Teaching article
Overlap gives the viewer a clue about front and back
Show one form partly hiding another.
Place a paper tree partly over a hill shape and notice which edges disappear. The arrangement offers a visible spatial cue that children can try in their drawings before relying on size alone to suggest depth.
Notice where one visible edge stops at another form. That interruption gives the viewer information about the intended spatial relationship.
Follow the hidden edge
A tree shape hiding part of a hill can appear in front of it.
Arrange overlapping shapes. Draw visible edges. Discuss front and back.
Which edge is hidden? Use movable shapes first.
Size alone does not establish distance.
Resources
- Free Elements of Art Worksheet for Kids – Shape, Line, Color, Value, Space, Form & Texture — Use the element vocabulary as a reference while children make their own visual choices.
Further reading
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- Observational drawing starts with noticing selected details
- Tell a short action through images alone
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