High School

How can students create gradations of value using small dots?

Students will “draw” a convincing image by stamping a pencil eraser repeatedly onto paper.

• scratch paper
• pencils with new erasers
• black stamp pads
• bond paper
• optional: photo-editing program

Step 1
Ask students to identify the common element in works by artists such as Craig Allen, Robert Silvers, and Vik Muniz. Have them compare these composite works with pixelation as used in digital photography and the game Minecraft.

Step 2
On scratch paper, have students demonstrate that they can make a small value scale with gradations from 0 (blank paper) to 10 (completely black) by stamping the pencil eraser from the stamp pad to the paper, gradually applying more pressure and lessening the distance between the “pixels.”

Step 3
Have students draw or trace a simple image onto bond paper, noticing dark, light, and medium areas. They can “posterize” the image in a photo-editing program to visualize the shapes of each gradated area, lightly delineating these areas with pencil, and give them value numbers to match their value scale.

Step 4
Students stamp their eraser “pixels” onto the image to show realistic gradation. They receive peer feedback as needed to determine which areas might need more darkening in order to achieve a full range of values.

• Use the activity to introduce a unit on digital art.
• Create a second image using color.
• Relate the process to historic pointillism.

Display student work together and have students self-evaluate whether they showed a full range of values to create a convincing image.

Margaret Hespen is a middle school educator at Alliance Charter Academy in Oregon City, Oregon.