Fantasy Monsters (Scribble Drawings)

We are taking our scribble drawings to the next level and scribbling on larger paper (12"x18") to create an imaginary creature or monster from our scribble lines. Instead of tracing with black permanent markers like our previous creativity stretcher, we are tracing our creature/monster lines with black oil pastel. After tracing all our monster parts and adding details with the black oil pastels, students will add color to their monster and background with tempera cakes. Only a handful of students in my first grade class still have a difficult time finding images within the scribble lines. For this particular monster project, I encourage the students to use any of the lines or shapes created from the scribbles to make their Monster's head(s), body, and appendages. Once I point out numerous shapes within the scribbles that could be used, the student who was once challenged can immediately find their own shapes to create their own unique monster or creature. These drawing never fail to remind me of the imaginary creatures in Surrealist Artist Joan Miro's work. Ironically, he is our Artist of the Quarter for the 2nd nine weeks. Look for more information about Joan Miro and Joan Miro inspired projects to come soon...

1st grade monster with 4 heads.

Look at those sharp teeth!

Reminds me of a video game character.

This might be one of my favorites so far!

"People and Dog Before the Sun" by Joan Miro, 1949

More Automatic Drawings during "Creativity Stretcher" week

I love seeing the variety of interesting images, creatures, and monsters produced during our scribble line drawings, also known as Automatism. My students absolutely love when we do this drawing and although some struggle the first time completing this activity, by the second or third time these students are lost in finding the hidden images within their scribbles. If you are curious about this activity and missed my last post, check out Creativity Stretcher: Automatic Drawing (Scribble Line Drawing) or my YouTube channel for a video with detailed directions on how I facilitate this activity in my classroom.

1st grader creating mouse and cheese from scribbles

2nd grade students starting to add details with permanent marker

1st grade student making an imaginary creature

Aliens and Spaceships and footballs, oh my!

2nd grade students

Creativity Stretcher: Automatic Drawing (Scribble Line Drawing)

This week's focus in art is Creativity Stretchers. After returning from a long weekend, it is sometimes difficult to get back on track to routines, procedures, and projects in the art room, so creativity stretchers are a great way to refocus creative energy into productive quick drawings.

Automatic drawing was developed by the surrealists as a means of expressing the subconscious. In automatic drawing, the hand is allowed to move randomly across the paper.  The drawing produced may be attributed to the subconscious. Artists who practiced automatic drawing include Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, Jean Arp and Andre Breton. The technique was transferred to painting as seen in Miró's paintings which often started out as automatic drawings.

Nocturne by Joan Miro

To start this activity, doodle or scribble with your eyes closed or open.  The objective is to keep a loose hand and “feel” your way through the scribble.  There is something to be said about happy accidents and unplanned ideas! Stop whenever it feels right or as a teacher, set a time for students.  My students are shown how to scribble first by drawing various lines covering the paper completely. I tell them to imagine they are toddlers again. I think my elementary students find great joy with this part of the activity. It may seem messy, but after one minute, I ask students to stop and use their creative eye to transfer scribbles into an interesting design or image using only the scribble lines at first to create a representational image or object.

Some rules that I establish with my students:

• avoid slow methodical planned scribbles (there is no spontaneity with a planned scribble)
• scribble fast and scribble the entire one minute
• when searching for an image, avoid numbers and letters (too easy)
• use the scribble lines as the original form, but add details to help evolve the found image (for example, if an animal shape is found, add texture or face details if not readily found in the available scribble lines)
• No Erasing! 

Once students start the search for an object, animal, creature or whatever pops out from the scribbles, we trace the necessary scribble lines with black permanent marker to make our found object or creature stand out from the rest of the scribbles. This activity is very similar to the hidden picture image in the comic section of the newspaper. I encourage students having a difficult time finding an image to turn their paper and view the scribbles from a different perspective. I even encourage students to hold the scribbles close to their face and pull away to see if anything "pops" for them.

I must admit that this activity is difficult for any concrete "left brain" thinkers and less challenging for those who are easily abstract "right brain" thinkers.  Although incredibly difficult for some the first time, after several attempts, this activity will become easier.

I think the quote below is very applicable to any of the creativity stretchers completed this week...

“Don’t underestimate this idea of mine, which calls to mind that it would not be too much of an effort to pause sometimes to look into these stains on walls,  the ashes from the fire,  the clouds,  the mud, or other similar places.  If these are well contemplated, you will find fantastic inventions that awaken the genius of the painter to new inventions, such as composition of battles, animals and men, as well as diverse composition of landscapes, and monstrous things, as devils and the like.”

Leonardo da Vinci