Friday, October 9, 2015

moving like beastman.


The newest superhero on the block! His super power is creating amazing murals in Australia and around the world! His secret identity is Brad Eastman:)

Beastman showed the 3rd graders that you could create a sense of movement in art by using line patterns throughout an art work. The patterns can be thought of like the beats in music. He showed them how you can have a pattern or a shape start out small and get bigger (like the light of a flashlight) to create a sense of movement too. He also allowed them to see his use of contour lines in all his work, big and small, to outline and define shapes.

Now, Beastman would not want copycats, so students were inspired by his vocabulary of line and shape to create an abstract drawing that showed a sense of movement.

The kids all did 2 guided sketches to reinforce line- diagonal, circular, angular, line pattern, shape pattern, line pattern fill, and curved. They told a neighbor why they were going to choose one of their sketches over the other. They were not allowed to just say that one was cooler than the other. They needed to support their choice with evidence.

Students drew out their arrangement on a larger sheet. If the design changed some, that was okay. If they realized they had more space to add more detail, line, or pattern, they could. They traced their lines with a wide chisel tip sharpie to emphasize the contours. I showed them how they could hold the marker differently to create variety in line width. They could then use any color combinations they wanted. All they needed to do was follow 2 rules- include color patterns and to vary pressing hard and soft to create different color values.

They then reflected on the process and product by completing an exit slip. All this took one full session and about a third of a second.

The remaining time was spent on creating artist trading cards for the big trade being organized by Nic over at MiniMatisse. They created another drawing, still inspired by Beastman's work. They could base it on their large drawing or do something different as long as they still used the vocabulary of line, shape, and pattern. Students watched a short video that Nic put together that illustrated the importance of quality in an  ATC. I reiterated her points and posted them on my board to remind my kids.

For students to participate in the upcoming trade, students must make sure they follow the 4 rules of quality- show proper use of materials, take their time, use the whole space, and be prideful.

 the process- planning, refining, reflecting, and extending.

And now, I don't see them again for another 4 weeks. Until then, stay creative my young 3rd grade padawans;)


  1. Thanks for another great post. The main reason I follow this blog is the awesome artists that you find to teach from. This is another great example of that. Perfect for line, pattern, and movement. Also, I love the idea of using the ATCs as an extension of a project.

    Thanks, Jack

    1. thanks for the kind words, sir! finding artists like Brad keeps me totally engaged too:)

  2. Your students really used their crayons with purpose -- filling the space, varying pressure and creating solid areas of strong color. So often the posted art examples using crayon are sort of scribble - scrabble, almost as if adding color were an afterthought or sketchbook plan preparing for the "real thing." These pieces, in contrast, are terrific finished products. It's amazing to see what 3rd graders can do with your guidance in how to use the media effectively!! Thanks for sharing!!

    1. thanks so much for your comment, christie. i know it's not all about the product, but I emphasize over and over again that students show good craftsmanship in their work. i'm going to share that minimatisse vid with all my grade levels to reinforce quality, too:)

  3. I love your blog background, very effective.

  4. That's one of our best Aussie street artists. Check out local Perth ones, Anya Brock and Stormie Mills 😊
