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Gridded Drawings– 5th/6th grade

A pencil drawing of a face with prominent green eyes, raised eyebrows, and pink lips against a shaded background.

This was another fun project at the end of the year.  The 5th/6th grade students marked off a one inch grid on their white paper.  Then, they chose a photo to enlarge and draw.  It could be a person (some chose a parent, others chose famous people) or it could be an animal.  I photocopied grids on to transparencies and these were taped on top of their photo.  Then, they drew their picture square by square.  There are many resources, such as this page, on the internet to explain how to use the grid technique.   The students watched short video clips from You Tube about Chuck Close. These are two good ones:  Chuck Close Writes Note to His Younger Self. and Trailer for A Portrait in Progress.  Did you know Chuck Close has face blindness?  That is a fascinating clip from 60 minutes about face blindness.

A pencil sketch of an elephant facing forward, with mountains and grass in the background. 
A black and white pencil sketch of a person's eyes with a leaf covering the lower part of their face.

A gridded drawing of a man in a suit and tie with a serious expression.

A colorful, gridded drawing of a person’s face, divided into small, multicolored squares.

A gridded drawing of a person with short hair, intense eyes, and a neutral expression.


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About Marcia Beckett

Marcia is an elementary art teacher and loves painting, drawing, sculpture, art journaling and clay. Her blog, Art is Basic, features many exciting art projects for kids.

2 Responses to Gridded Drawings– 5th/6th grade

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  2. I discovered my GCSE (high school) Art folder recently and it in were a few of the gridded drawings I did – 22 years ago! I've still got the grid I made! I clearly remember doing them and your post has brought back loads of memories of my school art!
    Take care x

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