Big DrawWednesday 26th September 2012

Big Draw

Wednesday 26th September 2012

WALT : draw from life using a viewfinder

Big Draw

We are going to be looking in and around

our classrooms to create our drawings for

this year’s Big Draw.

To help us, we need a special tool called a

viewfinder.

What is a viewfinder?

In art, a viewfinder is a small frame you can look through.

Have you ever seen artists using their fingers to form a

square?

Their arms are outstretched and they look like they are

framing the view before them.

Here are some artists using their fingers as

viewfinders :

What is a

viewfinder?

These artists are actually using their fingers as a border to

help them visualise what they want to draw.

The frame they create with their fingers helps them find

exactly the view they want to draw.

A viewfinder is an adjustable

see-through drawing tool.

It helps you to view focus on

exactly what you want to draw.

However, it is easier

to use a real

viewfinder.

Here are some artists using real viewfinders…

Why do I need to use a viewfinder?

Viewfinders help you to focus clearly on the subject

you want to draw.

A viewfinder can

help you create an

ideal composition

by eliminating

clutter and

unnecessary

objects near the

subject of your

drawing.

You can make

your own

viewfinder.

Here are some

children using

viewfinders…

A viewfinder

can help you

focus on a

particular

subject close

up or see the

subject from a

different point

of view.

It helps you

create the

perfect

composition.

How do I make a viewfinder?

You will need : card, scissors, pencil ruler & paperclips.

1. Draw two large L shapes on your card, using a pencil and a

ruler along the edges of your card.

The bars of the L shape should be about 3 cm wide. This is

about the width of your ruler. Both shapes can go on the same

card.

2. Carefully cut the L-shapes out. Now you have two halves of a

frame. You won’t need the small square that’s left over.

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3. Lay them on the table so that they form a frame with one

L shape lying slightly on top of the other.

Use your paper clips to join the L shapes together at the edges

like this…

Hold your viewfinder out in front of you, with your arm outstretched. Let’s

use a chair to look at, for an example.

If it helps, close or cover up one eye when you look through the hole.

Make sure the chair is touching at least 2 sides of the viewfinder

rectangle. You can adjust it either way, wider or narrower, to help you

focus on the chair.

How do I use a viewfinder?

This forms a border around the chair and lets you see the chair,

and the spaces around the chair.

We call this negative space (the space between the chair and

the borders of the viewfinder).

It might take some time but wait until you can see the negative

space as a shape.

Sometimes you can focus on the negative space to create a

drawing, if you like. Look at the negative space around these

vases. What do you see?

How do I use a viewfinder?

Hold the edge of the viewfinder and look

through the hole at your view. Always hold

it at arm’s length so that your view will be

the same every time you look at the

subject.

Move the viewfinder around, looking at

different views – it’s like looking through

the viewfinder of a camera – until you find

a view that’s interesting and pleasing to

your eye.

Your viewfinder can also be used to select a section of a larger object, and

can even be placed over an object if you can make it stay in place.

Relate the shape of your drawing to the shape of the viewfinder window – a

long narrow window will result in a long narrow drawing, a square window

will result in a square drawing, and so on.

You can use it in portrait position

like this :

Or in landscape position like this :

Now try out different views.

Look at a book through your viewfinder. Zoom out

by moving the view finder closer to your eye. What

do you see?

Try not to pay attention to anything outside of your

frame! You probably see the whole book and part of

the room around it.

Now, zoom in by moving the viewfinder closer to the

page. Do you see much more than a few words?

Focus on your

subject – the thing

you want to draw.

Use your view finder to

search your location.

What would make an

interesting picture?

Zoom out! If you move

your viewfinder edges

further apart, or the

whole thing further

away from you, you’ll

be able to see a wider

landscape.

Zoom in! If you move

your viewfinder close

enough, you’ll only be

able to see simple

shapes, colours and

patterns.

By keeping your arm

outstretched and

noting where the

object is touching the

border, you should

see the same view

each time you look

through the

viewfinder.

Begin your picture.

1.Hold your viewfinder very still.

2.Pretend the viewfinder is the frame of your picture. This

means you shouldn’t add anything you don’t see inside of it.

3. With your pencil and paper, draw the outline of everything

you see inside your viewfinder. Fill your paper.

Start

drawing!