Exercise #1
After students had recorded some notes on Picasso and Cubism in their sketchbook I had them draw a simple contour drawing of their running shoe on a sheet of newsprint, paying attention to detail and proportions. Despite how lovely their drawings turned out they were a little stunned when I told them to cut them up into large pieces and reassemble these pieces into a new cubist composition. This new composition was glued into their sketchbooks along side their Picasso/Cubism notes.
Exercise #2
Students then glued a magazine head into their sketchbook and then collaged facial features from other magazine heads over top. Amusing to say the least.
Exercise #3
I found this next exercise on line somewhere so thanks to whoever posted it. Without giving the students any idea where they are heading, read the following instructions out loud to them. 1. Draw an eye anywhere on your paper. 2. Turn your sketchbook 90 degrees clockwise. 3. Draw a second different eye, several times larger than the first eye. 4. Turn your sketchbook 90 degrees clockwise. 5. Draw a nose or snout. 6. Turn your sketchbook 90 degrees clockwise. 7. Draw a leg or paw. 8. Turn your sketchbook 90 degrees clockwise. Draw a tail. 9.Turn your sketchbook 90 degrees clockwise. 10. Connect the elements together with straight and curved lines. In future, I would have them at this point practice some oil pastel techniques using these drawings - light pressure, hard pressure, scraffito, blending etc..
Exercise #4 - Last and final sketchbook exercise!
On newsprint students prepare 3 contour drawings of their partner - front, side and 3/4 pose. Like in the shoe exercise, they cut and arrange various pieces of these three drawings into a new cubist composition and glue their final image into their sketchbook. Some of them needed to outline the main lines before they started the next step which was to enlarge this drawing onto large coloured construction before colouring with oil pastels.
