High School

How can realistic forms be reshaped and reimagined into expressive abstract designs?

Students will accurately draw the human figure with attention to proportion and gesture, then transform it through simplification and abstraction. Students will manipulate line and shape to explore movement, expressive form, and visual communication beyond realism.

• graphite pencils
• fine-tip markers
• colored pencils
• drawing paper
• tracing paper (two sheets per student, plus extras)
• carbon paper

This project follows a week of in-class figure drawing practice to build confidence with proportion, gesture, and form; however, it can be adapted to fit your schedule.

Step 1
Realistic Study (drawing paper): Students draw the human figure in full detail, including shading. (See Figure 1.)

Step 2
Beginning Abstraction (tracing paper, sheet one): Students place tracing paper over their drawing and accurately trace the figure. They extend continuous, flowing lines from the original contours, then simplify the image by removing selected lines, closing shapes, and reducing detail to create a cleaner, abstract structure. (See Figure 2.)

Step 3
Complete Abstraction (tracing paper, sheet two): Students trace their simplified figure onto a new sheet of tracing paper. They stretch and distort shapes, revising as needed to push the abstraction further. Students may add new shapes or accents that emphasize movement or suggest the form “breaking away.”

Step 4
Students use colored pencils to fill the shapes of their final abstracted figure. (See Figure 3.)

Step 5
Once dry and bisque-fired, students paint their mini-golf holes with acrylic paint. Encourage bold colors and consistency with the chosen theme.

Step 6
Allow time for students to test their designs using small marbles or wooden balls. If time allows, students can rotate and play each other’s courses.

For a digital component, students can use Adobe Photoshop or other photo-editing software to combine the three figures into one image.

Did students demonstrate accurate proportion, gesture, and detail in their realistic figure? Did students simplify and reduce lines and shapes while maintaining the essence of the figure? Did students use distortion, shape, and added elements to convey movement?

Nicole Herbst is an art teacher at Sturgeon Bay High School in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.