Line Art Lesson Ideas: Elements of Art Projects

Here are some of my favorite Line Art lesson ideas. Teaching the elements of art is important at any age, but especially with younger students learning the basics of art. My elementary-geared ideas are first, with a couple ideas for grades 5+ at the end.

kindergarten line art lesson idea — Click to enlarge.

Happy Lines

This is a perfect lesson for Kindergarten or 1st grade. Students use a crayon to trace or draw a circle in the center of the paper to create a happy face. Next, they use a variety of colorful crayons to draw various lines going from the circle to the edge of the paper. Finally students use watercolors to paint over their lines to reveal the lines drawn in crayon underneath.

1st grade line art lesson idea — Click to enlarge.

Lines Paper Sculpture

First grade artists are so proud of their paper sculptures. First, we use colorful markers to draw a variety of lines on white strips of paper. Next, I demonstrate a variety of ways to curl, bend and fold the paper. Then students glue each strip of paper down using a variety of paper folding techniques. This is such a fun lesson for all!

second grade line art lesson idea — Click to enlarge.

Hands With Lines

I love to teach this lesson to 2nd grade artists. We begin by folding a piece of paper in 4 sections. The students trace their hands in each section. They paint each hand a different color. Finally students use markers to add a variety of lines in the negative space around the hands. It is a great way to review line variety and painting procedures.

3rd grade line art lesson — Click to enlarge.

Op Art Hands

My 3rd grade artists are always obsessed with this lesson. It works best to have classmates trace each others hands and arm on a piece of paper. Next, using a straight edge or ruler, students draw horizontal lines in the negative space around the hand, skipping the hand. Finally students connect the horizontal lines on either side of the hand with curved lines to create the illusion of a 3D hand. My favorite finished pieces use a variety of colors, line weights and fill the paper with lines.

elementary line art lesson idea — Click to enlarge.

Op Art Dots

This is one of the easiest optical illusions. Students draw 20-25 dots on a piece of paper. Next, starting at the bottom of the paper, students draw a horizontal line. Then, they repeat drawing horizontal lines, but go around the dots as they encounter them. They continue to follow the previous line to create a ripple effect. The final outcome looks like tunnels or worm holes.

Op Art Onion

Students begin this optical illusion by drawing a line segment. Next, they draw a curved line on one side to connect the top and bottom of the line segment. Then students draw a curved line on the other side. They continue to repeat these curved lines, creating a bulbous shape similar to an onion. The ends can be connected to create a series of onions and then students add value to give the onions shadows and highlights.

bent paper op art project idea — Click to enlarge.

Op Art Bent Paper

3rd and 4th grade artists love these simple Op Art lessons. This lesson begins with 4-5 diagonal lines changing directions. A zig zag line is used to connect the line in the center of the paper. Next, students echo the lines on either side, keeping the space consistent. They finish the optical illusion by filling all the negative space on the paper.

Lines Landscape

I like using this lesson with my 5th grade artists to review lines and the parts of a landscape. They begin by drawing a very simple landscape with something in the foreground, middle ground and background. Next, each area is filled with colorful lines to represent the area seen. Lastly, the direction of the lines changes to add excitement and create variety in the artwork.

All eight of the above ideas are included in my Elementary Line Art Lessons bundle, available here.

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LESSONS FOR OLDER STUDENTS

weighted contour drawing lesson idea — Click to enlarge.

Weighted Contour Line Drawing

This an excellent lesson to teach contour line drawing and line variety. I set up several still lifes in the classroom for my students to draw. Students make a light pencil drawing of what they see, starting with the objects in the foreground and overlapping objects in the background to create space. Finally, students use Sharpies (ultra-fine, fine and chisel) to outline the drawing. Thin lines are used for fine detail. A tapered line is used to show the thinnest line as the highlight and gradually make the line weight heavier to create the illusion of depth or shading with the line. The students are so proud of their work, and the results are stunning! My Weighted Contour Drawing Lesson is available here.

9 Views

I love the creativity in this art lesson. Students bring a small toy or tchotchke to draw. The drawing paper is divided into 9 squares. Square viewfinders are used to crop the view of the object and students create a line drawing of what they see in each square. The students draw 9 different views of the object just using a variety of lines. Again, 3 line weights are added using the Sharpie markers. Finally, color is added to either the positive or negative space. More information on my 9 Views Contour Line Drawing Lesson available here.

Thanks for reading! – Trista

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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!