Paul Peel: Create Your Own Artwork

SKETCHING LIKE PAUL PEEL

Summary:

 

Draw a house – or any other building that you like, using graphite pencils.

With Covent Garden Market, London as a reference, use lines to create the illusion of perspective.

 

Learning Expectations:

 

Students will demonstrate an understanding of composition, using selected elements [line] and principles of design [emphasis, proportion and balance] to create an artwork.

Students will use basic sketching materials (pencil and paper) to determine solutions to a design challenge.

 

Materials:

 

Blank Paper (8 x 10 sheet or similar)

Graphite Pencil

Eraser

 

Procedure:

 

Part 1:

 

Students observe and discuss Covent Garden Market, London.

What is happening there? What can we learn from a day in the market in the 1880s? Have you ever been to the Covent Garden Market in downtown or any other farmers’ market in London? Is it similar?

 

Analyze the principles of design according to the grade level:

 

Grade 4: Where did the artist want us to focus our attention? What resources did he use to create emphasis?

Is the use of lights and shadows an element that contributes to define a focal point? If the main façade of the market is facing West… what time of the day is the artist capturing in this painting?

Grade 5: Did he follow traditional rules of proportion?

Compare the size of the building and the people in the surrounding area.

Compare the size of the boy on the foreground (on the bottom left corner) and the people around the market’s main entrance. How do you explain the differences in size?

Grade 6: Is it symmetrical or asymmetrical? How did the artist achieve balance if the scene is asymmetrical?

 

Part 2:

 

Students observe and discuss the sketch that Paul Peel draw in preparation for Covent Garden Market, London.

 

Analyze the use of lines for the construction of perspective:

 

Look at the North side of the building (the wall on the right of the painting).

How are these lines in real life? (answer = parallel)

Why did he draw these lines as diagonal and converging?

Converging = the lines get together on a point, the vanishing point.

What effect does this produce? (answer = illusion of perspective)

 

Part 3:

 

Draw a block or cube in perspective / one-point perspective > see tutorial

 

a) Trace a ‘horizon line’ on the middle of the page.

b) Draw a square, seen from the front, on the bottom-left of the page. All the sides and angles should be equal (same length, same measure)

c) Draw a black dot on the horizon line, on the right side of the page. It will be your ‘vanishing point’.

d) Lightly trace lines from every angle of the square to the vanishing point.

e) Draw in the back edge of your cube (trace a horizontal line in parallel to the top of the square).

f) Draw in the other back edge of your cube (trace a vertical line in parallel to the right side of the square.

 

The result will be a cube seen from above.

 

Part 4:

 

Draw a house / two-point perspective  > see tutorial