As part of Computer Science Education Week and The Hour of Code, I’d like to try to create some artwork using coding. This will be something a little different than what you are doing in Computer Literacy class, so we’ll put that aside for now.

There are many ways that you can use coding to create artwork. I’ve got links to a few of my favourite activities below:

Or you can choose your own activity by following the directions below:

Go to this link

Across the top of your screen, choose Grades 6-8 (or if you really want a challenge, you can try a Grades 9+ activity!)

On the right, you can choose whether you want a Beginner tutorial or something a little more advanced

Scroll down a little bit and on the left hand side, choose Computers under Classroom Technology, then Art, Media, Music, under Topics

Please choose an activity that has something to do with creating art or music. Save the “other” stuff for another time

We’ve been practicing writing words in one-point perspective, but let’s look at how that concept looks in the real world. If we look straight down an alley or street, you will see the street narrow in the distance and everything will lead toward that single vanishing point:

Photo by Tania Malréchauffé on Unsplash

But what if you look at the corner of a street, where things go off in two directions? This is called two-point perspective. The buildings below vanish off in two directions, not just one:

Photo by Anders Jildén on Unsplash

Photo by Banter Snaps on Unsplash

This can come through in your drawings as well. Going back to our earlier exercise, you could draw your name in two-perspective:

or draw a city street corner.

“Perspective” by Sophia Barbour is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

Please watch the entire video below before you start your drawing:

You can even flip your perspective around and look at a room from the inside, like your bedroom for example

Your job is to draw a detailed cityscape or room drawing. If it helps, try drawing our classroom or your bedroom or the corner of Portage & Ferry.

In addition to YouTube and GMail, a Google account gets you some pretty nifty extras. Today we’ll look at one of those by starting to use a service called Google Drawings.

This will be easiest if you already have your own Google account, but you DO NOT NEED ONE. Do not create one if you don’t have one already. If you don’t have a Google account or don’t want to use yours or can’t log in for whatever reason, ask Mr. Robson to help you get started!

Click here to see the Shapegrams available

NOTE: Only the first 3 are free, so those are the only ones we can use!

OR click on your choice below. You will be drawing one of the pictures below, so pick whichever one looks most interesting to you. The house is probably easiest, and the ice cream cone is probably the most difficult.

Again, you will need a Google account OR a link from me to get started

When you get to the page for the picture you’ve chosen, you need to click on the Make a Copy button

You’ll have to click another Make a copy button after that

Each one has instructions in a YouTube video and there are some written on the sides of the page. Your job is to recreate the shapegram on your own.

Have fun with it!

If you have a Google account (or get a link from Mr. Robson), you can create your own Google Drawing after that! Just visit drawings.google.com

For today’s lesson you’ll want to have:

• Paper (duh)
• Sharp pencil
• eraser
• ruler (if possible)

First, some background on “perspective” and how it works in art

For the next exercise, you may want a copy of this worksheet

First, we’ll work through some of these principles:

For your assignment, we’ll work through this exercise and you will hand yours in for marking

Your first priority is to finish posting your Line Art on your website and answering the three questions. Those questions and some info can be found here.

For today I want you to look at some artwork and tell me what you find most interesting and inspiring about it. Take some time to find something that really speaks to you and really catches your eye.

IMPORTANT NOTE. READ IT. When looking at the work of some artists, you will notice some art that would not be considered school appropriate. It is very important that you proceed with MATURITY and remember to choose artwork that is APPROPRIATE for the classroom. Remember that these are serious works of art and are not to be made fun of and should be viewed as a work of art, not something to giggle and point at. CHOOSE WISELY!

Click here to view works by many famous artists

Choose an artist and a painting or two that you find really interesting and inspiring. You will provide links to the artwork and will explain WHY you chose this artist/art and why it is particularly interesting and inspiring to you.

Here is my example

There are several basic principles that you need to understand and use if you’re going to make great art. We’ll look at several of these this year, but the first is LINE.

Have some scrap paper ready and your favourite pen or pencil or marker! You’ll be drawing a lot of different lines today. Start by practicing and not worrying about drawing anything other than lines. You’re not making art, just practicing lines.

First, before you start drawing different types of lines and understanding their uses, you need to know how best to actually draw a line. The biggest piece of advice is to use your WHOLE ARM, not just your wrist or hand! Check this out:

Now let’s go to Robot Art School! There are a few exercises that you’ll have to complete here, and you should be practicing different lines as you watch.

Exercise at 4:24 – draw a picture of a person using lines without looking at your paper (Blind Contour)

4:36 – Draw the person again (you can look this time) using quick, gestural lines. (doesn’t have to be accurate/realistic, just practice the lines)

4:50 – Draw an outline of your favourite animal. Use cross countour lines to give it a 3D type form.

5:04 – Draw an abstract composition (doesn’t really look like a real object, just creative and original) using varied overlapping lines. Use crosshatching to fill in all of the sections. Vary your darkness/lightness.

Finish those 4 exercises and hand them in with your name on them! You may wish to take a picture first, because we will add your favourite ones to a website/portfolio post about this lesson on lines.

Last time we worked on creating a simple graffiti “Tag” but now we’ll start to make our letters a little more interesting!

Again, write your name (or another word) in TWO DIFFERENT graffiti styles, but make your lettering a little more interesting/complicated this time. Add colour! Shading! Make it 3D!

Our friend Doke has some great suggestions again. I’d recommend watching the whole video to see all of his styles and then returning to a couple of your favourites or go ahead and develop your own style.

History & issues:

Creating your own “Tags” & alphabet

Sample graffiti styles:

There are a bunch of great styles you can look at HERE

Your first task is to write your name (or another word you like) in AT LEAST 2 DIFFERENT GRAFFITI STYLES

examples: