction and prevent boredom. Once one partner has finished the three poses, students can switch places.

Color Based Painting

Have students create a painting using only one color, with the goal of representing an emotion. The emotion may be conveyed through either the color's application, the subject matter or both. Tell them to focus on the emotion that they associate with the color, not worrying about common thought. This will make it more interesting when they present their work to the class. Classmates can give their opinion on the emotion that the piece brings about, and then the artist can say what he intended. This is a good lesson in color emotion, because it will show students how one color can mean two completely different things to different individuals.

Movement Sketches

Having students complete movement sketches can help them to learn to convey what they see without outside influence and to get comfortable working with artistic tools. Have one student stand at the front of the class and run on the spot. The other students will have to draw the movement that they see, using either graphite or charcoal. After about 10 seconds, the student will begin a new movement, or trade places with another student for him to do so. The goal is for students to capture the movement in the form of scribbles and lines. Encourage students to look at the subject while they are drawing and not to worry about what is on the page. Move between different sessions of 10 seconds, 20 seconds and 30 seconds. This is an excellent activity to do at the beginning of each art class, to help students loosen up.

Story Illustration

Have students illustrate a scene from their favorite book. Instruct them to get creative and draw the scene in any medium of their choice, featuring the way that they perceive it. The characters don't have to be like any current illustrations or movies based on the book; they can be any way that the student imagined them as they were reading the book. Have them mount their completed works around the class with a line from the scene written under it, so that students can view the work collectively.

References

• Cloudnet: Art Resources and Lesson Plans