Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v3 - Primary 5
Types of Drawings.
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Types of Drawings.
Download the Lessonotes Mobile Nigeria 2025 app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Cultural and Creative Arts
Class: Primary 5
Term: 1st Term
Week: 1
Theme: Arts And Crafts
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Watch on YouTubeSee Facebook postThis topic introduces Primary 5 learners to the fundamental concept of drawing as a visual art form and explores various categories within it. Drawing is a foundational skill in art, enabling individuals to express ideas, communicate visually, and document observations. In the Nigerian context, drawing is crucial for professions like architecture, fashion design (e.g., Ankara patterns), graphic design (e.g., creating logos for local businesses), illustration (e.g., children's books depicting Nigerian culture), and even in traditional arts where patterns and symbols are first sketched.
Cartoon/Caricature Drawing: Definition: Cartoons are simplified or exaggerated drawings, often humorous or satirical. Caricature is a specific type of cartoon that exaggerates prominent features of a person for comic or critical effect.
Explanation: This style uses expressive lines and often distorts reality to convey a message or evoke laughter. It's popular in comic books, newspapers, and animations. Nigerian
Examples: Illustrations in Nigerian children's storybooks. Political cartoons found in Nigerian newspapers. Comic strips featuring characters relatable to Nigerian culture and experiences.
6. Sketching: Definition: Sketching is a quick, rough drawing, often made as a preliminary study for a more elaborate artwork, or to capture a fleeting moment or idea.
Explanation: Sketches are not necessarily finished artworks; they emphasize speed and capturing the essential form or feeling, rather than precise detail. They can be of anything – objects, people, scenes. Nigerian
Examples: A quick drawing of a market trader selling goods. Rapid studies of dancers' movements during a festival. Brief visual notes for a planned artwork or design.
7. Illustrative Drawing: Definition: Illustrative drawing is artwork created to accompany and clarify text, often found in books, magazines, educational materials, or advertisements.
Explanation: The primary goal of an illustration is to tell a story or explain a concept visually, complementing written content. It can incorporate elements of still life, portrait, or landscape drawing. Nigerian
Examples: Drawings in Primary school textbooks depicting scenes from Nigerian history or science concepts. Illustrations for children's storybooks about Nigerian folktales or cultural values. Posters for health campaigns (e.g., handwashing) showing clear visual messages. This section provides in-depth explanations of what drawing is and the various types that students will learn to identify and produce. A. What is Drawing? Drawing is a fundamental visual art form involving the creation of an image on a surface using lines, marks, shapes, tones, and textures. It is essentially a way of expressing ideas, observations, or imagination using graphic means.
Purpose: Drawing can be used for communication, documentation, artistic expression, design, and preparation for other art forms like painting or sculpture.
Materials: Common drawing materials include pencils (of varying hardness like HB, 2B, 4B, 6B), charcoal, pastels, crayons, pens (ballpoint, ink), and markers. The surfaces usually include paper, cardboard, or even fabric. B. Types of Drawings The teacher will explain the following types of drawings, emphasizing their distinct characteristics and providing relevant Nigerian examples.
1. Still Life Drawing: Definition: A still life drawing depicts inanimate (non-moving) objects arranged in a composition. These objects are typically chosen for their aesthetic qualities, textures, forms, or symbolic meaning.
Explanation: The focus in still life is on careful observation of objects, including their shapes, sizes, proportions, light and shadow effects, and textures. Artists arrange objects to create an interesting composition before drawing. This type of drawing helps develop observational skills and understanding of three-dimensional form on a two-dimensional surface. Nigerian
Examples: A basket of tropical fruits (e.g., mangoes, oranges, bananas, plantains) arranged on a table. Traditional Nigerian household items like clay pots (ewu), calabashes (igba), mortars and pestles (odo ati omo odo), or intricately woven baskets. Common classroom objects such as books, water bottles, or school bags.
2. Portrait Drawing: Definition: A portrait drawing is a depiction of a person or an animal, usually focusing on the face and its expression. It aims to capture the likeness, personality, and mood of the subject.
Explanation: Portraiture requires close attention to facial features (eyes, nose, mouth), their proportions, and how they convey emotion. It's about capturing the unique characteristics of an individual. Nigerian
Examples: Drawing a classmate, a teacher, a parent, or a community leader. Depicting people in traditional attire or hairstyles. Drawing pets or farm animals common in Nigerian homes (e.g., goats, chickens, dogs).
3. Landscape Drawing: Definition: A landscape drawing depicts natural scenery, such as mountains, forests, rivers, valleys, or seascapes. It can also include urban landscapes (cityscapes) showing buildings, streets, and human-made structures.
Explanation: Landscape drawing involves capturing the vastness and depth of a scene. Artists often use techniques like perspective to create the illusion of distance, with foreground elements appearing larger and more detailed, and background elements smaller and less defined. Nigerian
Examples: A village scene with mud houses, trees (e.g., Iroko or palm trees), and a pathway. A bustling market scene in a Nigerian town, showing stalls, people, and goods. Drawing prominent Nigerian geographical features like Zuma Rock, hills in Enugu, or a river bank. A view of the school compound with buildings and playgrounds.
4. Figure Drawing: Definition: Figure drawing focuses on the human form, often depicting the entire body or significant portions of it, usually in various poses or in motion.
Explanation: This type of drawing is complex, requiring understanding of anatomy, proportion, and gesture to convey the movement and weight of the human body. Nigerian
Examples: Drawing people engaged in daily activities: a woman pounding yam, children playing traditional games, a farmer tilling the land, dancers performing traditional dances. Sketches of people walking, sitting, or standing in different postures.
5. Cartoon/Caricature Drawing: Definition: Cartoons are simplified or exaggerated drawings, often humorous or satirical. Caricature is a specific type of cartoon that exaggerates prominent features of a person for comic or critical effect.
Explanation: This style uses expressive lines and often distorts reality to convey a message or evoke laughter. It's popular in comic books, newspapers, and animations. Nigerian
Examples: Illustrations in Nigerian children's storybooks. Political cartoons found in Nigerian newspapers. Comic strips featuring characters relatable to Nigerian culture and experiences.
6. Sketching: * Definition: Sketching is This section outlines the step-by-step activities for the teacher and learners to achieve the lesson objectives.
Phase 1: Introduction and Identification (30 minutes)
Teacher Activity: Begins the lesson by showing various printed pictures or drawings (e.g., a photograph of a fruit bowl, a portrait of a Nigerian child, a picture of a village scene, a simple cartoon character). Asks learners to observe the images and discuss what they see, guiding them to describe the content of each picture. Introduces the concept of "drawing" as creating images on a surface using lines and shapes. Introduces the various types of drawings (Still Life, Portrait, Landscape, Figure, Cartoon/Caricature, Sketching, Illustrative) one by one. For each type, provides a clear definition and shows specific examples, linking them to the displayed images and relating them to Nigerian contexts (e.g., "This drawing of the market is a landscape drawing because it shows a wide scene"). Facilitates a brief Q&A session to check initial understanding of identification.
Learner Activity: Observes the pictures and actively participates in describing them. Listens attentively to the definitions and explanations of each type of drawing. Asks clarifying questions where necessary. Attempts to identify the types of drawings from the examples provided by the teacher.
Phase 2: Practical Application – Producing a Drawing (40 minutes)
Teacher Activity: Focuses on Still Life Drawing as the practical activity for the first production objective, as it is relatively straightforward for beginners and allows for good observation practice. Arranges a simple still life composition in front of the class using readily available Nigerian objects (e.g., a few fruits like oranges/bananas, a water bottle, or a simple clay pot). Demonstrates basic steps for drawing the still life: Observation: How to look at the objects' overall shapes.
Light Sketching: Using light lines to outline the main shapes and proportions of the objects on paper.
Adding Details: Refining the lines and adding simple details. Basic Shading (Optional, for higher ability): Showing simple light and dark areas if time permits and learners are ready. Distributes drawing materials (pencils, drawing paper). Walks around the classroom, providing individual guidance, encouragement, and constructive feedback to learners as they work on their drawings. Encourages learners to observe carefully and not worry too much about perfection.
Learner Activity: Observes the still life arrangement and the teacher's demonstration carefully. Collects drawing materials. Begins to draw the still life arrangement, following the teacher's instructions. Practices observational skills to capture the shapes and proportions of the objects. Seeks assistance from the teacher when encountering difficulties.
Phase 3: Review and Wrap-up (10 minutes)
Teacher Activity: Invites a few learners to briefly display their still life drawings to the class. Provides positive feedback and identifies areas for improvement for the whole class, reinforcing the learning points from the practical session. Recapitulates the different types of drawings covered during the lesson. Assigns a simple take-home task (e.g., observe and sketch an object at home).
Learner Activity: Presents their drawings if called upon. Participates in peer viewing and offers constructive comments based on what they have learned. Recalls and lists the different types of drawings. Notes down the take-home assignment. These questions are designed to reinforce understanding of the different types of drawings and provide practical application.
Question 1: Look at the images below. Identify the type of drawing each image represents. (Teacher presents three images: Image A: A bowl of fruits; Image B: A child's face; Image C: A village market scene.)
Solution: Image A (Bowl of fruits): Still Life Drawing.
Explanation: It features inanimate objects (fruits) arranged for artistic composition.* Image B (Child's face): Portrait Drawing.
Explanation: It focuses on depicting a person's face and expression.* Image C (Village market scene): Landscape Drawing.
Explanation: It depicts an outdoor scene or environment, in this case, a human-made environment within a natural setting.* Question 2: If you wanted to draw your school principal or a traditional ruler in your community, what type of drawing would that primarily be? Explain your choice.
Solution: This would primarily be a Portrait Drawing.
Explanation: Portrait drawing is specifically for depicting a person, focusing on their face and capturing their likeness and characteristics. Drawing a school principal or a traditional ruler requires capturing their individual features.* Question 3: Suggest three common objects you can find in a typical Nigerian kitchen or living room that can be used to create a simple still life drawing.
Solution: Possible objects include: A traditional clay pot (e.g., for cooking or storing water). A calabash (for serving food or drinks). A basket of tubers or vegetables (e.g., yams, tomatoes, peppers). A bottle of palm oil or groundnut oil. A traditional wooden stool or mortar.
Commentary: These objects are relatable to the learners' environment and have interesting forms and textures suitable for still life practice.* Question 4: You are asked to illustrate a children's storybook about a wise tortoise and a cunning rabbit from a Nigerian folktale. What type of drawing would you use to bring the story to life?
Solution: This would be Illustrative Drawing, and it would likely incorporate elements of Cartoon Drawing for the animal characters.
Explanation: Illustrative drawing is specifically designed to accompany and clarify text, making a story more engaging. Using cartoon elements would help make the animal characters expressive and appealing to children.*
Understanding different types of drawings has numerous practical applications and can be integrated into various aspects of Nigerian life and future careers.
Cultural Documentation and Storytelling: Application: Learners can use drawings to document traditional Nigerian attire, local festivals, historical sites (e.g., ancient city walls, traditional palaces), or everyday life in their communities. Illustrative drawings are crucial for creating children's books that retell Nigerian folktales, myths, and legends, helping to preserve and transmit cultural heritage.
Integration: A child might draw a portrait of their grandmother telling a story or a landscape drawing of their village market during a festive period, thereby becoming a visual historian of their own culture.
Entrepreneurship and Local Industries: Application: Drawing skills are fundamental in many Nigerian businesses. For example, textile designers use drawing to create patterns for Ankara or Adire fabrics. Graphic designers use different drawing types for logos, advertisements, and branding for local businesses (e.g., a still life drawing of produce for a food business, a cartoon character for a children's product). Artists often produce portraits and landscape paintings for sale to tourists or local patrons.
Integration: A learner with good drawing skills could, in the future, design a signboard for a local tailor's shop, illustrate packaging for locally made snacks, or create a unique pattern for a fashion accessory, contributing to the local economy.
Environmental Awareness and Education: Application: Landscape drawing can be used to depict local ecosystems, highlight environmental challenges (e.g., deforestation, erosion), or promote conservation efforts. Illustrative drawings can be used to create educational posters about sanitation, healthy eating (using still life of local produce), or the importance of planting trees.
Integration: Students could be tasked with drawing their local environment, highlighting aspects they find beautiful or areas that need attention, fostering a sense of responsibility towards their surroundings. They could also use drawings to create visual aids for school campaigns on topics like waste management or personal hygiene.