Activity Idea: Back-to-Back Drawing for Classrooms (Quick Tip)

Remote learning alterations: Use a video chat function for a person in one location to be the “describer” and a person in another location to be the “drawer.”

Need: pencils, paper, sketching surface

Divide your students into pairs. Identify one member of each group that will be willing to draw and the other who will be a “describer”. Provide each pair a work of art–try to organize it so that the drawers don’t get a good look at the work. The describer will face the work of art and the drawer will sit back-to back with the describer so that they face away from the work of art. Alternatively they can sit face to face but arranged so they cannot see each others work. The describer will do their best to describe the contents and composition of the work of art while the drawer attempts to recreate the picture based on the description. The drawer can ask questions for clarification but cannot look at the work of art. After a few minutes, allow the drawer to turn around and see the image. You may opt to have people switch roles after a few minutes too. As a large group, have describers and drawers talk about their experiences. What parts of the image were easy to describe/draw? What was more challenging? How did you have to communicate as a pair to do this?