Thinking sheet · Art and artists

Near and Far

Draw the same animal close, in the middle and far away. Things look smaller and higher up as they get farther.

Grades
1–5
Time
about 20 minutes
Kids practice
space and depth, size and position, following art rules

What kids do

“Make your animal big at the front, middle-sized in the middle and tiny far away.”

  1. Near, middle and far: the same animal three times
  2. Did I…
  3. How do artists make things look far away?

How to run it

  • Look out a window or at a photo of a road: what happens to things far away?
  • Draw a horizon line first, about a third of the way down.
  • Overlapping things also shows what is in front.

Talk about it

  • Which animal looks closest? Why?
  • What else could show distance?
  • Where have you seen this in picture books?

Take it further

Draw a row of trees along a path that goes all the way to the horizon.

Pairs well with

Free for home and classroom use. Print as many copies as you need.

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