Adults, Parents and Teachers:
Before you, your child, or children do a drawing, there is great value in spending a few minutes on warm up exercises. These help you to settle and focus on the drawing process. Exercises train the eye and the mind to really see shapes and judge distances.
By copying patterns and designs you learn how to be precise, to control lines and shapes, to convey textures and to create light and shade.
Best results will be achieved by using a black pen or sharpened pencil.
With some of the more complicated designs, it can help to first draw lightly in pencil, go over with the pen, then erase the pencil lines.
Start with simple patterns
- Symmetrical patterns (start with a dot in the centre)
- Random patterns (start with a dot in the centre)
Work up to more complicated patterns
Now try copying recognizable shapes and objects
See how you go at doing mirror images
Upside Down
When you have done a page of exercises, try doing the same page again only this time, turn the page upside down! This really helps you to focus on actual shapes, not mental images of what you think something should look like.
Get Really Creative!
Design your own patterns then try copying each other’s patterns.
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