Curated OER
Positive/Negative Bugs
Bugs can be creepy - and fun! Kids create a positive and negative design by repeatedly drawing a simple insect overlaid with a geometric shape. The outcome is really neat and will help build spacial reasoning, visual acuteness, and...
Curated OER
Does Negative Space Have A Shape?
Students observe negative space in drawing. In this negative space lesson, students discover that sketches include negative space or background. Students produce a drawing while paying attention to the negative space.
Curated OER
Graphite Embossing
Teach your art class a lesson plan on viewing positive and negative space in multiple dimensions. They will use metal sheets and various pencil grades to apply the graphite embossing technique. This project will result in two contrasting...
Curated OER
Positive/Negative Space - Black and White non-objective collage
Pupils create a collage using cut black and white construction paper and utilize positive and negative space.
National Gallery of Art
Impressive Prints
Explore printmaking with a discussion and project. Pupils first view and talk about various examples of prints and cover positive and negative space. They then come up with fictional animals and make prints of their creature using...
Curated OER
Positive & Negative Space
Students review and differentiate between positive and negative space, view teacher sample, and cut out shapes to create puzzle-like picture in which one color of paper represents positive space and one color represents negative space.
Curated OER
Positive/Negative Bugs
Seventh graders create a design using a detailed drawing reversing positive and negative space. They explain organic shape and geometric shape.
Curated OER
Elements of Art: Student Assessment
What a neat test! The class is asked to draw and color to create examples of eight elements of art. They focus on each element (line, value, shape, form, space, texture, primary and secondary color) by creating an original piece in each...
Curated OER
Advanced Scribble Pictures
Scribble art allows learners of any age to problem solve in order to express their creative thinking skills. They create a simple scribble, then elaborate on it by adding color and shape. Full instructions and extensions are included.
Curated OER
Positive/Negative Shapes, Shamrocks And Matisse
Students create Shamrock mobiles or art pieces using positive and negative shapes, card stock, glue, and the techniques used by Henri Matisse. The lesson includes many resource links and is a great project for St. Patrick's Day.
Curated OER
Fraggle Monster Vase
Students create an optical illusion. In this optical illusions lesson, students sketch a monster's face to create the optical illusion of a vase in the positive space. Students create an original piece of art.
Incredible Art Department
Notan Collages - "Expanding the Square"
Notan is a Japanese word that expresses the interaction between light and dark. Learners explore Notan while creating dimensional art pieces that examine positive and negative spaces. They'll discuss the art of Notan, create their...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Mixed Media Collage
Rhythm, repetition, positive, and negative space is used to create mixed media collages. Let your learners go wild with glue, magazine clippings, and the elements of design. They'll experiment with various types of media, color, and...
Curated OER
Animal Morphs
Students explore animal drawing. In this cross curriculum drawing, photography, and animals lesson, students combine computer drawing and freehand drawing to create an animal and its environment using a photograph of their own face...
Curated OER
Impressive prints!
Students explore Inuit artworks and legends, and create prints of a fictional animal. They familiarize themselves with the concepts of positive and negative spaces through printmaking techniques.
Curated OER
Blick Liquid Watercolor
Introduce this abstract art to your class; they must chose ordinary classroom objects and shapes to paint with watercolors. The overlapping effect will create a fun, abstract piece of art!
National Gallery of Canada
Designing Balance
Teach your artists how to incorporate balance into their work through discussion and action. After viewing and discussing several works of art, learners design a balanced image for a T-shirt and follow the step-by-step instructions to...
Curated OER
Tree Bark
Students explore and display textures of tree bark in a patterned arrangement of positive and negative space. They make crayon rubbings with various colors and arrange them in an original repetitive pattern. They glue finished designs to...
Curated OER
Mono-Moonscape Painting/Collage
Students, after viewing pictures of the moon's surface, explore positive and negative space using mono print and collage techniques to create an imaginary lunar landscape. They interact with various shapes and textures to create their...
Curated OER
Elements Picture Assignment
Students identify the basic structural and decorative designs, create examples of line (horizontal/vertical/curved/diagonal), as well as identify and explain the difference between shape and form. Then, they identify and explain the use...
Curated OER
Art Basics Scavenger Hunt
Hand out this worksheet and lead your class on a scavenger hunt. Pupils look for examples of shape, form, balance, pattern, perspective, space, and depth. They draw and write about the examples they've found. A great resource to add to...
Curated OER
Blick Liquid Watercolor
Learners explore the use of watercolors in the making of paintings that incorporate the use of shapes and overlapping them into new ones. The skills of using positive and negative space is strengthened as they are applied in these...
Curated OER
Stampin' Ground
Students anticipate the results of using stamps to create patterns and visual effects through repetition. They enhance their understanding of positive and negative space. Also, investigation is done on fabrics and products made in...