“I can draw a cat or a dog. That’s easy.
But not a WOLF….no way!”
Drawing a Wolf is one of my favorite ice breakers as an art teacher.
Even if their ideas of a real wolf might be unsettling, children are naturally enthusiastic about learning new things. Any new skill adds to their general self esteem. They don’t overthink or edit themselves much. The sense of adventure is contagious; I always feel happy and grateful in their company
“Who knows what a wolf is? Tell me one thing about a wolf.”
To find out what they already know about wolves, I invite them to take turns sharing any attributes, experiences, or opinions they have about wolves.
I make a list of each contribution on a big poster. This becomes a record, a group memory.
I ask for brave volunteers to howl like a wolf. We all try moving through a forest stealthily, like a wolf. We imagine getting across a patch of deep snow.
Now we are excited about drawing a wolf, and I can show them an easy way to get started!
So, large paper, pencils, sharpeners in front of them, I reveal a poster of a wolf’s head looking into the camera. Oohs, aahs, and more howling.
With a pointer, wand, sword, or dowel, volunteers come forward to locate the five key points on the face: two for the tips of the ears; two for the pupils of the eyes; and one for the dark of the nose.
Volunteers come forward to locate the five key points on the Wolf’s face.
This gets us a familiar triangle of points to start with, and we begin to notice the distance and position of these points, relative to each other, and to the size and shape of our ‘canvas’.
Depending on each brain’s perceptions and interpretations, a portrait begins to emerge! There is scratch paper to practice making marks for the fur. We try changing pressure, length of strokes, and speed of repetitions, to get different textural effects with the pencil.
For those who balk at drawing such a ferocious animal, I turn the wolf poster upside down to get the basic triangle. This reduces the emotional context so they can find the initial points of reference without fear. It adds humor, reduces anxiety, and dissolves the obstacle. Everyone is included in the “I Can Draw a Wolf!” rite of passage.
For those who balk at drawing such a ferocious animal, I turn the wolf poster upside down to get the initial triangle.
By the end of a thirty-minute session we generally end up with a collection of unique and amazing wolf portraits. They go on our gallery wall first, then into each student’s portfolio.
So, what’s an art lesson good for? To become a famous commercial artist? Maybe. But for now: Capacity building, confidence, self-validation, courage!
No need to give the drawings a grade, or an award, or lavish praise.
Look at the kid’s face. No one can take this experience away.
I like the lesson and I like the twinkle and smiles.