Fifth Grade Art Lesson 24

Value Study, Part 1 Drawing Our Hand

Objective:

The student will complete a drawing of their hand using the art element value.

Materials:

Square white paper, pencil, small strip of white paper

Procedure:

Value is the range of lightness and darkness of a color. Value reveals form. Today we are going to work using a subject very familiar and always handy. We are going to do studies of our hand. You will need to spend some time simply examining your own hand, looking at it from many different positions. When drawing your hand, flat is the hardest position you could choose. Rather, you need bends in your fingers to help create shadows so that you have plenty of value to incorporate into your drawing. Once you have decided on a position for your hand drawing, make a quick gray scale to use as a reference. As you draw your hand off, keep your eyes on your hand. This will give you the most accurate rendition. Begin filling in areas of value. Control your pencil and watch the side of your hand since as your value builds up you may smear it. This process takes a great deal of patience so do not get in a hurry. Fill your hand with as many different values as possible.

Conclusion:

Having completed your hand drawing, double check for a full range of value. Make sure you have avoided dark outlines which cause the hand to look flat. Store your drawings in a safe place. We will complete the background in the next lesson.

Artwork and Examples used in this lesson

Student Artwork

Student Artwork