Energizer: Contour drawing
Adolescents use a drawing exercise to relax and experience drawing to relax, without attempting to draw a specific image
Energy level: 1/5
Literacy level: 1/5
Time: 10 minutes
Environment
Indoor or outdoor space
Supplies
One piece of paper and one pen or pencil per adolescent, and a few objects of any kind for adolescents to draw (Suggestion: Choose objects of different shapes and sizes. Examples: a water bottle, a football, an empty plastic bag, an umbrella, a water jug).
Energizer steps
Step 1
Warm up: Ask adolescents to sit in a circle. Place a few items (water bottle, umbrella, shoe, empty cup) in the middle of the circle. Optional: If adolescents wish to do so, they can add one or two personal items to the circle.
Step 2
Distribute at least one piece of paper and a pencil or pen to each adolescent. Explain: Your activity is to draw the items in the middle of the circle. The only rule is that you cannot look at your own drawing. Instead, keep your eyes fixed on the items as you draw. Try to draw the outline (contour) of the objects.
Step 3
Let adolescents draw for 5 minutes or for as long as they seem engaged and interested.
Step 4
Ask the adolescents to stop drawing. Ask the adolescents to place their drawings on the floor or on a table in front of them and have a gallery walk to look at each other’s drawings.
Step 5
Ask adolescents to discuss:
- Which drawings do you like?
- Can you recognize any of the objects we were looking at in these drawings?
- Can a drawing – or a painting, or even a photograph – be beautiful or interesting even if it does not look like an object (or person or scene) you can recognize?
- How can this exercise help you to feel freer and more comfortable when you draw, paint or work on other art projects?
Highlights
Energy level: 1/5
Literacy level: 1/5
Time: 10 minutes
Environment: Indoor or outdoor space
Supplies: One piece of paper and one pen or pencil per adolescent, and a few objects of any kind for adolescents to draw (Suggestion: Choose objects of different shapes and sizes. Examples: a water bottle, a football, an empty plastic bag, an umbrella, a water jug).
