Sacred Images - Rock Art Drawing/Contour

Summary

The student will draw an image of a petroglyph or pictograph by copying its contour.

Materials

• Watercolor paper-9" X 12"sheets for the front cover of drawing notebook
• drawing paper
• pencil
• eraser

Background for Teachers

Define the word contour as; a line drawn to represent the outermost edge of an object. The teacher and students will create their own drawing notebook, with a front cover that depicts rock art images/designs or a pattern that repeats. Inside the notebook, supply amply sheets of drawing paper. Discuss with the class that they will utilize the notebook to record their drawings while observing the Sacred Images exhibit.

Student Prior Knowledge

Activate students prior knowledge about the art of drawing. What have they learned about lines, shapes, size and other important concepts in drawing.

Intended Learning Outcomes

The student will learn to draw a petroglyph or pictograph by copying its contour. The student will record their drawings in a drawing notebook while observing the Sacred Images traveling exhibit.

Instructional Procedures

1. The teacher will design a front cover, which depicts a petroglyph design or pictograph. Refer to the Sacred Images - Watercolor Black on White lesson. Teach the students to lightly sketch the contour of the image onto a sheet of drawing paper. The teacher will transfer the drawing onto a sheet of watercolor paper. Then the teacher will paint the image of a petroglyph or pictograph utilizing black watercolor paint. Teach the students that the size of the image should be seen from a far distance. Also, if they select a pattern, the pattern should easily be repeated.
2. The students will learn to sketch with a pencil the contour of a few selected petroglyph or pictograph images, while observing the exhibit.

   Then, the student will select a favorite petroglyph or pictograph to design a front cover for their drawing notebook and transfer the image onto the watercolor paper.

3. The student will paint with black watercolor, the contour of a petroglyph or pictograph, please refer to Sacred Images-Watercolor Black on White lesson.

Extensions

Challenge the students to design several front covers, keep in mind that they may learn to draw the contour of petroglyphs and pictographs from other Rock Art images. Sacred Images- Watercolor Black on White lesson; Social Studies, Language Arts.

Assessment Plan

The students will have a record of their drawings, in this case, the contours of the petroglyphs and pictographs they observed during the Sacred Images exhibit. The drawing notebook, which contains their drawings.

Bibliography

Sacred Images Traveling Photo Exhibit

Weaver, Donald E. Images On Stone; The Prehistoric Rock Art of the Colorado Plateau 1984.

Bahti, Mark Tomas Southwest Indian Designs; With Some Explanations 1994.