Drawing Ideas

Drawing: Personally, I love to draw, render, and "noodle." I just generally like to create images. But, in a classroom setting, where the students may know little about drawing, and may not know their 6H from their 4B pencils and likely have no idea what a gesture drawing is, etc., I would be inclined to start simply. The key is to keep it interesting. As mentioned by others, if not handled correctly, it could be boring.

One idea for the first day of a drawing class:
1. Bring in a large poster, a piece of cardstock with a 9" x 9" square cut out of it, and do a line drawing demo of only what you see through the 9" square, talking about measuring as you go.
2. After the demo, pass out 1 photograph, 1 sheet of 8.5 x 11" white paper, scissors, a 2B pencil and 1 index card to each student. Have the students each make a 1-inch square on the index card and cut it out with scissors or an xacto knife.
3. Have the students place the card with the hole in it, over a section of the photograph. On an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper, have the students draw a 6" x 6" square. The part that they see through the 1-inch square is what they will draw, using line only. At this point, what they are drawing will be abstract.
4. Show everyone's artwork.

Continuing on...
1. One-point perspective: I have found that most people are a bit fascinated with 1-pt. perspective. Show photos in a power-point of highways, buildings, and, of course, railroad tracks, indicating how one-point perspective is being used. Then some instruction could be given showing the horizon line and the dot, and how lines connect to the dot, creating the illusion of one-point perspective.
2. Assignment: Have the students design their own room (bedroom, etc.) with anything they want in it, using one-point perspective. Materials needed: White or light paper, pencil and eraser.