This is the first of six resources in the series: ‘Drawing for Science, Invention & Discovery Even If You Can’t Draw‘ by Paul Carney, educational consultant and author.  The projects enable teachers of both art and science to approach drawing from a new perspective. You can see all of the resources here.

By Paul Carney 

Introduction: This activity demonstrates why scientists need to record and catalogue large amounts of complex information. It also shows you how and why drawing can help us to better understand the objects we are studying and the importance of organising and sorting information.

Notes for Teachers

• Learning Objectives

  • To understand that large amounts of complex information must be organised.
  • To learn how drawing can help us better understand things we are studying.

• Age Range

  The activity is suitable for 7-16 years.

• Time Required

  The activity takes approximately one hour

• National Curriculum Targets: Art & Design

  Key stage 2: Pupils should be taught to develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design. Pupils should be taught to:

  • create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas.
  • improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing.

  Key stage 3: Pupils should be taught to:

  • increase proficiency in their execution. They should develop a critical understanding of artists, architects and designers, expressing reasoned judgements that can inform their own work.
  • Use a range of techniques to record their observations.

• National Curriculum Targets: Science

  Lower Key Stage 2: Making systematic and careful observations.

  Upper Key Stage 2: Recording data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams and labels, classification keys, tables, scatter graphs, bar and line graphs.

  Key Stage 3:

  • Make and record observations and measurements using a range of methods for different investigations; and evaluate the reliability of methods and suggest possible improvements.
  • Present observations and data using appropriate methods, including tables and graphs.
  • Recording findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts, and tables.

  GCSE and A Level Science subject content: Develop and demonstrate a deep appreciation of the skills, knowledge and understanding of scientific methods.

• Things You’ll Need

  Plain paper, fineliner pens or pencils, popcorn.

• Extending The Lesson

  Increase the challenge by adding more popcorn to study.

• Supporting The Lesson

  Limit the number of popcorn and suggest working on squared paper.

• Assessment Guidance

  How can you tell if they have correctly identified the popcorn to the correct drawing? Maybe peer review would help this process.

• Artist Links

  Look at the drawings of contemporary artist Becky Allen 

  https://www.beckyallen.co.uk/

• Cross-Curricular

  Ask them to think about how complex data is recorded in other subject areas. Can they think of where this technique may be useful? (Such as Geography when studying rock formations).

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A collection of imagery and sources which you can use to prompt drawing in schools and community groups. 

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

Ice

Use the film below to enable children to explore drawing icy landscapes. Try to create a sense of momentum – for example you might pause the video 4 times and ask the pupils to make a 1 minute, 2 minute, 3 minute and 4 minute drawing at each pause. 

Encourage close and slow looking by talking as they draw – use your voice to attract their attention to features of the landscapes.

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Ice Worlds

A collection of imagery and sources which you can use to prompt drawing in schools and community groups. 

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

These resources are free to access and are not a part of AccessArt Membership.

Athletes

Use this collection of films as source material for pupils exploring the human form during sports. In the first instance you might want to pause the videos as suitable points to enable the children to carefully look at the main forms and details. Try to create a sense of momentum – for example you might pause the video 4 times and ask the pupils to make a 1 minute, 2 minute, 3 minute and 4 minute drawing at each pause. 

Encourage close and slow looking by talking as they draw – use your voice to attract their attention to features of the athletes. 

When pupils are more experienced, you can also try getting them to make their drawings as the videos play – making quick gestural sketches. 

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Find out how pupils can respond to artists work in sketchbooks

Show me what you see

Enable close looking and drawing with this exercise

A collection of imagery and sources which you can use to prompt drawing in schools and community groups. 

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

Inspirational Stadium Designs

Use the film below to enable students to explore inspirational stadiums around the world. Try to create a sense of momentum – for example you might pause the video 4 times and ask the pupils to make a 1 minute, 2 minute, 3 minute and 4 minute drawing at each pause. 

Encourage close and slow looking by talking as they draw – use your voice to attract their attention to different qualities.

Try the same exercise using different materials, ie handwriting pen, ink and nib, using a ruler to make all the lines etc.

When pupils are more experienced, you can also try getting them to make their drawings as the videos play – making quick gestural sketches.

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Show me what you see

Enable close looking and drawing with this exercise

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Find out how pupils can respond to artists work in sketchbooks

A collection of imagery and sources which you can use to prompt drawing in schools and community groups. 

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

Polar Bears

Use the film below to enable children to explore drawing polar bears. Try to create a sense of momentum – for example you might pause the video 4 times and ask the pupils to make a 1 minute, 2 minute, 3 minute and 4 minute drawing at each pause. 

Encourage close and slow looking by talking as they draw – use your voice to attract their attention to features of the polar bears.

Watch the full documentary The Polar Bear Family & Me

public domain animal CC0 photo.

public domain animal CC0 photo.

Free public domain CC0 photo.

Free public domain CC0 photo.

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Collaging with Wax Crayon Rubbings

One: Casting

Exploring mark making into wet clay, mould making, mixing and pouring plaster

Two: Patterns in Nature, Line and Wire

Using drawing to look at designs and patterns in nature to inspire the creation of wire sculpture

Three: Taking Rubbings and Making Compositions

Recording the surrounding world by taking rubbings

Four: Block Printing

Learners are introduced to block printing

Five: Monoprinting

Exploring texture, pattern and mark making through monoprinting

Six: Steps to Observational Drawing

Four steps to enabling observational drawing

Seven: Making Sculpture

Learners explore sculptural principles of form, space and balance

Eight: Wax Resist and Scraffito

Introducing colour with wax resist and scraffito techniques

How to Run a Life Drawing Class

Introducing Hester and providing an overview of how Hester sets up and facilitates a life class.

An Introduction to Life Drawing

Getting started with life drawing and some simple warm-up exercises to help you become familiar with your drawing materials and the life model.

Capturing gesture

Hester provides some helpful advice along with a series of short drawing exercises, that will enable you to identify the essentials of a pose and successfully record the movement and gesture of the life model.

Drawing the head

Drawing faces can be daunting, but Hester explains how you can tackle them successfully using simple and logical steps.

drawing hands and feet

Hands and feet are tricky subjects and often get omitted because the forms seem too complicated to draw. Hester shares a secret shortcut to understanding and drawing these complex forms …think mittens and socks!

Understanding Foreshortening

When drawing the life model, it can be difficult to process your view of a 3D form into a 2D representation. Hester explains clearly and concisely how to successfully achieve a foreshortened figure to create the illusion of space in your drawings.

Using Tone

Hester explains how to use tone effectively to give your drawings more definition and an increased sense of volume and suggests ways of using tone when drawing short poses, that will build your confidence and skills.