Planning an artwork — Art, 4–6
Before you make something, a quick plan can help you decide what you need and what you want to show.
An idea can have a plan
A plan is a small drawing, a few marks or words that show what you might make. It is not the finished artwork and it does not have to look beautiful. It helps you remember your idea, choose materials and decide what to do first. You can change the plan when you learn something new.
Why plan first?
Making art can use limited paper, paint, time or space. If you begin without deciding anything, you may run out of what you need before the main idea appears. A plan helps solve that problem without taking away your freedom. It gives you a starting point, not a set of rules that traps you.
Plan a paper animal
Suppose you want to make a paper cat. First, draw one large circle for the head and two triangles for ears. Next, mark two eyes, a nose and a place for the whiskers. Then check your materials: one sheet, scissors, glue and crayons. When you make it, the plan reminds you what comes first, but you can still give the cat stripes or a silly tail.
A plan is not a test
You might avoid planning because your first drawing looks rough or has mistakes. That makes sense if you think a plan must already look like a perfect picture. It does not. A plan is allowed to be quick, wobbly and incomplete; its job is to help your hands and mind start working, not to earn a mark.
Plans help in many making jobs
A cook looks at a recipe, a builder looks at a drawing and a clothes maker may sketch a shape before cutting. These plans help people remember steps and use materials wisely. Your own plan might be for a birthday card, a den, a dance or a puppet. You do not need lots of words: a few marks can be enough.
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