Description: Group-made drawing of a creature composed of insect or animal body parts individually drawn, similar to the games, Telephone, Pictionary, or whisper-down-the-lane.
Objective:Students get to experiment with a variety of materials and begin to share creativity while getting to know each other.
Author: Kristin, edit by Blair
Grade level or Target Age Range: Elementary
Historical Art Examples or References: Salvador Dali, Spain
Vocabulary: Variety, surrealism
Materials: Pencil, paper, color pencil (optional)
Anticipatory Set: Show images of surrealism. Has anyone ever had a dream of or an idea for a creature made of parts from more than one animal?
Demo/Directions:
- Have students work together in groups. Orient paper in landscape position and then fold vertically into four to six equal parts. These sections will be for the head, torso/arms, legs, and tail of a make-believe creature that will be created through the process of collaboration.
(10 minutes) - Have students brainstorm animals and give each student in a group a randomly selected (draw from hat) body part.
(5 minutes) - Students are to independently draw their assigned section by using the lines left from the previous person to connect the drawings. As the drawing is passed to the next student, it should be folded back so that the next artist cannot see the previous sections.
(10 minutes) - If materials are available, students may color the creatures.
(10 minutes) - At the end of the class, each group can unfold and discover their creature, make up a name for it, and describe what it eats, where it sleeps, and what it likes to do for fun. Have each group present and discuss their creature with the class.
(10 minutes) - Remind students of the beauty of sharing and working together and have students collect materials at the end of class.
(5 minutes)