Thinking sheet · Art and artists

Overlap to Show Depth

Put one thing in front of another and a flat picture suddenly has depth. Practice with fruit, hills and a crowd.

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Grades
1–5
Time
about 20 minutes
Kids practice
overlap, depth in drawing, planning a scene

What kids do

“When one thing hides part of another, it looks closer!”

  1. Three apples, overlapping
  2. Three hills, front to back
  3. A crowd of monsters
  4. A scene using overlap everywhere
  5. Did I…
  6. The thing in front is…

How to run it

  • Draw the front object first, then the one behind it.
  • Don’t draw lines through the front object.
  • Show a picture book spread and find the overlaps.

Talk about it

  • How can you tell what’s in front?
  • What happens if nothing overlaps?
  • Where do you see overlap out the window?

Take it further

Draw a stack of your favorite books with overlap.

Pairs well with

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

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