Education That Inspires.
The Why Behind You
Shaping the next generation of Artists.
Lesson Objective
- Help students explore the why behind art.
- Develop self-expression through creative exercises.
- Teach students how to visually represent emotions, thoughts, and ideas.
- Connect warm-up exercises to the final artwork.
Warm-Up #1: Drawing Emotions with Abstract Lines & Shapes
Black & White Abstract Art
Objective
This warm-up helps students think visually and connect emotions to art using only lines and shapes in black and white. The goal is to express emotions without words and prepare for the main artwork.
Understanding Emotions
1. Before we start drawing, let’s think: How do emotions feel?
2. Some emotions feel light and airy, others feel heavy and strong.
3. Art is like movement, we can show emotions with different types of lines.
Choose 4 Emotions
Happiness
Curvy, flowing, bouncy lines that feel light and playful.
Sadness
Droopy, soft, downward strokes that feel slow and heavy.
Anger
Sharp, jagged, crisscrossing lines with hard, dark strokes.
Fear
Shaky, wobbly, uneven lines that overlap or look unsteady.
Excitement
Bursting, radiating, quick short strokes that feel fast and energetic.
Calm
Smooth, flowing, gentle curves with open spaces.
Power
Bold, strong, thick strokes with commanding angles.
Boredom
Flat, slow, repetitive strokes that don’t change much.
Frustration
Tight, scribbled, hard-pressed marks with overlapping lines.
Anxiety
Tight, circular scribbles and scattered lines that feel restless.
Guilt
Heavy, dragging downward lines that seem to sink.
Confusion
Tangled, looping, overlapping lines that go in different directions.
Art Techniques to Create Mood & Emotion
Hatching (closely spaced parallel lines) can build texture and shading fast, sharp hatching can add energy or tension, while soft, light hatching feels more gentle and calm.
Cross-hatching (crisscrossing lines) makes areas look darker and more intense, great for showing deep emotions like sadness, anger, or mystery.
Stippling (small dots placed close together) creates shading and softness light stippling feels airy and calm, while dense stippling feels heavy and serious.
Smudging & blending make drawings look dreamy and soft, helping to express emotions like peacefulness or sorrow.
Examples
Copyright © 2025 Elena Loviea Foundation- All Rights Reserved.
Elena Loviea
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