Instructors Lesson Plan

Lesson Number and Title:

Elements of Design Lesson 1 Line Drawing Music, Moods, and Lines
Florida State Standards:
VA.912.C.3.1 - Use descriptive terms and varied approaches in art analysis to explain the
meaning or purpose of an artwork.
VA.912.0.1.1 - Use the structural elements of art and the organizational principles of
design in works of art to establish an interpretive and technical foundation for visual
coherence.
Bell Activity:
Students will draw four different lines experimenting with different mediums graphite,
charcoal, pen, colored pencil, and markers. Thin to thick, wavy to curly, short to long,
shapes that repeat, etc. Be creative and use your imagination!
Essential Question and Higher Order Question(s):
ES - How can line influence the overall mood or expression of a work of art?
H.O. - What feeling or mood does a thin wispy line express? Describe the feeling or
mood that a think bold line express? Do you think it is or is not important to evoke
emotions/feelings/moods in art? Why do you feel that way? If you were a line, what type
of line would you be? Tell why you think this.
Support Materials:

Sketchbooks
Graphite pencils
Charcoal
Pens
Colored pencils
Markers
18 x 20 paper
IPod with different music genre
Vocabulary Line, Contour Line, Blind Contour Line, Gesture Drawing

Art History, Resources and References:

Post Impressionism (1885-1905) Vincent Van Gogh

http://www.studentartguide.com/articles/line-drawings - images of various artists line

drawings.
http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/arthistoryslideshows/modern_art_slid
eshows/impressionism_slideshow.html - slideshow of various artists work.
http://www.vangoghgallery.com - images of Vincent Van Gogh paintings: Chair, Wheat
Field with Cypresses, Night Caf, Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh drawings: The Caf
Terrace, on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night.
Classroom Activities:
I DO: I will go over vocabulary for lesson. I will explain how artists use line to depict
certain feelings in their work. I will talk about Vincent Van Gogh and give background
information on him as a master post-impressionism artist. I will introduce images of Van
Goghs drawings and paintings and ask students how the images make them feel. I will
discuss emotions, feelings, and moods and how a line can represent them in art. EX.
Happy-wavy line, Sad-short lines pointing down, Excitement-long, straight, thick lines,
Love-swirly lines, etc. I will introduce a slideshow on impressionism artist on
www.artfactory.com. I will introduce images of various artists line drawings on
www.studentartguide.com.
WE DO: The students will partner up and discuss and draw lines in their sketchbooks
with different media to match different emotions, feelings, and moods. They will share
their ideas with the whole class.
YOU DO: Students will draw lines according to the emotions, feelings, and/or mood
they feel from different music genres. I will change the music after 30-45 seconds. I will
select from rock, classical, country, jazz, big band, opera, heavy metal, and indie rock.
Differentiate/Grouping:
All students will participate in the whole class activity at group tables. Students will
partner up to discuss and draw together. Allow for choice of medium, various music, and
extra time as needed.
Wrap-Up:
Review expressive lines and how they can affect the mood of a piece of work and the
viewers perception of the piece. Critique artwork made in class.
Assessments:
Teacher will observe students during the class. Students will be evaluated on class
participation. Class participation is 20% of the overall grade and based on effort. A scale
of 0 (no effort) to 5 (outstanding effort) will be used to determine a letter grade.

A (100-90) Outstanding work and effort and significant progress.

B (89-80) Good work and extra effort has been demonstrated.
C (79-70) Adequate work and effort has been demonstrated.
D (69-50) Did not meet all requirements adequately, little effort shown.
F (Below 50) Failure to complete assignment, no effort shown.

Teacher will give written objective test at end of unit covering vocabulary words,
drawing lines to match emotions, moods, and feelings, and describing images of Vincent
Van Goghs work. The test will be scored on a scale of 0-100%. Students must score a
70% or higher before proceeding to the next lesson.
Notes:
POST IMPRESSIONISM - THE ROOTS OF MODERN ART

VINCENT VAN GOGH (1853-1890)'View of Arles-Orchard in Bloom with Poplars', 1890 (oil on
canvas)

Post Impressionism was not a formal movement or style. The Post

Impressionists were a few independent artists at the end of the 19th
century who rebelled against the limitations of Impressionism. They
developed a range of personal styles that focused on the emotional,
structural, symbolic and spiritual elements that they felt were missing
from Impressionism. Their combined contributions form the artistic
roots of modern art for the next eighty years.
Impressionism was the first movement in the canon of modern art. Like
most revolutionary styles it was gradually absorbed into the
mainstream and its limitations became frustrating to the succeeding
generation. Artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Czanne, Paul
Gauguin and Georges Seurat, although steeped in the traditions of
Impressionism, pushed the boundaries of the style in different creative
directions and in doing so laid the foundations for the art of the 20th
century. Their name was derived from the title of the exhibition 'Manet
and the Post-Impressionists' which was organized in London by the
English artist and critic Roger Fry in the winter of 1910-11. For
historical convenience these artists have been labeled as Post
Impressionists but, apart from their Impressionist influence, they don't
have that much in common.

http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/post_impr
essionism.htm
Vincent van Gogh: Overview
Birth Year : 1853
Death Year : 1890
Country : Netherlands
View a biographical overview of Vincent van Gogh's life, and learn about how he
discovered art and eventually became one of the most famous artists in the world. Van
Gogh was born in 1853 and grew up in Holland. He was raised in a religious family with
his father being a minister. When his school ended, Vincent followed his uncles
profession and became an art dealer learning the trade in Holland and then working in
England and France. Vincent was successful and initially happy with his work.
However, he soon grew tired of the business of art, especially in Paris, and lost
interest in the trade. After returning home, Vincent began to study theology. While
very passionate and enthusiastic, he failed exams to enter a couple programs.
Characteristic of his personality, he was intelligent, able to speak multiple languages,
but he did not think that Latin was a language for preaching to the poor. During this
period, he worked as a missionary in a coal mining community living with hard working
poor common people. As his development as a preacher was stalling, his interest in
those around him was increasing. His life as an artist was beginning.
In 1880, at 27 years old, Van Gogh entered the Acadmie Royale des Beaux-Arts in
Brussels, Belgium. The following winter, living in Amsterdam, Vincent fell in love, had
his heart broken, and began painting. The next few years would result in little success
both in love and art.
Van Goghs Potato Eaters, his first major work, was painted in 1885. By this time, he
was still having difficulty finding love, but was beginning to receive interest in his
paintings. He was now fully devoting himself to painting: living frugally, studying color
theory, and admiring the works of artists like Peter Paul Rubens. Unfortunately, as
would be his entire life, his paintings were still difficult to sell. His brother Theo, an
art dealer and the recipient of many letters from Vincent, commented that there
should be more color in his work. Van Gogh was painting peasants and rural landscapes
using dark earth tones. Around this same time, Impressionism, with its bright vivid
colors, was becoming popular.
The next year, Vincent moved to Paris where his art began to take on the style that
would make him famous. In Paris, he was discussing art with some of the most avantgarde and influential artists of his time painters like Gauguin, Bernard, and ToulouseLautrec. He was using more color, applying the paint with thick, bold brushstrokes,
and painted all that surrounded him. Van Gogh arranged to show his work, to positive
reviews, but was still unable to sell any pieces.
One of Van Goghs dreams as an artist was to start a colony for artists in Arles in the
south of France. Vincent moved to Arles where Gauguin joined him. While there, Van
Gogh entered the most productive and creative period of his life painting his famous
Sunflowers. However, it also was a time of great turmoil for Vincent beginning a period
of hospital stays for mental illness and physical decline.

After just ten years of painting and producing some 900 paintings, Vincent van Gogh
took his own life in 1890. Never fully appreciated in his own time, it wouldnt take
long for the art world to recognize the genius they lost. Within twenty years of his
death, there were memorial shows of his works all over the world influencing
generations of artists to come.