Learning to Draw the Human Figure

Title of Unit Learning to Draw the Human Grade Level 9th to 10th
Figure
Subject Art Time Frame (14) Days
Developed By Jasper R. Lynch

Stage 1 - Identify Desired Results

Overarching Questions / Big Ideas

● Can the human Figure be Art?
● How can Art Show mass?
● How can Art Show Movement?
● Can color or body language create Emotion?

Essential Questions
● How do we Identify the Human Form?
● How does shading show mass?
● Why Is proportion important?
● How is emotion shown through art?

Standards
● Va:cr2.1.iia- ​Through experimentation, practice, and persistence, demonstrate acquisition of skills and
knowledge in a chosen art form.
● Va:cr3.1.iia- ​Engage in constructive critique with peers, then reflect on, re-engage, revised, and refined
works of art and design in response to a personal artistic vision.
● Va:pr4.1.iia- ​Analyze, select, and critique personal artwork for a collection or portfolio presentation.
● Va:re.7.1.iia- ​Recognize and describe personal aesthetic and empathetic responses to the natural world
and constructed environments.
● Va:re.7.2.iia- ​Evaluate the effectiveness of an image or images to influence ideas, feelings, and
behaviors of specific audiences.
Knowledge: Skills:

Students will know... Students will be able to…

● How to properly use the greyscale ● Draw from Real-life models
● How to imitate space and 3D planes ● Draw from memory and imagination
● How to Portray emotion through art ● Understand the basics of color theory
● How to show movement through art
 Learning to Draw the Human Figure

Classroom Management

Starting Class The class will begin by students entering the room and
settling down I will give the class five minutes to get
settled. As this is happening there will be music quietly
playing. I will stop the music and wait for silence before
beginning my lesson.

Getting Classes Attention I will play music as students work, quietly to entertain
and control the noise. If I cannot hear the music playing,
then the room is too loud and I will ask for quiet. If I stop
the music students will know to either listen to my
speaking or to begin cleaning up. If a class struggles to
stop talking when the music stops I will also use a bell to
catch the classes attention.
Ending Class I will end each class 5 minutes before the bell rings to
allow students to clean up their tables and put away their
tools. On a day that the classroom has been rearranged
to use Easels, I will end the class an extra 5 minutes
early to allow time for the room to be put back together

Learning environment: Where can this learning best occur? How can the physical environment be
arranged to enhance learning?
The learning environment will be open, desks will be in two half circles like a double rainbow allowing enough
space for the teacher to walk the rows. The room will have examples of students artwork, both to inspire and
show examples of finished work. I want to create an environment that inspires students to work hard and be
proud of their work.

How will you engage​ s ​ tudents at the beginning of the unit?

I Will engage the students by catching their attention with the slideshows provided. I will show them examples
of how to execute each skill, in some cases using diagrams, and examples of works that successfully show the
skill in play. I will ask questions to engage students when introducing the lesson plans. I am looking for students
to give feedback to see what they know. I will also introduce important vocabulary so students can explain what
they are learning.
 Learning to Draw the Human Figure

Stage 2 – Lesson Plans

#
Lesson Title Essential Lesson plan
Questions

1 Massing Out How does Day 1- 60 mins

the Human shading show
Form and mass? (5 mins) ​- class settles in
Shading Basics (10 mins) ​- I will start by presenting examples of grayscale works of art,
talking about how the light and dark work together to represent space and
light. Before starting the slide show I will ask the class what they think a
grey scale is?
● Slide 1- These are the different ways that value can be
created by using charcoal or pencil. We can use these
different techniques to create a range of value in a piece that
goes from darkest to lightest. Value scale shading will be
used to map out the general shape of the figure.
● Slide 2- From the shaded mass we will add in distinct lines to
create a more solid figure.
● Slide 3- From there and eraser or white chalk/ pastels can be
used to add in the high lights.
● Slide 4- Here are more examples that show a value scale at
work.
(15 mins)​ - I will ask for a Model who is willing to sit through the class. The
model can either be a student who is familiar with the concept being
taught or a volunteer from out of class. I will give students a quick run
through of my lesson using said model, allowing some students to follow
along drawing and some students to watch or take notes. I will show
students how to mass, by moving the charcoal stick from side to side
slowly down the page. After I strike out the shape of the form, I will go over
Learning to Draw the Human Figure

the charcoal with a chamie smoothing out the figure. From this, students
will learn to capture the mass of the Human figure.
(20 mins ​[4 sets of 5mins]​)​ - I will then ask students to get into groups of
two. One student will pose and the other will sketch. Each student gets
five minutes to work, and five minutes to pose. Then switching. This will
happen twice before class ends so students get equal time to practice. I
can make use of a timer to keep track of time and make sure each student
gets the allotted time. Students will be doing this at their desks, using
either charcoal or pencil in their personal sketchbooks.
(5mins) ​- Class clean up
Day 2- (60 mins)
(5 mins) ​- class settles in
(5 mins)​ - I will have students practice their massing of the human form by
doing one short sketch of a model I have reserved for the whole class.
Students will now be sitting at donkey easels instead of desks. They are
working with charcoal as the main medium. This is just a warm-up piece.
(10 mins)​ -The model will change position. After the warm-up students will
be allowed to move their donkey easel to a new spot if they would like.
They will now get a longer period to work on a more in-depth massing of
the model.
(20 mins)​ - The model will change position. Students will now be asked to
start a new piece, now having even longer to add in more detail to their
massings. Students have the choice to move for a new perspective.
(15 mins)​- At the end of class, I will ask students to pick their favorite
mass drawing from the past two days to hang up and present to the class.
We will do a small critique so that I am able to see what my students feel
they did best and how it compares to others works. I will let the students
run the critique, deciding what order to go in and how constructive their
comments should be. I want students to learn that criticism is not always
 Learning to Draw the Human Figure

bad and that in some cases it can help to improve one's abilities if they are
willing to be open minded. I will use this chance to do a quick formative
assessment to see if any students are struggling with the concept I am
teaching. If I notice a large group of students is not grasping the concept I
will allow one more day where I will go back over instructions and review
main points and strategies that I want to see my students pick up. This
formative assessment will be pass or fail, simply using a checklist to keep
track of each students abilities.
(5 mins) ​- Class clean up

Slide Show-
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ajK0NBxHq302DL7laNJjUDYl_b-
9mlSi0yr713SUWLo/edit?usp=sharing
#
Lesson Title Essential Lesson plan
Questions

2 Bodily Why Is Day 1- 60 mins

Proportions and proportion
Identifying the important? (5 mins) ​- class settles in
human form How do we (20 mins)​ - Presentation:
Identify the
Human Form? ● Slide 1- I will explain how people used to be depicted in Egypt. One
How does of the world's first large societies. Here I will point out how the
proportion
influence human form is shown in the most recognizable positions. The lower
emotion? half of the body, the legs, and feet, are depicted from the side view.
Either pointing left or right. Then the torso/ chest are facing forward.
The Face is at the same angle as the legs. Then lastly the eye is
always facing forward.
● Slide 2- I will explain how the human body is composed of muscle
and meat wrapped around the skeleton. When drawing the human
Learning to Draw the Human Figure

form its very important to look at how the meat interacts with
muscle and skeletal layers below.
● Slide 3- When drawing the human form a simple line skeleton can
be used to mark out the proper portions of the average human
body. Form these lines you can play around with proportions.
● Slide 4 and 5- I will show examples of playing around with
proportions to create an uncomfortable vibe from the work of art.
(30 mins)-​ IN CLASS WARM UPS- After the presentation, I will have
students work on self-portraits in the composite view style. I want them to
depict a story that has happened to them. (They can make it mythical or
true) Small to medium sketchbook paper, pencil, and/or colored pencil. I
will just move around the room to do a quick formative check. I will use the
student checklist, pass/ fail.
(5 mins)- ​I will assign a homework assignment asking students to create
five sketches depicting a person, with proper proportions. I want students
to play with scale, so I will ask students to put their figure in a space that is
either much smaller or larger than the main figure. The class will then
clean up and disband.
Day 2- 60 mins
(5mins)- students settle in.
(40mins)- workday on larger in class assignment, medium to large sketch
paper, have access to acrylic paint, pastels, color/ led pencils, charcoal.
(5mins)- students clean up and leave.
Day 3- 60 mins
(5 mins)​- students settle in.
(40 mins)​- workday on Larger in class assignment, medium to large sketch
paper, have access to acrylic paint, pastels, color/ led pencils, charcoal.
I will collect students finished work.
(5 mins)​- students clean up and leave
 Learning to Draw the Human Figure

Slide Show-
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1TrbiGWHvIDUjMoE86M1si8K76N
PRbVTw1ZV8TCi-Pro/edit?usp=sharing
Essential
# Lesson Title Questions Lesson plan

3 Body Language How is Day 1- 60 mins

and Line of emotion
Motion shown through (5 mins) ​- class settles in
art? (15 mins) ​- SLIDE SHOW
How does a
Line show ● Slide 1- I will show examples of dynamic poses and figures
Direction? that can be easily read as in movement. I will talk about the
power that a pose can have over a composition, and the
struggle to keep figures from looking too rigid.
● Slide 2- I will show examples of the line of motion in use. I
will describe what the line of motion is and how it can be
used to show movement. The line of motion usually lines up
with the spine of the figure and a leg. It is usually the first
mark made, showing the pose at its core.
● Slide 3-I will show examples of extreme body language, I
Will talk about how the face isn't the only way of depicting
emotions. The way people hold themselves can be very
explanatory too.
● Slide 4- Here are more examples that show body language.
(25 mins)​- students will begin working on making sketches that start from
a line of motion. I will ask students to create at least five by the end of
class. I do not want finished compositions just skeletal resembling
sketches. All though I am asking for only five, I want students to create as
many as they can and then choose their five best. Students will be using
small to medium sized sketchbook paper, graphite pencils, colored
Learning to Draw the Human Figure

pencils, and charcoal sticks. They will have these options to choose from
but do not need to utilize them all.
(5 mins)​- students will clean up and disburse.
Day 2- 60 mins
(5 mins)​- Students enter and settle.
(10 mins)​- Students will be told to choose one position from their top five
motion sketches. They will use that pose as inspiration to create a
superhero or villain that either complement the pose/ body language or
juxtaposes it. I would suggest the latter choice for students who want a
challenge.
(40 mins)​- In-class work time, students have access to medium to large
sketching paper, charcoal, pastel chalks, acrylic paint, graphite pencils,
Paint brushes, water ‘cups’, paper towels, chamie/ paper tissue, moldable
eraser, vinyl eraser.
(5 mins)​- students clean up and leave.
Day 3- 60 mins
(5 mins)​- students enter and settle.
(40 mins)​- in class work.
(5 mins)​- clean up and leave.
Day 4- 60 mins
(5 mins)​-student enter and settle.
(5 mins)​- arrange the room for critique.
(10 mins)​- prep the class for critique, remind them that we are not looking
to bash any artist and simply are looking for observations as to why a
piece might (not) work, compositionally. I do not want to here “I like it” I am
looking for “it works because…” statements, and vice versa.
(25 mins)​- students will present their finished work to the class. The class
will look at the pose and the character, then decide whether they are
seeing a villain or hero. Taking that in, students will then discuss how the
 Learning to Draw the Human Figure

pose helps to represent the main character. I will try not to speak too
much, and instead, let the class lead the discussion. After the class has
chosen a piece and talked about it, then the artist will be able to talk about
it themselves. The artist who had just gone chooses the next piece to talk
about, this happens until we have reviewed all piece.
(10 mins)​- students clean up and leave.

Slide Show-
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qIxXgOccT10geCniRmAfCZDOZ
PObihgdrmAUuo-Qc1k/edit?usp=sharing
4 Color and How is Day 1- 60 Mins
Emotion Emotion
portrayed in (5 mins) ​- class settles in
color? (10 mins) ​- SLIDE SHOW:
● Slide 1- I will start out explaining color relations on the color wheel,
complementary colors are directly across, analogous colors are
three consecutive colors on the wheel, Triadic colors are three
colors that make a triangle on the wheel equal distances apart, split
complementary uses two colors on one side and the
complementary color that is opposite. Tetradic colors make a
rectangle on the circle.
● Slide 2- colors can evoke certain feelings from a person, but they
don't always have the same effect on everyone. Some people might
think of love when they see the color Red and some might think of
anger. The more saturated a color is, the more it might be taken
positively. If the color starts to lose saturation it will make the piece
feel sadder. Or more negative.
● Slide 3- Vocab- Complementary colors: colors that are diagonal
across each other on the color wheel, Warm Tones: Red, Orange,
Yellow, Cool Tones: Purple, Blue, Green
Learning to Draw the Human Figure

(40 mins)-​ IN CLASS WARM UPS- I will ask students to create a color
wheel including different levels of saturation. Students will have access to
their sketchbook, graphite pencils, acrylic paint, paint brushes, water cups
(empty yogurt containers) paper towels, a plate for color mixing. I want
students to play around with mixing colors and recognize the pattern that
the wheel follows. Before students begin to clean up I will inform students
of the next assignment. I want students to create a composition based on
color. Choose a color scheme and emotion that you want to portray. Make
sketches for your figure pose and come to class prepared to get to work.
(5mins)-​ students will clean up and disburse.
Day 2- 60 Mins
(5mins) ​- class settles in
(50 mins)-​ In class work time
(5mins)-​ students will clean up and disburse.
Day 3- 60 Mins
(5mins) ​- class settles in
(50 mins)-​ In class work time
(5mins)-​ students will clean up and disburse.
Day 4- 60 Mins
(5mins) ​- class settles in
(10mins)-​ In class work time, finishing touches.
(5mins)-​ set up for critique.
(30 mins)-​ critique, I am looking to see what the students feel from each
piece after each student has spoken about how the piece made them feel
we will then listen to the artist to explain their process.
(10mins)-​ students will clean up and disburse.
Slide Show-
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fiY_NYWqbVwL08AnV9vBjHJ_x-
syd5QIw8h-Qo7_yRM/edit?usp=sharing
 Learning to Draw the Human Figure

Important Vocabulary

-Value -The lightness or darkness of tones or colors

-Value Scale -Showing the full range of a colors Value

-Proportion - Comparing pieces of an object to a whole

-Scale - comparing the size of an object to another object

-Composite View - The human body drawn from the most recognizable
views. Changing at ninety-degree angles.

-Line of motion (or Action) - the first, fast, simple mark - or two - that conveys the
extent and direction of the pose.

-Complementary colors -colors that are diagonally across each other on the color
wheel.
-Warm Tones
- Red, Orange, Yellow
-Cool Tones
- Purple, Blue, Green

Materials used Technology Used

Activities 1-4) Activities 1-4)

Charcoal Sticks (thin & thick) Projector & Screen
Spray fixative Laptop
Drawing boards Timmer
Masking tape Speaker
Medium-large Drawing paper Google Slide Presentations
Medium Personal Sketchbook
Kneaded eraser
 Learning to Draw the Human Figure
Vinyl eraser
Scrap cloth or tissue
Blending stump
White chalk
Easel or Donkey Easel
Acrylic paint
Water cups (recycled yogurt containers)
Variety of paint brushes
Mixing trays
Adaptive Dimension:
Have I made purposeful
adjustments to the curriculum
content (not outcomes),
instructional practices, and/or the
learning environment to meet the
learning needs and diversities of all
my students?
For struggling students (without IEP):
For struggling students I will keep myself moving, from student to
student doing quick assessments, making sure I keep myself available
to ask questions and give advice. If I feel a student is struggling to
grasp the concept being practiced I will ask them to work personally
with me either after class or during a free block. I want to keep
myself available for students to meet with outside of class for one on
one consultation.
For students who need a challenge:
I will ask students who are looking for a challenge to create at least
one portfolio ready piece from the lesson plan we are currently
working on. Students who finish early on projects may also do this in
the allotted class time.
For students who have an IEP:
Students who have an IEP will be allotted the same criteria for
struggling students, plus any Disability specific adaptations to the
lesson plan. For example, some students may receive a printed out
version of the slide show with notes attached. Some students might
also use thicker utensils for easier grasp, or will be allotted a larger
space for work for a wider range of motion. Flat surfaces like tables
might be used instead of Esels if students have a low range of
mobility.
For students where English is a 2nd language:
Thorough usage of pictorial directions. Translate Keywords. Finding a
translation for key terms.
 Learning to Draw the Human Figure

Stage 3- Assessments

Formative Assessment I will use a checklist to take note of the participation and
Not Graded involvement of students during the critique or in class
- In-class Warm Ups (02) work time. It will be a “pass or fail” based on the
- Group Critique (03) comments made and frequency of distraction or
Formative Assessment class-specific discussion. I also have the option to use
Graded (Using Rubric) the National Arts standard Rubric to Grade the work
-The final projects for each lesson (04) each student hands in. It will be a 1-4 grading system.

Summative Assessments: This will be a test that is taken at the end of the lesson
- Vocab Test (01) plans. It is used to assess the knowledge of Vocabulary
that was used throughout the Unit. I will Provide a word
bank and students will fill in the missing word to
correctly finish the sentence. Each sentence corresponds
to one specific word, each sentence gives specific
context clues to aid in the connection between definition
and Vocabulary. This will be graded based on the
number of points correct out of the whole. 00/100

(Include Rubrics, Tables and Test sheet.)

 Learning to Draw the Human Figure

Formative Student Checklist

Student Name Pass Fail Notes?

 Learning to Draw the Human Figure

Rubric

National 1 2 3 4
Art Standards No evidence Little Evidence Sufficient Evidence Strong Evidence

#1 Uses minimum Uses some strategies Uses multiple Student consistently

Generate and strategies such as such as sketching, strategies such a demonstrates these
conceptualize sketching, research, research, sketching researching habits and goes above
artistic ideas and imagination, memory, imagination, memory, imagination of memory and beyond expectations.
work and observation to and observation to and observation to
create and carry out a create and carry out create and carry out
plan a plan. plan.

#2 Creates art base on Creates art based on Create art based on Student consistently
Organize and others and shows little somewhat innovative innovative ideas, demonstrates these
develop artistic craftsmanship. Selects ideas, experiments, experiments, and habits and goes above
ideas and work and utilizes material and develops shows craftsmanship. and beyond expectations.
tools and equipment craftsmanship. Solex Selects, cares for, and
poorly. cares for and utilizes utilizes materials, tools,
materials tools and and equipment
equipment appropriately and
appropriately. skillfully.

#3 Does not apply criteria Applies some criteria Applies relevant criteria Student consistently
Refine and to examine or reflect on. when examining/ when examining/ demonstrates these
complete artistic Does not plan revisions reflecting on. Plans reflecting on. plans habits and goes above
work for works of art and revisions for works of revisions for works of and beyond expectations.
design in progress. Has art and design in art and design in
critique recorded progress through progress through
minimally. some critics recorded multiple critiques that
 Learning to Draw the Human Figure

within their are recorded in detail

SketchBook. within SketchBook.

Vocabulary Test

Name _______________ Date____________

Word Box
1. Value 2. Value Scale 3. Proportion 4. Scale 5. Composite View 6
​ . Line of motion (or Action)
7. Complementary colors 8. Warm Tones 9. Cool Tones

1. __The first, fast, simple mark - or two - that conveys the extent and

direction of the pose.

2. __Showing the full range of a colors Value

3. __Colors that are diagonally across each other on the color wheel.

4. __The lightness or darkness of tones or colors

5. __Purple, Blue, Green

 Learning to Draw the Human Figure

6. __The human body drawn from the most recognizable views.

Changing at ninety-degree angles.

7. __Comparing pieces of an object to a whole

8. __Red, Orange, Yellow

9. __Comparing the size of an object to another object