Scratchboard Animal Art Unit, Value & Texture, Middle & High School Art

Students draw an animal on scratchboard, using line to build texture, value and contrast. Warm-ups come first (value scale, sphere, cat, then an eye or raccoon), so they have the skills before they touch the real board. It's a long, focused project with dramatic results.

What's included

• Full unit plan with a day-by-day schedule
• Main slideshow with requirements, student examples and a visual rubric
• Warm-up directions and printable practice pages
• Animal symbolism slides and group or individual activities to add meaning
• Project prep: Google Form do-now, Google Drawings template for sizing photos, and a practice slideshow
• Step-by-step project slides, printable handouts, a table reference and a written critique

Good to know

• About 4 to 5 weeks (20 to 25 class periods)
• High school, or middle school with extra attention to blade safety
• Materials: scratchboards (not film), X-Acto knives and blades, 4B or 6B pencils or transfer paper, white colored pencils, black paper
• Includes my system for handing out and counting knives
• Files: PDF plus make-a-copy Google Slides links

Questions? hello@mslsartroom.com