I have taught this Haunted House art lesson to my middle school students many times and it is always a FAVORITE! They love it because it has lots of room for creativity, students love drawing architecture and the subject matter is festive and exciting for all.
Haunted House Lesson Objective
This is a wonderful mixed media activity that reinforces drawing skills, as well as colored pencil and watercolor techniques. I use this lesson to introduce my students to architect Antoni Gaudi and the roles and responsibilities of an architect. This lesson encourages students to design a house that has unique siding, roofing, windows, turrets, etc. In addition, they learn the advantage of pre-planning and preliminary sketches during the creative decision-making process. Lastly, in addition to architectural details, students add “spooky” details within the house and the negative space around the haunted house. This lesson is packed with many different art techniques, art career exploration as well as a lot of room for creativity.
For the Love of Architecture
Kids of all ages love drawing homes and architecture. My male students especially get excited to design their house for this lesson. To heighten the level of their drawings, I provide my students with a few idea sheets with examples of architectural details and finished home examples. This is a springboard for them to use and generate their own one-of-a-kind building. In addition, some students prefer to use rulers to create perfect siding and roofing, while others intentionally want their architecture to look dilapidated. Whether the students are designing their dream home or a home from their worst nightmares, they seem to love the idea of filling the drawing with little details to keep the viewer looking for more.
Why Students Love It
I believe the reason this lesson is so well received by so many students is because it is multi-step and multifaceted. Students create very technical drawings to create a realistic house, while also using creativity and storytelling to create a haunted house that intrigues the viewer. In addition, students use watercolor techniques to add color to the night sky and colored pencil techniques to create shadows and glowing windows. In addition to the variety of materials and techniques used in the lesson, students also enjoy the freedom to create their own interpretation of a haunted house and a one-of-a-kind work of art.
How I Teach It
I introduce my students to the art career of an architect and introduce them to architect Antoni Gaudi. My students view and critique his architecture and style. I demonstrate how to start drawing the buildings using shapes to build the overall structure or shape of the house. Then I provide my students with detailed examples of architectural details and designs they can add to the building. I encourage them to create a home with unique details, rather than using the typical rectangle or square doors and windows they typically create.
After the drawing is complete, I encourage my students to add at least 7 “spooky” details to the drawing. It could be boards across a window, headstones in the grass, bats flying near the full moon or a black cat in the window. After the drawing has been outlined with ultra fine Sharpie, I show my students how to use wet-on-wet watercolor technique to add a night sky around the house. Lastly, I teach my students how to use colored pencils to add shading, shadows and additional details and texture to their spooky house.
For more information on my complete Haunted House Lesson Plan, click below.
Enjoy, Trista
Related: For more Halloween art lessons, check out Halloween Art Ideas
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