The Elements of Design

My new curriculum theme is based on the Elements and Principles of Design. My plan is to break down each one separately and we will create a project that illustrates each Element or Principle. For my first lesson in this unit I handed back the sketchbooks that I made for each individual student (yes it took a long time!) I used the marbled paper that each student made and I simply glued it to thick card stock paper for the cover, and threaded yarn through the binding with simple recycled paper (5 full sheets folded to make 10 pages in each). Once I got in the groove I could whip out a whole bunch at once, but whenever I have a lot of materials to prepare I find the best way is to do a little at a time, then it doesn't seem so overwhelming. I introduced this unit by talking about The Elements and Principles of Design and how artists follow these general "rules" to make a piece successful. I also emphasized that in art we can "break" the rules and things can still turn out amazing. I handed back the sketchbooks and each student designed a "name label" to glue to the inside covers of their books. I explained the importance of using a sketchbook to plan out designs and keep track of ideas and inspiration. At the end of each class I plan to collect these sketchbooks and I will hand them back at the end of the unit- all filled with different exercises and of course any doodles that may spontaneously appear.