Art Education Resources, Tips and Tricks and Art Lesson Ideas

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How to Teach Principles of Design

Planning how to teach Principles of Design to your students can be challenging. I cover teaching the Principles of Designs in many different ways in my art curriculum. Here’s some of my favorites.

Principles of Design Worksheets

I believe the Principles of Design are more complex than the Elements of Art so I created worksheets that are appropriate for intermediate elementary students or middle school students. I use my Principles of Design worksheets as bell work for my students. Each page has several different prompts that students complete with little to no instruction. My students use the first 5 minutes of every class period to work on the worksheet independently, while I prep for their current lesson. My Principles of Design Bundle is available here.

examples of worksheets to teach principles of design
I use worksheets to teach elements of art to younger students and created matching powerpoint slides to help illustrate the concepts.

Elements of Art and Principles of Design Book

I also created an accordion book with mini lessons that combine an Element of Art and a Principle of Design. Most students know the Elements of Art, as they started learning the importance of these building blocks of art in Kindergarten. However, the Principles of Design are a bit more complex and require a little more thought. This is why I paired an Element or Art with a Principle of Design. It is a great way to cover the content of both, without spending a lot of time reviewing the Elements of Art.

I designed the lessons for my students to learn about the 7 Elements of Art and 7 Principles of Design while using a variety of mediums such as paint, collage, colored pencil, markers, pencil, and book making, of course! Because I created a YouTube video art tutorial or demonstration, and included step-by -step instructions with a printable definition of each of the Elements of Art and Principles of Design to be glued into the book, it can be done independently. Click here for more information about the accordion book.

Elements of Art and Principles of Design Posters

I created a set of Elements of Art and Principles of Design posters with great graphics, quality design and pops of color to engage my students. The posters are great visuals for students to reference, or for me to use as reference when a student says “I’m done”. We visit the posters together and discuss the concept, read the definition or I ask if the Element or Principle of Art they are learning about has been applied to their work of art. Lastly, I really like the posters hanging in my art room because it is a constant reminder of these essential building blocks of art. Once the lesson about color is over, the students still have a reminder of the importance of the lesson as the school year progresses. My Elements and Principles posters are available here.

Principles of Design poster set

Posters I made to give students visual examples as well as definitions of the elements of art. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

How to Focus Lessons on the Principles

When I am creating and planning my lessons I want to teach my students how the Principles of Design help them create their best artwork. After I have decided on the subject matter of a lesson, I analyze which Principle of Design best describes the artwork and makes it most effective.

For example, my Finding Balance Lesson teaches students about the meaning of yin yang and the Chinese philosophy to maintain the harmony of the universe and to influence everything within it. In addition to teaching my students about this important philosophy of Chinese culture, we look at how the symbol itself represents contrast and balance as an artform. Students learn how to create contrast in their artwork with color and Zentangle designs. They also gain a better understanding of how art can have balance or visual weight.

I also teach a Vejigante Mask Lesson that is another example of an art lesson infused with culture and a Principle of Design. Students look at examples of the Vejigante masks and analyze the patterns and how they play an important part in the style of this artwork. Students create their own mask design incorporating pattern as an essential element of their artwork.

I hope this gives you a better understanding of how you can teach the Principles of Design to your students, and why it is important to do so.

 

Enjoy, Trista

Related Post: How to Teach Elements of Art

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Check out my How To Page for more posts like this.

 

About Me

Art With Trista is my website featuring art lessons, art teacher articles and art education resources

I’ve been teaching art for over 20 years and I love it!

I have taught every grade from kindergarten to high school. This site features art education articles with art resources and ideas as well as art lesson ideas for all ages. My goal is to allow students to explore a variety of art materials, discover different genres and styles, and most importantly, have FUN!

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