Shape Study

I've been thinking about doing an art project about Shape. So far, I've only defined organic (free-form), geometric and inorganic shapes, showing examples of each type, and come up with some rather playful comparisons to make a fun warmup exercise for a class. I have yet to find an appropriate artist to use as inspiration.

I like using MS-PowerPoint for my art presentations. There is nothing like a good visual to quickly drive home a point. For younger kids, it is a good idea to show lots of examples and maybe even bring in items for hands-on show-and-tell. In a pinch, I will resort to hard copies, mounted on colored paper, and pass them around the room for closer examination.

Here are some of the visuals I might use to show familiar objects and the shapes or the forms they resemble.

I may even show an unfamiliar object (e.g. a Buddha's hand fruit) and try to relate it to plants or a human hand.

Then we'll have some fun with PowerPoint animation and show an object and ask the class if it resembles anything else.

Try pointing out cloud formations and ask the same question. You'll need an assistant or a smartboard to flip through each cloud and then reveal the corresponding image.

I don't think I've ever seen a heart-shaped island before, but then again I've never taken a helicopter ride for such an aerial view!