I had mentioned this project in a previous post. This was one of the first lessons I got to totally take the reins on. and I had so much fun teaching it! We started by quizzing students on close-up photos of unique animal eyes and seeing if they could identify the species. We discussed that eyes - the eyeball in particular, is round, but is mostly characterized by the surounding shape. How do we create shape? We create shape through the type of creature/species (e.g. cat eyes vs. reptile eyes), in humans: by culture /genetics, and in art: by style (e.g. anime eyes, cartoon-y eyes, realistic eyes).
We went on to break down and draw the different parts of the eye, as seen below:
Students were reminded this was just the basis of an eye and that they were invited to create their own version and investigate any styles that they were interested in inside their sketchbooks. We went on to talk about what an organic shape was, and think about the different textures they could create depending on what creature or theme they intended on drawing - what they wanted to put around their eye.
Students were given 11 x 17” paper and told to draw in pencil first, which they could trace over with black sharpies upon completion of the project. In later lessons, we would discuss the use of complementary colours to create focal point. The students were to intentionally decide on a colour palette to suit the mood of their piece. They used pencil crayons to create and develop gradation and blending techniques. The students really dove into this project and I am super pleased with the results. Well done!