A Preface to a Creative Line - A warm up activity that will be suitable to every grade every student

A Preface to a Creative Line

A Preface to a Creative Line - A warm-up activity that will be suitable for every grade and every student

On many occasions, my students, when newly arrive at my classes, their feelings towards ‘art’ in general, are quite cold and almost hurtful, unkind, and sometimes unpleasant.  Of course, with the exception of those students owning already have a heart for the arts. However, all those feelings are just based on unawareness, previous poor teaching, and very little or no exposure to the world of creativity and visual expression, the plastic (moldable) arts.

In any different way in which my students arrive, quiet, loud, timid, short or tall, fast thinkers or slow takers, I welcome them all with the magic of the free line and colors; with the free form given by one energy and impulses.

Activity:  The Line of Thought

   Organize your space in a way students have a good free space in between each other.  They should be able to extend their arms and not touch anything or anyone.  Relax their minds, ask for silence, and invite them to look and touch the entire paper surface, to then, close their eyes and touch the paper one more time. Yes, they giggle, and feel inaccurate; but not to worry, show them the way with tender but firm assertion.

   Have a good selection of colored pencils and invite students to pick two colors, do not give opinions, and do not participate in any way in their color choices.

   Invite students to take one color in each hand, place their hands on the surface of the paper, close their eyes, and draw with both hands free all over the paper, without breaking the line (continuous line) and without opening their eyes.  Advise students to stop when they feel is done or is enough, they do need to feel they have finished.

   When this first part is completed invite them to place the colors at the table and guide them to assess their work by:

·      Line strength or degree of intensity in which the line has been drew.

·      The previous selection of colors and how unconsciously they selected to be used left or right-handed.

·      How open, close, tangled or empty, how confusing or simple, how busy, noisy, or quiet the lines look.

·      And how everything is just perfect for crazy or un-meaningful may look.

  Our second part is about colors; without trying to lecture about color theory, enlighten your students with two facts about colors. Hot colors like; yellows, oranges, reds, and sometimes purple (depending on the amount of red this purple has) pop up into our eyes first than any other color, and cold colors like; blues and some greens and purples remain at the back creating distance and perhaps tension. This happens with no control on our part, is just our brain setup.

  Invite now the students to select any color they want to color the empty spaces they have accidentally created between the lines with the intention of:

·      Open up close and tangled lines

·      Create balance

·      Or create a path of communication from one line to another one

·      To visually pull weak lines

·      Or to visually create a pleasant and harmonic composition.

  Invite students to not rush; get to know the colored pencils and their many possibilities. Help them to like and respect the design that has come from their very own Inner Thoughts.

Don’t forget to display the work…