Geometric Abstraction

• Many times novice or young art students are intimidated by the task of drawing a realistic picture. This can be especially true if the person is asked to render a full figure or a face. Geometric abstractions are a straightforward method of allowing your students to complete a drawing project that conveys useful information about the drawing process. Not only will the students learn about the placement of different geometric shapes within a confined space, but they will also have to deal with composition, positive-negative space and the shading of each object. An extra learning element is added to the exercise if color pencils are used.
  
  

Draw a Word

• Another popular art activity is drawing words. One possibility is to instruct the student to draw one bold word that takes up the whole sheet of paper. Ask the artist to render each letter in three dimensions for an added challenge. This project, like the previous exercise, will challenge the student's artistic skills while engaging him in what seems like a straightforward and fun task. Variations of this theme might include overlapping multiple two-dimensional words or crafting a composition with just letters.
  
  

Exquisite Corpse

• The exquisite corpse is a European parlor drawing game popularized by the Surrealists. The drawing exercise is still popular today and can be conducted with a combination of pencils, crayons, pastels and art markers. The event works best with four people. It begins by carefully folding a sheet of paper four ways in an accordion-style. Each person must draw a section of a person's anatomy (i.e. head, upper torso, waist and legs) on the paper without seeing what the others have done to correctly complete the drawing. The result is usually a humorous mishmash of human forms. On the surface the exquisite corpse is just a fun game, but it can create interest in drawing and cartooning.
  
  

Life Drawing

• Older students with some skill in drawing may enjoy the challenge of life drawing, which is sometimes called figure drawing. A life drawing class should involve a professional art teacher, a model and a handful of students who have shown some interest in creating a finished piece. The presence of a nude figure will challenge the students' drawing skills while keeping their interest. The challenges presented in life drawing will aide future drawing endeavors, even if the artist is more intrigued with landscape or still life drawing.