Back to basics - contour line drawing

I always like to begin the semester by studying contour line drawing. It is a skill all artists employ at some point during the creative process, even just in sketches. We discussed the importance of looking at the object you are drawing instead of burying you head in the paper. The students practiced blind contour drawings during which they could only look at the subject they are drawing. It was a frustrating but fun exercise and ultimately helped to remind students to draw what they see, not what they think.
The students also learned about the element of art line; specifically line qualities. We looked at examples of how line quality can give a completely different look to the same drawn image.

The students then applied this knowledge by drawing "Line Quality Cupcake Contours". A cupcake was placed at the center of every table. The students selected a colored piece of sulphite and used pencil to draw the contours. The students then divided their drawing into quadrants. In each quadrant, the students went over their pencil lines with sharpie using a different line quality. The students then finished the project by erasing any pencil marks and colored it however they wanted with colored pencil.