Mason Garrett - Visual Literacy.

“Gee whiz, I wish I could draw!”

“Everyone can draw,” Mason explained “it is simply a matter of looking, analyzing, and pencil miles.”

Mason has the same view of drawing that I do. He refers to basic primary Maths concepts. Perspective, geometry and proportion come together as one approaches the drawing process.

“The most important tool you have is your eye. Really look at the subject and analyze the basic shapes. They will be circles, squares, and triangles. Or combine them to make tubes, cones, or pyramids.”

“A tree is basically a big tube with cone shapes as roots going into the ground. Higher up the big tube splits into smaller tubes, the branches, and twigs. Then the leaves that grow off the branches and twigs are circles with points on the end. “

He explains. Cars are box shapes with rounded corners sitting on top four circles. Buses, trains, trucks are just longer rectangles. Windows are more squares. Buildings are made from the basic shapes too. “Most houses are boxes with triangles and pyramids forming the roof. The doors and windows are rectangles (long or short squares).”

Have the children create houses from basic shapes.

And so too the human body is made up of the same basic shapes, circles, squares, and triangles. Drawings

See if this improves the way the children approach what they draw.

Drawing lessons can be fun! Mason pulls a hat trick when he illustrates a rabbit hopping from a hat. So while you have the kids engaged get them to “analyze the basic shapes. Then lightly draw them stacked together and then round and sharpen and detail the drawing and erase the basic shape lines.

Kids can do it. They often do it better because they’re not hung up about it...yet.”

The kids will like this lesson.