At-Home Art Activities: Shadow Drawing

Here is our second project from our Saturday on the Front Yard program. Unfortunately, this date was canceled due to inclement weather, but here is a how-to that you can replicate at home.

Materials:

• Paper
• Markers
• A sunny spot 
• An object, or in this case plants (trees, flowers, etc.)

Instructions:

How do you draw a shadow? Well, it's not easy, but it is fun! 

The biggest challenge of shadow tracing is that you need the shadow to be cast by your drawing subject, but not your own shadow (which could obstruct your drawing process). 

Start by finding your sunny location, the subject for this project was plants, so a garden bed or vegetable patch is a great location. Place your paper on the ground (with a backing of some kind, a book or board is good for this),  then challenge your little artist to trace the shadows on the paper before the sun moves (even a slight breeze can make this even more challenging).

For those who have seen our last project, Stained Glass Chalk Art, you can use those same materials too! Lining up toys on the sidewalk and letting them cast long shadows, you can trace their outlines in chalk.