optical art assignment

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Op Art Tutorials for Beginners

These four Op Art Tutorials for beginners will show you how to make Op Art, an abstract style of art based on creating optical illusions. My students really love creating Op Art because it’s a puzzle for your brain and an artwork rolled into one. I love to use these tutorials as extension activities (or “what do I do when I’m finished” choices…”), sub plans or distance learning lessons. Because there are simple steps with a clear end objective, they work really well in a variety of learning environments.

This also makes them a fantastic distance learning lesson. I tried this in November when my school shut down for two weeks, and students told me they had fun and found the directions very easy to understand. That’s saying a lot when we were not actually meeting in person! Op Art is also great for sketchbook practice. I know I need to bend my brain every once in awhile, and this style of art gets me out of my free-hand comfort zone.

What is Op Art?

Op Art, short for optical art , is an abstract art movement that uses lines, rhythm and movement to create optical illusions. These artworks often look like they are moving, blurring or coming alive. Sometimes what you first see morphs completely into something else. Op Art can look surprisingly simple like this study:

or insanely complicated like this lithograph:

Artist Connections

If you want to look at some inspiring artists, start with Bridget Riley. Op Art became a more well known style of art in the 1960’s, and Bridget Riley became a British Op Art sensation. Students are attracted to the bold patterns and rhythm created through her work.

If you really want to break your students’ brains, show them the art of MC Escher . His sense of optical illusions and tessellations will have you questioning reality. Discussing his work would be a great transition to teaching tessellations as well.

These following four Op Art tutorials for beginners can be adapted for a wide range of grade levels, learning objectives and learning environments.

Here are some great materials for Op Art. This post contains affiliate links to products I truly love and use in my classroom. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.  Thank you for supporting this public school teacher’s side hustle so I can continue to provide free content.

Fractured Checkerboard Op Art Tutorial

This fractured checkerboard tutorial is perfect for beginners. All you need is paper, a pencil and a ruler. You can fill your checkerboard with any material, I used a Sharpie for dramatic effect. This could easily be done at home with just a pencil. I mixed up my design by including an eye in the center. You can simplify this by using a small dot or circle. I’d love to try this again using triangles or maybe two contrasting organic shapes.

Shaded Cones Op Art Tutorial

This is hands down my students’ favorite. I love it too, because the steps are EASY and there are so many opportunities to teach shading and color blending. The design is eye catching, easy to understand, and you can keep it simple or make it really colorful. Because students at home have limited art supplies, some of my students did this with just a pencil during our shut down, and some went wild with color blending.

Download the free step by step PDF!

Checkerboard sphere op art tutorial.

This is another Op Art tutorial geared towards beginners. All you need is a ruler, a pencil and a piece of paper. You start by creating a basic checkerboard pattern and then add an emerging sphere. The little bit of shading under the sphere really makes it pop. I would like to try this again with multiple spheres popping out!

Wiggly Lines Op Art Tutorial

I am ending with the most advanced Op Art tutorial. This one is the most time consuming because of allllllll of the shading and blending. Because of all of the color theory and blending techniques it addresses, this makes a great in-class artwork for a range of grade levels. Also, this artwork is in my sub folder if I need to miss multiple days. If possible, starting it with students and then having them finish it with a substitute is the best way to ensure success. I am obsessed with the wiggly lines that creates that moving effect.

What are your favorite Op Art lessons or artists? I’d love to hear from you!

Distance learning? Try out some of this student friendly tutorials!

Art Distance Learning Ideas

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HI! My name is Sierra Machado and I am an art educator in Oklahoma. This is a creative space dedicated to the craft of teaching and art making. My goal is to inspire young artists, encourage and support fellow art educators and to push myself to create more art. View all posts by Sierra Machado

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Op Art Shaded Shapes

Categories *Grades 3-5 , *Grades 6-8 , Art History , Drawing

Home » Art Lessons » Art History » Op Art Shaded Shapes

Students learn about “Op Art” and then create a picture (optical illusions) that can play tricks with the eyes.

By: Mrs. Brown from MrsBrownArt.com

When something plays tricks on your eyes it is called an Optical Illusion. Op Art is artwork that plays tricks on our eyes.

Artist M.C. Escher is famous for having created lots of different kinds of Op Art.

Bridget Riley is famous for creating Op Art that looks like it is moving. Sometimes it hurts your eyes to look at it for too long.

What You Need:

• 9″x12″ white paper
• Sharpie markers
• pencil crayons
• notes on Op Art (see end of lesson plan)

This lesson takes (on average) three 60 minute class periods. / Ideal for Grade 5.

Start by drawing a curved line across the paper with a Sharpie marker.  Think rolling hill… not roller coaster!

Add 8 dots across the line.

They should be different lengths apart.

You need a dot close to the edges of your paper.

Start connecting the dots with bumps.

The lines from the dots close to the edge will go off the edge of the paper to an imaginary dot.

The lines will eventually go off the top and bottom of the paper .

Fill the whole paper.

Pick a group of colors you feel work well together (2 or 3).

Using pencil crayons, fill in the spaces. Press harder in the corners. As you get near the top of each bump, press lighter and lighter.

Continue until the work is complete.

Lesson plan used with the permission of Mrs. Brown of Mrs. Brown’s Art .

by Andrea Mulder-Slater

Op Art was an art movement which occurred in the 1960s. It was a time when the artist was very much interested in the idea of creating movement on a two dimensional surface by tricking the eye with a series of optical illusions.

“The birth of Op Art began officially with an article in Time Magazine. In 1964, Time Magazine published an article featuring an art movement involving optical illusions. Since the artists focused on eye manipulation, Time Magazine coined this new movement “Op Art”.” ~Source Modern Masterworks

Important Artists:

• Riley, Bridget
• Stella, Frank
• Albers, Josef
• Poons, Lawrence
• Noland, Kenneth
• Vasarely, Victor
• Anuszkiewicz, Richard

Also see : Op Art Bulletin Board

Recommended Books:

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by JuliannaKunstler.com

• worksheet 6
• worksheet 5
• worksheet 4
• worksheet 3
• worksheet 2
• worksheet 1

OpArt Design

Create a design using only simple shapes, lines, or grids.

Manipulate the patterns to create an illusion of a 3D space

Learning objectives:

• Identify Optical Illusions artwork and artists
• Understand science behind OpArt
• Manipulate space and shapes to create an illusion of depth
• Linear perspective (advanced)
• Patterns and repetition

some history

Op-art , also known as optical art, is used to describe some paintings and other works of art which use optical illusions.

Op art works are abstract, with many of the better known pieces made in only black and white. When the viewer looks at them, the impression is given of movement, hidden images, flashing and vibration, patterns, or alternatively, of swelling or warping.

A true Op Art piece “teases” the eye. Straight lines may appear curved, lines wriggle, flat areas undulate. The eye is tricked into seeing things which are not so. Areas may appear to be flattened or stretched. The eye may often be unable to focus when viewing an Op Art piece.

In the mid-20th century, artists such as Victor Vasarely , Bridget Riley and M.C. Escher experimented with Optical Art. Escher's work, although not abstract, deals extensively with various forms of visual tricks and paradoxes.

practice first

Use a ruler and a pencil/pen.

worksheets 1 & 2

Refresh your Linear Perspective skills.

1. Use existing Horizon line and a Vanishing point to draw railroad tracks.

2. Use the same Linear Perspective approach to create an illusion of a bended surface

Pay attention to how you can use grid in 1-point perspective to make the surface flat, folded, or rippled.

3. In worksheet 2:

Follow the directions to create a grid in 1 point perspective.

You are now done with worksheets 1 and 2.

worksheets 3 & 4

Create an illusion of depth with lines.

On worksheet 3:

Practice drawing straight receding lines. Start at the border, then draw a thin solid line to the vanishing point.

Use the same approach to draw "tiled" designs. You can practice drawing "free-hand".

On worksheet 4:

4. Carefully draw a "tiled" design that you just practiced.

Use a ruler!!!

Practice drawing "folded" lines.

You can practice free-hand.

5. Carefully draw a "bent" linear design that you just practiced.

See how you can use straight lines and circles and create a 3D illusion just by spacing them differently.

6. Complete the design to support the illusion by:

• adding horizontal lines /curves to the grid, or
• by changing the line thickness, or
• by filling in the stripes

Use a ruler or free-hand!!!

7. Complete the design to support the illusion by adding circles.

Use compass or free-hand.

worksheets 5 & 6

Distortions.

On worksheet 5:

Practice drawing curved lines to create a unique 3-D illusion.

On worksheet 6:

8. Complete the design with curve distortions that you just practiced.

Practice drawing the popping ball. Please follow the instructions on the handout!

9. Complete the design.

Assignment steps:

Using only patterns or basic shapes - create a design with a 3-D quality or an optical illusion.

Start with sketching!

Experiment with perspective; use grids, shapes, and lines to create patterns and illusions.

• Your piece should be designed in black & white
• Your piece should fit this description to truly be an Op Art piece… If it doesn’t, then it is simply a design. You are not just creating a design!!!!! “Just Designs” receive an “F” !!!!
• Sketch at least 4 different ideas.

If you have a hard time starting the sketches - here is an example of how you can start.

Measurement, exactness, neatness, being precise are all necessary for a successful Op Art piece. You will be graded on these, and your overall image.

Start with a grid...

Add perspective to one side (or a few), then start building the illusion of a 3-D.

Please, don't submit this idea as your sketch - use it as a starting point.

Choose the best idea for the execution. You might even want to combine a few of your ideas into the final design.

requirements

• Use some form of perspective.
• Design should be complex and creative.
• Use Black Sharpie to outline the design when it is done. See me if you want to introduce an additional color.
• Erase all pencil marks.
• Use a ruler, compass, stencils, etc. to build your Op Art design. Remember, you will be graded on neatness and preciseness!!!

you can use multiple vanishing points; you can combine grids, shapes, and lines in your work; you can use ideas from the worksheets that you've done.

measurements and neatness

• Measurement, exactness, neatness, being precise are all necessary for a successful Op Art piece. You will be graded on these, and your overall image. So use a ruler, compass, stencils, etc. to build your Op Art design.
• Use very fine pencil lines during the design construction.

Create Optical Illusions in Class: An Op Art Lesson Plan For Elementary Students and Beyond

• thatbluegirl
• Categories : Fun activities & crafts for grade school
• Tags : Teaching grades pre k to 5

Background Information

A great way to start an Op art lesson plan is to show students examples of optical art and other visual illusions. See the artist list below

for suggestions to help get you started. The magic of the “moving” images is very appealing to younger children and will pique their interest–see the helpful link section below. Some questions you could ask students while they are viewing the examples include:

• Can the image be seen another way?
• What is creating this effect?
• What are you looking at?
• What is making this movement?
• What do you notice about the colors?
• Do you see any shapes?

Discuss with students the different ways that art can “play tricks with your eyes.” Before starting the Op Art project, try the fun science activities below to show them how seeing isn’t always believing. You can also talk to students about shape and movement to teach them more about repetition, color contrast and complimentary colors.

Vocabulary to use : repetition, movement, radial, Op Art, optical illusion, vertical lines, contrast, complimentary colors, shape

Artists included in the movement : Bridget Riley, Victor Vasarely, Josef Albers, Richard Anuszkiewicz, François Morellet

Pre-Lesson “Trick the Eye” Activities

Arrows Illusion

Materials: pipe cleaners (2 of one color & 2 of another color), scissors

• You need 2 pipe cleaners that are the same color and length. Set these aside.
• Use the scissors to cut the two other colored pipe cleaners in half.
• Take one of the pipe cleaners that was set aside and wrap the end of it around the middle of one of the cut pipe cleaners. Bend the ends of the short pipe cleaner down, so that it looks like an arrow.
• Using another cut pipe cleaner, do the same thing with the other side of the long pipe cleaner.
• You will do the same thing with the other pipe cleaner that was set aside and the cut pipe cleaner, but instead of turning the shorter ends of the pipe cleaner down to form an arrow, bend them up into a V shape.
• Lay the finished pipe cleaners next to each other. Even though the two pipe cleaners are the same length, one should look longer than the other.

Materials: Print out 2 copies of the image below

• Leave the first copy, as is. Take the second copy and color in the vase.
• Show students the original image as is, and ask them what they see.
• After they have shared their answers and there is a mix of those who see faces/those who see vases, show them the second image.

Materials for the Lesson Plan

• White paper (9” x 12” works well)
• Rulers (1 inch wide) If you do not have enough rulers or ones that measure 1", you can make “rulers” out of heavy cardstock or cardboard.
• Markers or crayons
• Pencils & erasers
• Shape templates (circles, triangles, squares, rectangles) May be cut from cardboard or found objects like oatmeal & coffee can lids, box tops, tupperware lids, building blocks, etc.

Students will use their pencils to trace the width of their rulers to create vertical lines. To begin, have students turn their paper

landscape style. Then they should line up their ruler with the edge of the paper and draw a line down the side of their ruler from top to the bottom.

Next, they should slide the ruler over until it is lined up with the line they just drew. Now they will draw another line on the opposite side of the ruler.

They should continue sliding and drawing lines, moving across the paper, until they reach the other edge.

Students then select three different geometric shapes from the templates.

After arranging the shapes on their paper they should use their pencil to lightly trace them.

Have students select one marker or crayon color. It makes it easier and less confusing for children to work with one color at a time.

They will start by coloring in the first vertical row. Any shapes that fall inside that row should not be colored and stay white. As a reminder, it might be helpful to have students put a small mark (with pencil) in the areas that need to stay white.

The second column will be the opposite of the first row. It will stay white with all shapes that fall within the row colored.

The third row will be like the first row, colored, with all shapes inside that column remaining white.

Students should continue across the paper, one row at a time, until they reach the end.

Students will then select a second marker or crayon color for all the remaining white shapes and columns on their paper. For best results, they should choose a high contrasting color or complementary color to complete the Op Art design.

This art lesson can be modified based on grade level. Older students should be able to create an illusion with five to seven shapes, and younger children could create an illusion on smaller paper with one to two shapes. Older students can also be introduced to a wider variety of shapes (hexagons, diamonds, stars, octagons, etc.). To make this compatible for the middle school grade level you could add another element of complexity and ask students to paint their shapes either with watercolor or tempera paints.

Helpful Links

• A Powerpoint presentation (that could be saved and modified for your art lesson plans) with some good examples of Op Art illusions: Illusions
• A huge collection of visual & optical illusions: 87 Optical Illusions & Visual Phenomena
• A kid safe zone with optical illusions for kids of all ages: Optical Illusions 4 Kids

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How to Draw Op Art

Last Updated: July 1, 2021 Tested

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Christopher M. Osborne, PhD . Christopher Osborne has been a wikiHow Content Creator since 2015. He is also a historian who holds a PhD from The University of Notre Dame and has taught at universities in and around Pittsburgh, PA. His scholarly publications and presentations focus on his research interests in early American history, but Chris also enjoys the challenges and rewards of writing wikiHow articles on a wide range of subjects. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. The wikiHow Video Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 73,100 times. Learn more...

The artistic style commonly called “op art” (due to its use of optical illusions) developed during the second half of the 20th century, but it has deep roots in art history. [1] X Research source By utilizing geometry, repetition, and color patterns, op art often looks like it’s jumping off the page or wants to suck you into the canvas. By following some simple instructions, you can easily make your own op art—and it’s also easy to customize the process and make the op art distinctively yours!

Creating Undulating and Bulging Curves

• The more “waves” you make, the more complex your finished drawing will appear. Start with about 3-4 waves if you’re a beginner.
• In your head, label these dots “1” through “8” from left to right—but don’t jot the numbers on the page!
• To increase the complexity, add more dots—but 8 is good for a beginner.
• Vary the arches in height, making them about 0.25–0.5 in (0.64–1.27 cm) high. The smaller in height they are, the more complex your drawing will appear.
• The arches can vary in height as you go, but try to keep them within the 0.25–0.5 in (0.64–1.27 cm) height range if that’s what you started with.
• Creating arches on arches may get a bit tedious, so try to have fun with it! Watch closely to see how your op art is beginning to appear!
• By the time you’re done, your paper should be filled with arches upon arches!
• For an added 3-D effect, color more darkly around the edges of each gap, and more lightly near the center. This creates an appearance of light and shadow.
• If you’d rather take a more random approach to your coloring, that’s fine too!

• Also, your art will turn out differently each time you follow these instructions. Like snowflakes, each drawing is unique!

Making a 3-D Geometric Tunnel

• If you want to get the 3-D effect with this type of op art, precision measuring and drawing is important.

• When you’re done, you’ll see 8 triangles inside your original rectangle.
• These measurements are all based on starting with a 6 in × 8 in (15 cm × 20 cm) rectangle. The horizontal dots should be at 1/4 and 3/4 of the total width of the rectangle, and the vertical dots should be at 1/4 and 3/4 of the total height.

• If you started with a 6 in × 8 in (15 cm × 20 cm) rectangle, each diagonal will be 5 in (13 cm) in length from the central intersection to one of the rectangle’s corners (as per the Pythagorean theorem !). If you started with a rectangle of a different size, mark the dots at 1/10, 1/4, 9/20, and 7/10 of the total length of each diagonal section.
• You should now see a series of ever-larger rectangles that appear to be emanating from the central intersection.
• For example, use black to color the first triangle to the right of the vertical line that points upward from the central intersection. Color the triangle immediately to its right red, and so on.
• Black and white is also a classic color combo for this type of op art, and will save you some time while coloring if you’re using white paper!
• For instance, start coloring inside each rectangle at the triangle directly to the right of the vertical line that points upward from the central intersection. Make the triangle black in the smallest rectangle, red in the second smallest rectangle, and so on.

• Next time you try this style of op art, play with the geometry a bit so that your vanishing point is off-center on the page. Or, try using 4 colors instead of 2 to change up the final appearance!

Community Q&A

• Kids love making op art at least as much as adults. For a fun op art craft, help a child paint a small flower pot white. Then, help them to paint a repeating pattern of black straight lines, curved lines, or lightning bolts all the way around the pot. Voila, they’ve made functional op art! [21] X Research source Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Don't use markers to color in the squares. Markers can't shade well, and lack the necessary depth. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.op-art.co.uk/history/op-art-history-part-iii/
• ↑ https://kinderart.com/art-lessons/arthistory/op-art-shaded-shapes-lesson/
• ↑ https://www.slideshare.net/bthemuck/techniques-op-art , slide 16
• ↑ https://www.slideshare.net/bthemuck/techniques-op-art , slide 17
• ↑ https://www.slideshare.net/bthemuck/techniques-op-art , slide 18
• ↑ https://www.slideshare.net/bthemuck/techniques-op-art , slide 19
• ↑ https://www.slideshare.net/bthemuck/techniques-op-art , slide 20
• ↑ https://www.slideshare.net/bthemuck/techniques-op-art , slide 21
• ↑ https://www.slideshare.net/bthemuck/techniques-op-art , slide 22
• ↑ https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/make/paint-draw/make-op-art-plant-pot

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Psychedelic Checkerboard Op Art

Submitted by: Patti Caiola, Reynolds Elementary School in Toledo, OH Unit: Op Art - Art/Math Concept Lesson: Psychedelic Checkerboard Op Art Grade Level: Elementary Grades 4th - 6th ( adaptable to middle school ) Lower Grade level adaptation -Substitute Lesson Plan (see below) Op Art Lines - Bridget Riley Inspiration (see below) Middle School Lesson Below

Description:

Using a unique "checker-board" design using vertical lines and concentric circles, students will create colorful optical illusion designs.

Victor Vasarely and Bidget Riley ( links for Op Art below ).

TPS Course Of Study: 5.1.3, 5.2.1-3, and 5.2.7. 6.1.3, 6.2.1-3,5, and 6.2.8

Explore the use of geometric shapes in art Develop skills in pattern - create alternating pattern - contrast Work with positive and negative shape Gain awareness and understanding about Op Art

Preparation:

Cut white paper, hang up class example - Prepare PowerPoint of Op Art examples (optional)

Vocabulary:

Symmetry, asymmetry, balance, repetition, movement, radial, Op Art, optical illusion, concentric circle, vertical lines, horizontal lines.

References:

Artist/Period: Op Art: Bridget Riley

Objectives: Students will be able to…

Analyze optical illusions from the packets, both individually and as a class. Create an original optical illusion design using pattern and repetition. Evaluate each space in the design to determine which color needs to be in the pattern

Distribute the Optical Illusions Packets to the class. them have 2-3 minutes or so to look through the packet and experience some of the optical illusions themselves. Next, involve students in a class discussion about their discoveries from the illusion packet. Talk about the science behind the illusions, why some designs hurt our eyes and others trick our eyes. Talk about how some of the illusions are used in our state proficiency tests, math section, to test your visual skills. Show examples of Op Art by Bridget Riley . Emphasize the meticulous craftsmanship, even rhythm, symmetrical balance and movement of the Op Artists. Pass out paper, pencils and erasers. First name, last name and room number written immediately in a corner, on the back. Demo on the board of ideas on how to approach project. Draw "wavy" vertical lines across the paper. Careful not to draw them too bumpy or too close…simple is better. Think gentle flowing waves. (Fat worms not skinny hair) Introduce concentric circles to the students. Compare concentric circles to a target, or bulls-eye. Off-center, somewhere on the white paper, draw a small circle (size of a quarter). Continue drawing concentric circles to the edges of the paper. Now that the grid has be created, using a pencil lightly mark in every other space. This is how to plan our coloring before the marker touches the paper. (Pencil does erase, marker does not) Start on the edge of the paper opposite from the circle and begin to mark your spaces to be colored. Go slow and take your time. Walk around the students, double checking their work and encouraging their successes. Carefully start in one corner and begin to color in only the marked spaces with a single color of marker. After all spaces are colored in a checkerboard design with one color and the white of the paper, students may color in all the leftover white spaces with the complement of their first color choice. Clean Up: Approx 3-5 min. Students will put all caps back on their markers, close their marker boxes, and set them on their trays. All pencils and erasers are placed on the tray. The student helpers will collect all supplies and student work.

Possible Adaptations:

Paint the spaces using larger white paper and tempera paints. Crayons to make a watercolor resist design. Simplify the design for 4th graders. Use Contrast-O with older students (need X-acto knives)

Evaluation:

Did students follow project directions, complete objectives, give their best effort and follow posted classroom rules? 1=Outstanding, 2=Satisfactory, 3=Needs Improvement, ✓=Unsatisfactory

Evaluation after the lesson: Students needed extra help with the planning out of the grid before coloring, the marking of each space with an "x" before they colored with the markers. Nevertheless, after they "got it" the lesson went quite well and both the 5th and 6th graders enjoyed the project. 4th graders were also able to complete the project, but with much more guidance.

What you need:

What you do:

1. Have one student helper pass out paper, one student helper pass out markers, and one student helper pass out erasers and pencils.

2. Show completed example to students.

3. Using the 1-inch wide rulers and pencils, have the students trace the width of the ruler along the entire paper, creating vertical lines. Start by lining up your ruler vertically along the short edge of the paper. Trace the side of the ruler from the top to the bottom of the paper. This creates your first vertical column. Continue tracing columns across the paper.

5. Pass out the markers, students choose one color to use for the project.

6. The first column will be colored, with all shapes inside that column remaining white. Students should plan, with a pencil, which spaces will be colored and which will be white by marking them lightly with an "X".

7. The second column will be white, with all shapes inside that column colored inside. (opposite of the first column)

8. The third column will be colored, with all shapes inside that column remaining white. (opposite of the second column, same as the first)

9. Continue across the paper, one column at a time, alternating colored with white shapes and white with colored shapes.

11. Clean-up: Approx 3-5 min: Student helpers to collect all supplies.

Evaluation: Did students follow directions, complete objectives and follow posted classroom rules? 1=Outstanding, 2=Satisfactory, 3=Needs Improvement, 0=Unsatisfactory

Submitted by: Jeryl Hollingsworth, La France Elementary, La France South Carolina Unit: Op Art - Line - Bridget Riley Project: Lines create illusion - marker drawing Grade Level: Upper Elementary (Suitable for grade 4 through 6 and above)

From Judy: Look how appealing these drawings can be either direction. They are so organic in feeling. They brought to mind African termite mounds when I first saw them -- or Mud dauber wasp nest. Quite beautiful!

This idea came from a Getty TeacherArtExchange post from Denise Pannel, Defiance Ohio. Denise did an Op Art project using black Sharpies to make dots & lines. They drew a large rectangle on their paper & placed approximately twenty pea sized dots randomly on the paper. Then, beginning at the bottom of the paper, they drew horizontal lines, making a hump over each dot they encountered. They continued this until they reached the top of the box. The humps begin to form mounds that look like tunnels. They showed movement as well, like a Bridget Riley painting. Denise found this in a drawing ideas book Creative Drawing: Point and Line by Ernst Rottger and Dieter Klante. Jeryl tried it with different color fine point markers with great success. Jeryl found this to be an excellent time filler while "stragglers" finished up a more difficult project. You could also leave this idea with a substitute. Every project turned out successful.

I am curious what this lesson would look like with out the black dots showing? Maybe have them done lightly in pencil and erased? If anyone tries that approach send and image to Incredible Art Department .

Submitted by Mike Sacco, Galina Jr. High School, New York Unit: Op Art - Art/Math

They then go back and add the 3-D spheres. They ink using razor points for the outlines and fill using a black sharpie. Inking takes the longest time. Open the windows because the sharpies can get intense. Color using color pencils. I give out a color pencil worksheet too. The things I focus on in this lesson are balance, rhythm, value, and warm and cool color contrast in this lesson. See Op Art Lesson by Carolyn Roberts . (Archive)

From Judy Decker: I think it would be neat to try some 3-D relief effects. Do an Op Art larger background and add the circle/circles (or square elements) on in relief (support with scrap foam core board). If anyone tries this idea - please send on image to Incredible Art Department. Mike got a lot of help on this lesson from Bunki Kramer. The original idea came from School Arts or Arts and Activities many years ago.

Detailed Lesson from Mike Sacco:

1st Session/Period. I open the project with a period on Op Art. Showing Vaserely and Riley. Students point out the elements and we also talk about foreshortening and other perspective depth stuff. I also show Riley and Victor's color work and talk about warm/color advance and recede effects. Students in general like to see this work and I rarely have much time left in the period, maybe 5 minutes or so.

2nd Session/Period: I introduce the compass. On scrap kids practice making circles for about 10 minutes maybe a little less. I show my preferred way, by twirling thumb and forefinger and the "Ole" turn the paper method. With my students, most seem to like the turning paper method although I push for them to at least try both methods.

1) Draw a circle and have them put a small dot to mark the center. Use a ruler and divide the circle in half by drawing a line through the center dot that touches opposite sides of the circle (a diameter, nice math tie-in) It doesn't matter if the diameter line is straight because the next step will ensure the globe comes out looking correct.

Take the protractor and line up the perpendicular point ( point where the center vertical line and horizontal line meet) on the center dot of the circle just drawn. Then line up the protractor's 90 degree line with the diameter line drawn through the circle. With this protractor in place, have students make small tick marks on both sides of the protractor. (the 0 and the 180 degree side). Remove the protractor and draw a line that touches both sides of the circle and goes through the tick marks. You have now perfectly quartered the circle.

4) The only real tricky part. Tell students to make a little tick mark in the middle of the upper half section of the vertical line that splits the globe. This is just a reference point. Then, tell them to make another tick mark slightly above that middle mark. The exact spot will vary and produce slightly different looking globes.

5) Have students take the point of their compass and stick it into the point where the center vertical line meets the bottom edge of the circle. With the compass point in place, spread the compass so that the lead touches the upper tick mark from the last step. This compass spread must not be changed for the rest of the steps.

6) Now using the above compass measure, and keeping the point of the compass on the bottom point, swing the compass and make a line from one side of the globe to the other. This begins the 3d illusion of the globe.

7) Finally, have students go to the remaining 3 points around the circles perimeter and using the same compass spread as in step 6, draw 3 more arcs to complete the 3d sphere.

If there's time left they begin making them by themselves on scrap paper.

3rd Session. They finish up their practice globes. I have most make at least two in different sizes. They save their samples.

I then give them a choice of paper. I take a 12x18 (30.5 x 46 cm) piece of RR white board and cut it either vertically or horizontally. They all have the same space but the possibility of a different orientation.

I demonstrate a variety of backgrounds using freehand wavy lines, concentric circles and convergent lines. I usually do a bull's eye background, a room type background and wavy simple one. The key is to use two different types of line that form a checkerboard or grid. I talk about spacing lines to create depth but I tell students that it is just one approach. I push them to try to come up with their own or to alter mine and many do just to be different.

I let them loose and they start their background in pencil on RR board.

4th Session/Period. I give them the period to finish up backgrounds. After a background is done it must be "x"ed out using small light pencil "x"s in a checkerboard pattern. If a background is complex, and many will be, this can drive students and you nuts. I got better with it as I did this lesson. They really must x out so they know which boxes to ink.

5th Session/Period. I explain Balance and Rhythm in their placement of the globes. I stress Rhythm with Variety/Contrast. I believe these can turn out weak and boring if there is no variety/contrast in the size and spacing of the globes. Students seem to make them all the same size and spacing if this isn't stressed.

Remainder of the period they draw their globes right on the RR board. After making the initial circle they erase the background lines that show through. They must use at least 3 globes in a variety as mentioned above. They should really use more though.

I also have a special handout (not available for sharing) on the cube-like shape that's featured on our website. The more daring will try these shapes and mix with the globes or use alone. They rarely need my help as the handout is pretty clear.

6th Period/Session. Inking. I'm sort of nuts about this. They must use a ruler to ink if they used a ruler to make a line in pencil. They also must use a black razor point (which I have the school store stock up on. We use these for other things as well). I begin with a demo showing them to ink all straight lines with a ruler. This includes the two straight lines in each globe. Any line that curves is not to be inked yet. Most designs will feature some curves, so the next step is for them to outline all their "x"ed boxes with the razor point. Some will be partially outlined from their ruler work. This way they are only inking short stretches of curves.

After outlining they fill using a Sharpie. Open the windows. You can do it with a water based marker but the blacks just aren't as good. If it's nice out we ink outdoors. They must learn that an alcohol marker bleeds so putting the Sharpie right up against the razor point outlines will not give them a good edge. After a few boxes they learn how to space the Sharpie so it bleeds close to the outline. They fill any gaps with the razor point.

The inking takes the most time. Most likely 4 periods using my method. It probably could be done with one marker - but the razor point gives a much nicer finish.

Period/Session 10. Inking should be done by now. Demo on how to handle a color pencil. A color pencil blending worksheet for the period.

Period/Session 11. Warm/cool color , and Value talk. I push for value form every student in this project and want all to color blend as well. They begin coloring.

Assessment: See Rubric

OP ART RESOURCES:

Optical Illusions (from Goodtricks.net) Akiyoshi Kitaoka's Optical Illusions Directory to many Optical Illusions links (I have not checked these) Op Art for Educators - Links to lesson plans and materials from About.com (I have not checked all of these) Akiyoshi Kitaoka's Optical Illusions

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3D Hand Drawing (Op Art Tutorial)

How to draw a 3d hand.

But the best part about it is that it is really easy to do. I mean what can be easier than tracing your hand!

Once you’ve learned the technique to creating this type of optical illusion, you can apply it to any subject. You won’t be limited to just drawing hands. 

History of Op Art

Optical Art, better known as Op Art, is an abstract style of art that creates an optical illusion. The art movement became popular in the 1960’s by Bridget Riley and Victor Vasarely. They used patterns and colors to disorient the viewer.

Vasarely is often referred to as the grandfather of the op art movement . In the 1930’s he started out as a graphic designer, after leaving medical school. In he 1940’s he experimented with surrealism and abstract expressionism. The earliest example of op art is “Zebra” (1937).

His goal was to create a universal language through art. This was done through op art, a geometric abstraction.

* Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This means I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.

Art Supplies

• Paper or cardstock
• Kneaded eraser
• Colored pencils or Markers
• Thin black marker

3 Simple Steps to Creating Better Art (freebie)

How to Draw a 3D Optical Illusion of Your Hand

Step 1 – trace your hand.

Lightly trace your hand using a pencil. You do not want the original outline of your hand to show when finished so trace as lightly as possible. When you are tracing around your fingers make sure you are not making them too thin.

If your fingers are too thin it will make it more difficult to add your lines in the next step. This is a common struggle when tracing hands. Keep your pencil straight up and down to get a better tracing of your hand.

You could also make a template of your hand and shrink it down for smaller drawings. There are examples of this towards the end of the post.

 Step 2 – Curved Lines

Begin adding your lines with a thin black sharpie or other type of thin marker. It seems to be easiest to start at the bottom of the page. Begin where your arm is and draw a curved line on the arm and then straight lines for the background.

It may be easier to start by using a pencil for the first four or five lines until you get the hang of it, then using the marker to add the rest. But if you feel confidant go ahead and use the black marker right from the start.

• Make sure your straight lines for the background meet where the curved lines of the arm and hands are
• Do not trace your outline of your hand and arm with the black marker
• If there is too much space between your lines it will not look like the hand is popping off the page. Be sure to place your lines fairly close together

3D Hand Drawing Optical Illusion

Step 3 – curved lines.

Continue adding lines and moving up the paper towards the top of the page. When doing the fingers I found it was easier to curve your lines in the opposite direction instead of trying to add straight lines there.

If you look at the example below, the lines in the fingers curve up and the lines in between the fingers curve down.

Step 4 – Finishing the Optical Illusion

The most difficult part of this project is ending the fingers. It’s a bit of a struggle to find a way to get back to straight lines at the top once you get past the finger tips.

You don’t want the curves at the top of the page to exactly match the curves on and around your fingers. Try to flatten out your lines as much as possible so it won’t look like your fingers continue past the point where they should end.

3D Hand Drawing & Color Theory

Before adding color to your optical art 3d hand drawing, you need to decide on a color scheme. Or if you even want to use a color scheme at all for that matter.

This is an easy project to practice using color theory . It’s good to get into the habit of using color schemes in your artwork. Even when it’s not a critical part of the final drawing.

Some good options for this op art hand projects are:

• Warm Colors
• Cool Colors
• Analogous Colors
• Monochromatic Colors

Monochromatic 3D Hand Drawing

Step 5 – add color.

Choose three colors, using a color scheme, and color between your black lines with colored pencils. A monochromatic color scheme was used for this example.

Use a pattern with your colors when filling in your op art hand. This was done by using the darkest blue, the middle blue, and the light blue. Then repeating that pattern of colors.

Gradating colors will help your hand pop off the page. Apply your color darker at the edges of your fingers and hand. And make your colors lighter at the highest point of your hand drawing.

You can use a kneaded eraser to lift some of the color off the ridges of the fingers, hand, and arm.

Op Art Hand Drawings Ideas

Don’t be afraid to experiment and try out some different ideas. You can try various color combinations, change up the placement of your hand on the paper, or anything else you want to try doing.

Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) are a great way to save time and get more drawings done in less time. This makes it so much easier to try new things. Below are some drawings made on ATCs with markers, and then a black colored pencil was used to add some shading around the edges.

I hope you enjoyed this op art tutorial for 3D hand drawings. These are fun to make and much easier than they look. They can be completed with markers, colored pencils, or simply using a graphite pencil.

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Posts Related to Op Art Hands

• Color Theory for Artists
• 7 Easy Op Art Drawings Anyone Can Do
• Op Art Tubes
• 3D Stairs Optical Illusion

Roshanda is an art education blogger who is on a mission to coach and encourage as many aspiring artists as possible through the use of her blog. Learn more about her on the About Me page and connect with her on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

4 thoughts on “3D Hand Drawing (Op Art Tutorial)”

it is wery well.thank you.

That is amazing!!

Thank you. Did you give it a try?

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What is Op Art? Optical Illusion STEAM Activity

Posted on Published: October 26, 2018  - Last updated: July 23, 2021

What is Op Art? Find out how to make awesome optical illusion art and download a free optical illusion coloring book for kids!

Optical Illusion Art (Op Art) is designed to trick the eye by combining and layering shapes, patterns, or lines. For our project, we chose to do a simple handprint op-art with lines and a few other fun optical illusions!

You’ve probably seen projects like this all over Pinterest. It’s a super popular project to do with kids because it’s totally cool!

We also spent time (a ton of time!) making an Optical Illusion coloring book because 6-years olds are pretty particular about what goes in their coloring books and Charlotte wanted to make one special for our audience and their kiddos!

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Our Family Code earns from qualifying purchases. Please see our Disclosure Policy for more details.

Why STEAM Activities?

STEAM is the abbreviation for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

STEAM, like STEM, is an integrated approach to learning that encourages learners to make connections between the concepts they are learning and how they apply them to real-world problems.

STEAM helps students ask questions, problem solve, think creatively, and produce innovative solutions. Many schools have adopted STEAM learning activities into their curriculum, but it’s never too early to start building critical thinking skills.

We love to learn through play at our house and have a blast doing activities for toddlers all the way to tweens!

Looking for some more hands-on activities that incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM)? Then you have to check out STEAM Kids! 

This book features more than 50 hands-on activities that are organized into easy to implement categories, so you know exactly what concepts your kids are learning! 

Grab your copy from A mazon today  or get instant access to this great book by purchasing a downloadable PDF !

Optical Illusion Art Key Terms

• Optical illusion – a phenomenon that occurs when the visual perception of an image, object, or event is different from reality.
• Perception – the interpretation or awareness of sensory information

Optical Illusion Art Materials

You don’t need many supplies for this Op Art activity! You can also grab free optical illusion worksheets and a free Op Art coloring book at the end of this post.

• Colored pencils
• White paper
• Chopsticks or string
• Optical Illusion Coloring Book (grab at the end of post)
• Worksheet #1 Optical Illusion Art (grab later in post)
• Worksheet #2 Optical Illusion Art (grab later in post)

Optical Illusions Exploration

How to make optical illusion handprints.

To make optical illusion handprints, you can trace your hand, then use a ruler to make a series of straight lines across your hand.

You then use a black sharpie to make a curve from the start of one line, then up to the middle of the line above it, and then back down to the end of the first line as shown below.

We’ve also tried this activity using bingo daubers for mess-free optical illusion art!

The same concept applies to making optical illusion art with other objects like hearts or pumpkins!

The trick is to make sure that your lines outside and inside of your object match in both direction and size.

How to Make Optical Illusion Swirly Toys

These are not thaumatropes, but the concept is similar. Our goal was to try to make an optical illusion toy that showed movement, so we designed some swirly toy templates (you can find them in your coloring book!) and we colored them with all sorts of colors in patterns.

The key is to make sure that your colors don’t line up on either side. That way your illusion will appear like the colors are moving around.

How to Make Optical Illusion Art

Optical illusions are super easy to make and if you are feeling lost, you can always use one of our starter templates.

The first Optical Illusion Art worksheet is a simple web structure that turns out pretty amazing!

<<<CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OPTICAL ILLUSION WORKSHEET 1>>>

DRAW YOUR OWN OPTICAL ILLUSION

The second Op Art worksheet is really easy to make by hand, but if you want to grab the worksheet you can definitely save some time!

To make this sheet by hand, begin by making 5-10 dots on a sheet of paper. Connect those dots to each other with curved lines and make sure to run some curved lines off the page to imaginary dots. That’s it!

<<<CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OPTICAL ILLUSION WORKSHEET 2>>>

Grab This Awesome Optical Illusion Coloring Book for Kids

Charlotte really wanted to design a coloring book for everyone. She’s my lovely Kindergartner and she’s dreaming about candy since Halloween is right around the corner.

You’ll see a good amount of candy in her coloring book because she was pretty adamant about it. Her Op Art coloring book turned out pretty cool!

You can check out the pages included below!

<<<CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A FREE OPTICAL ILLUSION COLORING BOOK>>>

What kinds of optical illusions are there?

There are several different types of optical illusions. Most of the optical illusions we’ve shared today fall into the geometric illusions category because of the perceived distortions in the lines or shapes throughout portions of the images created.

Other types of optical illusions include:

Brightness and contract illusions.

These illusions occur when the view perceives dots or lines where they are none. This is caused by the juxtaposition of light and dark shapes.

Color illusions

Color illusions occur when the viewer perceives color due to the presence of other colors and how they are used in the image.

Afterimage illusions

When you stare at a colored image for several seconds and then look at a blank screen, you will see the same image in a complementary color even though the image is no longer there.

Size-constancy illusions

These illusions occur when the observer perceives incorrect relative sizes of two images based on cues given by other images in the picture.

3D interpretation illusions

3D images occur when a viewer perceives an objected projected in front of or behind the picture plane.

Apparent-motion illusions

These illusions occur when the viewer perceives motion in a static image. There are some apparent-motion illusions in Charlotte’s coloring book!

Want to connect this optical illusion activity with other STEAM buckets? Check out these extensions!

Science – Make optical illusion resist art and watch it magically appear when your color it!

Technology – Turn your optical illusions into gifs!

Engineering – Invented in the 1900s, a thaumatrope is one of the simplest persistence of vision toys! You can make one with some circles, drawings, and a stick or string!

Art – This activity is primarily art! Color your optical illusions with different mediums like oil pastels, colored pencils, crayons, markers. What medium gives you the best results?

Math – Optical illusions because of math concepts like symmetry and geometry. Use graph paper to draw some optical illusions!

Some Books to Read with Your Activity

We love incorporating books into our activities. Here are some great books about art to read with your activity!

• The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
• STEM Doodle Book by Sumita Mukherjee
• Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds

Similar Science + Art Activities

• Oil Resist Tessellation Art Masterpieces
• Exploring Velocity with Straw Art
• How to Make Preschool Pumpkin Art with Cotton Swabs
• Squeegee Art Butterflies

31 Days of Low-Prep STEAM Activities for Kids

This activity is part of our 31 Days of Low-Prep STEAM Activities for Kids .

Every activity will primarily focus on each of the buckets of STEAM ( Science , Technology , Engineering , Art , & Math ) although these integrated projects fit in more than one bucket.

You and your kiddos are going to love all of the activities that we have in store! Visit the 31 Days of Low-Prep STEAM Activity hub and pin it, so you can come back and visit it daily!

PIN THIS IMAGE TO SHARE THIS LOW-PREP STEAM ACTIVITY!

Science Art Activities

Find more awesome activities that pair science with art!

Exploring Science with Gravity Paint Pours

Gravity makes some of the most interesting art! Learn about gravity with paint pours and make awesome marbleized patterns with kids today!

Chalk Pastel Leaf Rubbings STEAM Activity

We created leaf rubbings to learn about and capture the nature of leaves as well as explore how our chosen medium interacted with different papers.

Oil Resist Tessellation Art Science & Math STEAM Activity

This oil resist tessellation art is a great way to combine science, art, and math into one masterful activity for kids!

How to Make Awesome Sharpie Art with Science!

Learn about solubility, color mixing, and diffusion with Sharpie art on a canvas!

3D Art: How to Create Awesome 3D Art Drawings & Anaglyphs for Kids

Learn how to draw 3D images and make anaglyph artwork and grab some free 3D art worksheets!

Squeegee Art Butterfly Process Art Activity

This butterfly squeegee painting art activity is exactly the type of Spring process art activity that you are looking for!

Salt Painting: Learn about Absorption!

Learn about polar molecules and absorption with this salt painting activity! This is such an easy art project for kids with science that is great for preschoolers through tweens!

How to Make Constellation Art STEAM Activity

This constellation art activity is great for introducing constellations and sparking a sense of wonder for galaxies and planets above while also helping kids to recognize patterns in the sky by observing, describing, and turning them into art!

Plastic Bottle Butterflies Recycled Art

Make plastic bottle butterflies with this easy recycled art activity and learn about Monarch butterfly migration and how they find shelter and food during their journey!

How to Draw a Lion Chalk Pastel Glue Resist Art

Learn how to draw a lion and make chalk pastel glue resist art with this easy low-prep STEAM activity for kids!

Plastic Water Bottle Sun Catchers

Recycle plastic water bottles into a sun catcher with this great spring recycled art project for kids!

Blow Painting with Straws: Velocity STEAM Activity

Make blow painting with straws to explore how velocity works by controlling gusts of wind in this STEAM activity for kids!

Meet Toni, the Maker Mom behind Our Family Code

Hey there , I’m Toni! I’m a software engineer and Maker Mom that finds my joy in unleashing my children’s curiosity by exploring STEAM concepts with my fantastic five!

When I’m not chasing toddlers or raising tweens, you can find me tearing things up and putting them back together over here at  Our Family Code .

I am the owner and content creator of multiple educational websites designed to increase access to STEAM & STEM education with a focus on teaching computer science and coding to kids of all ages!

You can also find out more about me by visiting  ToniGardner.com !

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Adventures in the Art Room

Uncategorized

OP ART BY 5TH GRADE!

5th Graders did such a fantastic job creating these op art paper cone drawings!!! I’m super proud of their hard work!!!

Students LOVED it too and couldn’t believe it could be created using just sharpies, and colored pencils!

This lesson took about 5 (40 minute) art classes to complete. 

ON DAYS  1 and 2: Students were introduced to various OP Art by artists Victor Vasarely and Bridget Riley, and learned what Op art was (Optical Illusion Art) with a quick slideshow of work.   

Six straight lines that intersect at the same spot, were drawn ahead of time on 80# 10×10″ paper for each student with a ruler; creating 12 “slices” in total. .

Students followed along with me while I demonstrated under the document camera how to draw alternating curving lines within each pie slice, starting in the center.

Then they labeled every other slice with a “b” lightly in pencil, to mark that space as black..

Students then started tracing over the smallest slices labeled “B” in the center, using an extra fine point Sharpie, then filled in. 

As areas got larger, kids switched to a fine point sharpie, (since it has a thicker tip), and filled in the rest.  .

ON DAY 3, I reviewed the element of art VALUE with students and showed them how to create subtle value changes within each pie slice with colored pencils.

Students used a white colored pencil in the black areas first to create highlights, pressing hard with the white colored pencil down the middle, creating a bright white strip. then as they drew from the middle outward, to each side, they pressed lighter and lighter, leaving the sides black..

Then, using a black colored pencil in just the white areas, they drew darkest along the sides and gradually pressed lighter and lighter towards the center—leaving the center strip white.

This lesson ties in nicely (and is a great precursor) to the grid drawing lesson that occurs later on in the year!

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out the page “STUDENTS CREATING ART” —NEW PICS HAVE BEEN ADDED : )

AND BE SURE TO CHECK BACK THIS WEEKEND FOR 4TH GRADERS VICTORIAN HOUSES!!!

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1st grade 3d line sculptures, springtime bunny, bear or fox 2nd grade, tissue paper pumpkin collages.

7 Easy Art Lessons For When You’re in a Pinch

Sometimes lesson planning comes down to the wire. Maybe your students went through a project much faster than expected, or you simply did not have the time to get ahead of things. We’ve all been there. It’s not unheard of to scour the internet and social media for ideas, but sometimes we still come up short. No art teacher is perfect, and we all need a lesson idea in a pinch from time to time! We don’t want these activities to be fluff or busywork. Instead, we want them to help our students build skills and scaffold learning.

The next time you find yourself in need of a last-minute activity or lesson, look no further. The following seven activities are easily adaptable for various grade levels. They also require minimal material prep and use supplies you likely have in your art room.

1. Personal Soda Can Label

We live in a consumer world where new beverages, food, candy, and snacks are constantly introduced to the market. Teachers and students experience product and brand design —often without even realizing it. Looking at the typography and imagery of different products can spark interesting conversations with both elementary and secondary students.

One way for students to explore the idea of consumerism through product design and advertising is by creating a personal beverage label. This will require students to brainstorm a brand and identity for their product by picking the flavor, color, and overall look. Use the handout below  to get your students started planning their designs.

Once students have designed their labels, you can take this activity a step further by attaching the design to an aluminum can. Have students participate in a reflection or critique activity. Ending the activity here might be appropriate for your elementary students, but you could take it a step further for your middle and high schoolers. Have students use their aluminum can with a custom label for observational drawing. Beginning students often struggle with matching the text and typography on traditional soda cans. Using the label they initially created will help them build confidence in their drawing skills. After practicing observational drawing skills, students add shading to create the illusion of form. High school students can also explore more package design and advertising elements.

Suggested materials: Paper, drawing materials, aluminum cans (optional) Suggested grade levels: Elementary, middle school, high school

2. Crushed Soda Can Drawing

Another simple yet effective way to recycle aluminum cans in your classroom is to crush them and use them for observational drawing. When students learn to draw, they eagerly want to draw things as realistically as they can. Students often feel frustrated and disappointed when they aren’t able to draw things perfectly. One way to reduce the pressure of realistic drawing is to begin with an imperfect object. Crushing cans and spray painting them white can serve as a beautiful and cost-effective way to teach basic drawing skills.

Students can draw the cans from life or use a reference photo. If they use a reference photo, you could introduce your students to the traditional grid method or provide them with alternative ways of making a grid.

Cover the cans with white paint so students can focus on the simplified shapes without worrying about labels or text. Strong lighting can also help students to identify values easily. If you don’t have aluminum cans on hand but still want to try this activity, use these images as references .

To adapt this lesson and take it even further for your secondary students, explore new and advanced techniques to create a background with contrast and emphasis. Students research and experiment with a technique they have wanted to try. Provide them with a demonstration and sampling of some ideas to get them started.

Here are some exciting advanced techniques:

• Monoprinting
• Painted Paper Weaving FLEX Lesson (can be found in FLEX Curriculum )
• Paper marbling

Suggested materials: Paper, drawing materials, aluminum cans Suggested grade levels: Upper elementary, middle school, high school

3. Ashley Mary-Inspired Organic Shape Painting

Exploring abstract and non-objective art can be an empowering experience for students. However, sometimes the freedom to create can leave them paralyzed or push them to overwork their pieces. One way to introduce students to proper painting techniques while exploring color, pattern, and shape is to learn about the contemporary artist Ashley Mary . Mary’s playful paintings are reminiscent of the free-form collages of Matisse. Comparing Mary, a contemporary artist, with Matisse, a classical artist, can provide a foundation for inspiration and discussion. To learn more about Ashley Mary, download our complimentary FLEX Curriculum Artist Bio . Find this and many more artist bios in FLEX Curriculum .

Before students begin painting, have them choose a color scheme. Encourage students to work with a limited palette to push them to make more intentional color decisions. Students create shapes and patterns one paint layer at a time. If using watercolor, this can be a wonderful exploration of how transparent and translucent colors mix and layer. The free-form nature of this painting style also fosters intuitive thinking.

Suggested materials: Paper, acrylic or tempera paint, watercolor Suggested grade levels: Elementary, middle school

4. Water Droplet Drawing

If you are looking for a skill-building activity to boost your students’ confidence, this is it! Inspired by art teacher Jennifer Sell , this water droplet drawing activity is the perfect way to introduce students to shading and form at any age level. For best results, use a material that blends easily, like graphite, charcoal, chalk, or oil pastel. Use these videos to help guide your students as they navigate through the activity.

To adapt this for your advanced learners, students create the same drawing with two different media. Compare and contrast the process, medium characteristics, and end results.

Suggested materials: Paper, chalk, graphite, charcoal, or oil pastel Suggested grade levels: Upper elementary, middle school, high school

5. Textured Slump Mold Slab Bowl

Are you in need of a one-day clay activity that requires minimal materials? Creating slump molds is a great way to introduce or review making slabs with students. All you need is clay and a mold, like a bowl, to press the clay inside. This idea also can introduce surface texture on clay. Students roll a slab, add texture, then press into the slump mold. If you plan on doing more clay lessons with your students, this is a quick project for students to practice the glazing process.

Suggested materials: Clay, bowls for molds Suggested grade levels: Elementary, middle school

6. Op Art Drawing

Optical illusions are always exciting for students, and learning how to make them is even better! Some op art designs require more math and complexity, while others are on the simpler side. These op art sphere and cube designs are perfect as an introduction to your younger artists. Check out this video for a step-by-step guide to create them.

If you plan on doing more complex op art activities with your advanced or high school students, these simple drawings will make great bellringer prompts. Connect several spheres and cubes to create more elaborate patterns and compositions. For more op art lesson ideas, check out the Connecting Op Art and Math in FLEX Collection.

For a brief introduction to op art that you can share with your students, check out the FLEX video below:

Suggested materials: Pencil, markers, ruler, paper Suggested grade levels: Elementary, middle school, high school

7. Color Mixing Lines

The process of color mixing never ceases to amaze students, no matter how many times they have experienced it. This activity allows students to observe color mixing and explore creative drawing processes.

To start this project, students use a water-based marker or watercolor paint. If students use markers, create shapes of color right next to or slightly overlapping each other. Prep an eyedropper filled with water or a paintbrush dipped in clean water. Stand the painting up vertically and carefully drop water on the paper. Watch as the water mixes with the color and drips down the page together.

Use the same method with watercolor paint with a wet-on-wet technique by painting the paper with water first. Add color with the paper held vertically.

Once the paint drips are dry, students identify the positive and negative shapes created by the drips. Students can trace the shapes and fill in designated areas with line patterns.

Suggested materials: Water, watercolor, markers, paper Suggested grade levels: Elementary, middle school

Alexander Graham Bell said, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” With all that art teachers have to do daily, we understand the importance of preparation. However, there are only so many hours in the day, and sometimes we don’t have enough time to get it all done! If you find yourself behind, overwhelmed, or stuck, try one of these activities. They are sure to engage students from start to finish, adaptable for all grade levels, and you can easily tie them into your existing curriculum when you’re in a pinch.

What’s your go-to lesson when you are in a pinch?

How do you prep in advance for a last-minute activity?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Abby Schukei

Abby Schukei, a middle school art educator and AOEU’s Social Media Manager, is a former AOEU Writer. She focuses on creating meaningful experiences for her students through technology integration, innovation, and creativity.

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Ms. Amsler's Artroom

art with a middle school mentality

• All About Me Digital Collage
• Brick Wall Breakout!
• Coffee and Tea Painting
• Digital Mosaics
• Graffiti Style Name Designs
• Negative Space Shadow Drawing
• Op Art: Spheres and Vortex Drawing
• Radial Symmetry Name Designs
• The COVID-19 Meme Challenge!
• Virtual Gallery Final Assignment
• Aboriginal Batik Paintings
• Aboriginal Dot Paintings
• Abstract Name Splatter Designs
• Acrylic Pour Paintings
• Action Figure Pattern Designs
• African Mask Batiks
• Artist Trading Cards (and books!)
• Asian Fusion! (Sakura Ink Drawings)
• Biome Illustrations
• Blood and Bones!
• Botanical Oil Pastel and Watercolor Paintings
• Cardboard Tube Relief Sculptures
• Celestial Self Portraits
• Chinese Bamboo Paintings
• Circular Nature Prints
• Clay Fish Plaques
• Crystal Gem Paintings
• Cubist Still Lifes
• Cyanotype “Sun Prints”
• Doodle 4 Google Challenge
• Dragon Eye Clay Sculptures
• Easy Graffiti! Brick Wall and Name Design
• Egyptian Standards
• Endangered Species Drawings
• Eraser Print Collage “Quilts”
• Explosion Book VIDEO TUTORIAL
• Explosion Books!
• Explosion Books! (Paste Paper Version)
• Fantasy Landscape Drawings
• Fractured Self Portraits
• Fusion Dragons
• Georgia OKeeffe Flower Drawings
• Glimpsing Galaxies
• Graffiti Fence Name Designs
• Grey Scale Botanical Illustrations
• Hundertwasser “Choose Your Own Adventure” Landscapes!
• Icosahedrons
• Interdisciplinary Endangered Species Drawings
• Jen Stark Inspired Collaborative Murals
• Jeweled Bugs
• Juxtaposition Mixed Media Collages
• Kaleidoscope Designs
• Kumihimo (Japanese Yarn Braiding)
• Masking Tape Birch Tree Paintings
• Masking Tape Birches: (Springtime, Step-By-Step!)
• Masking Tape Birches: (Winter, Step-by-Step!)
• Medieval Illuminations
• Metal Repousse Masks
• Milagro Silhouettes
• Mixed Media Nature Collage Prints
• Mixed Media Seascapes
• Neurographic Art Self Portraits
• Neurographic Art…Embellished!
• Neurographic Art: Independent Term Project

One Point Perspective Optical Illusion Drawings

• Op-Art Name Designs
• Opposites Attract: Self Portrait Prints
• Paste Paper Masterpieces!
• Positive/Negative Tile Collage
• Primary Emotion Self Portraits
• Radial Prints
• Radial Symmetry Prints on Oil Pastel
• Reverse Painting Acetate Self Portraits
• Self Portrait Photo Collages
• Shrinky Dinks!
• Space Selfies!
• String Prints
• Surrealism Collage Books
• The Scream: Expressionistic Drawings
• Ukraine Sunflower Collaborative Mural
• Veteran’s Day Poppies
• Watercolor and Crayon Resist Fish Paintings
• Watercolor Nature Drawings
• Watercolor Seascape Collages
• Winter Windows
• Zentangle Zoo Drawings
• Video Tutorials

This lesson is simple but produces results that “wow”! It was a great in-school project during our year of Hybrid Learning. A packet with step-by-step written and visual instructions allowed my students independence to progress through the lesson at their own pace, and freed me up to work with the half of my class that were attending class remotely! Managing online and in-person students simultaneously during this pandemic year has been quite the challenge, so limiting direct instruction has been key to keeping my sanity intact and my students engaged. I saw this project in my Middle School Art Teachers Facebook Group and made my own version of the lesson. (Thanks to Paige Hellman, whose student work inspired me to try this with my kids!)

Here is a QUICK VIDEO you can watch by another art teacher, Kathryn Nichols. This was a great starting point for my students to get the basic idea of the project.

Here is the Google Slides version of MY INSTRUCTION PACKET

If you can’t access the link to the instruction packet, I have also attached a PDF version:

Have Fun trying this with your own students!

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Optical Illusion Hand

Home / Lesson Plans / Optical Illusion Hand

Project Objective

Students will explore optical illusions and practice using line and color to create their own!

Required Materials

• Middle School

• Have students trace their hand with outstretched fingers in pencil on their paper. It does not need to be in the middle, but that is easiest.
• Use rulers to create 1” stripes horizontally across the paper. Demonstrate how to make these even. Skip over the hand area without drawing in it.
• Next, show how to gently curve lines to connect over the hand creating a “bulge.”
• Trace all lines in black Sharpie marker. (A water-based black marker will bleed as you use more colors and look smudgy.)
• Have students pick two colors that are either both hot (red, orange, yellow, peach, pink) or both cold (blue, green, turquoise, purple, violet) and color in the stripes NOT including the hand shape, alternating colors. Then be sure to alternate colors opposite on the hand, as pictured in the example. Happy Optics!

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• Optical Illusion

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Properties of Shapes & Op Art

My first graders came to me with a lot of background knowledge on shapes and their properties.  I was impressed with the amount of information they retained from kindergarten and from other learning experiences.  Because we didn’t need to spend a ton of time on 2-D shapes it was the perfect opportunity to integrate art into our unit to help students continue to develop their understanding of shape properties and to demonstrate content mastery. Working at an arts integration school, it’s important that we not only integrate the arts into our units, but also teach about the style of art we’re working on and artists that could give us inspiration.  I’m still relatively new at integrating the arts into our units, instead of just doing crafts and other random projects without a lot of intention, and have a long way to go to make the integration as authentic as it can and should be.  In the meantime, though, students are learning about the arts, artists, as well as demonstrating their content knowledge through the arts as often and as meaningful as I can.

Go teach!, formerly The Elmer’s Teacher Club, is an amazingly loud and incredibly proud new community created to inspire, empower, motivate and support educators like YOU! Join me and other teachers in this community by visiting the Go Teach! Facebook page .

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I’ve spent the last 15 years teaching in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd   grades, and working beside elementary classrooms as an instructional coach and resource support. I’m  passionate  about  math ,  literacy , and finding ways to make  teachers’ days easier . I share from my experiences both in and out of the elementary classroom. Read more About Me .

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Downtown Bangor’s umbrella art display returns

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Cross Street in downtown Bangor is closed to vehicle traffic and parking Tuesday and Wednesday while crews install an art display featuring dozens of multicolored umbrellas suspended over the street.

The seasonal art fixture, known as the Umbrella Sky Project, was introduced last year by the Downtown Bangor Partnership  and sponsor Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center.

Since debuting in Portugal in 2012, similar Umbrella Sky displays have popped up all over the world. The Umbrella Sky Project was inspired by Mary Poppins and is intended to bring color to otherwise mundane city streets, directing pedestrians and traffic toward the area.

Last year, crews hung Bangor’s umbrellas in July after the Bangor City Council approved the project in June, but the display was removed for the winter in October.

More articles from the BDN

Kathleen o'brien.

Kathleen O'Brien is a reporter covering the Bangor area. Born and raised in Portland, she joined the Bangor Daily News in 2022 after working as a Bath-area reporter at The Times Record. She graduated from... More by Kathleen O'Brien

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The Future of Diplomacy and Statecraft

TO WATCH THE LIVESTREAM, PLEASE CLICK PLAY IN THE EMBEDDED VIDEO BELOW OR CLICK HERE

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

On Tuesday, May 7th, Meridian CEO Ambassador Stuart Holliday served as the moderator for "The Future of Diplomacy and Statecraft" at the Milken Institute's 27th Global Conference

In the art of diplomacy, we see both continuity and change—especially in the 21st century with the impact of globalization, technology, social media, and shifting geopolitical dynamics. More than ever, diplomatic decision-making is at a crossroads where traditional practices must adapt to the rapidly evolving global landscape. This panel explored how these changes are shaping the field of diplomacy, the challenges and opportunities they present, and the implications for international relations and global governance.

Ambassador Stuart Holliday (Moderator) - CEO, Meridian International Center

Elizabeth Allen - Under Secretary of State, Public Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State

Eric Garcetti - Ambassador of the United States to India

Ramón Martínez de la Guardia - Ambassador of Panama to the US

Kevin Rudd - Ambassador, The Embassy of Australia to the United States; 26th Prime Minister of Australia

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We need to talk about Black women’s health. Loudly.

• Women’s Health

Northwestern Feminist-in-Residence Kyrin Hobson has spent the academic year incubating an art project focused on Black maternal health and health equity.

“From a Black Womb” builds on her previous work interviewing family members in Louisiana about midwifery and herbalism. Her Northwestern project began with student, faculty and staff interviews, which she translates to visual form using kinesthetic empathy, a process of mirroring and mark making on paper based on the gestures of the interviewees. Hobson uses recyclable, waterproof paper for the mixed media paintings.

“The paintings are intimate interior landscapes that describe how people perceive their bodies and the experiences they’ve had,” Hobson said. “Whether the stories were about childbirth, gynecological health or the decision not to have children, they are all survival stories.”

The visceral, humanizing approach of the project offers an alternative to statistical data. By opening a new means for discussion with and about Black folks surviving preeclampsia, preterm labor and uterine disorders, Hobson said she hopes to catalyze greater awareness and pave the way for potential policy change around health inequities. 

Hobson will provide a brief overview of the project during the Women’s Center Garden Party on Thursday, May 30, from noon to 2 p.m., at 2000 Sheridan Road. A final project presentation and reception will be held Tuesday, June 4 at 4:30 p.m. in Searle Hall (Health Services), 3rd floor, Room 220, at 633 Emerson Street.

When finished, the project will include a dozen paintings as well as textual collages assembled from interview transcripts. Hobson is collaborating with moving image artist Ireashia Bennett to bring the project to an immersive interactive digital platform.

For more information about Northwestern’s Feminist-in-Residence, visit the From a Black Womb website or the Women’s Center.

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