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| Tracing my shadow by Matthew Harris |
One fun and exciting art project is a shadow drawing. This should be done on a hard surface, such as a wall, table or floor. First you will need to decide on an object for your shadow. It can be an object you find around the house, a toy, or even your hand. Sometimes its nice to do facial silhouettes. If you have someone that can remain still long enough for you to trace the silhouette of their face, that would be great. Also, shadow puppets are always an option and would work well.
Next step is to secure the paper. You wanna make sure the paper will not move while you create your drawing. It depends on where you decide to do your drawing, but the paper can usually be secured with tape or pushpins.
Then, you will need to cast a shadow. A shadow needs to be visible on the paper for it to be drawn. This may take a little time. There are various ways to form a shadow. One way is to dim the lights. Depending on the time of day and if there is natural light shining through, a shadow may appear just by dimming the lights. The difficulty with using natural light to create shadows is that the shadow will move, stretch or fade as the sun rises and falls. You can also use flashlights to cast shadows. I suggest this method to ensure the stability of the shadow.
Once you've created your ideal shadow, you should secure the light source (flashlight, lamp, etc.). Make sure the light you are using is in a steady position. If it's a flashlight, it can be propped up against something or someone with a steady hand can hold it for you.
Once you have the paper secured and the light source steady, you can begin tracing the shadow. Trace around the outside of the shadow. When you're done, you'll have a shadow drawing. You can leave it as it is or you can add more detail. Sometimes its fun to color in the drawing, use scissors to cut it out, or even paint it.
