Drawing with Lines and Colours

Art begins with a line

Every drawing starts with lines. In the KICD Creative Arts curriculum, Grade 4 learners practise making different lines and using colour to express ideas about their home, school and community.

Kinds of lines

• Straight lines can be horizontal, vertical or slanting.
• Curved lines bend, like the shape of a rainbow.
• Zigzag lines go sharply left and right, like the letter Z.
• Wavy lines flow smoothly like water.
• Dotted lines are made of small dots.

Kenyan artists use lines in kitenge and kikoi cloth patterns, in Maasai beadwork and in kiondo baskets.

Colours

The primary colours are red, yellow and blue. You cannot make them by mixing.

The secondary colours are made by mixing two primaries:

• Red + yellow = orange
• Yellow + blue = green
• Blue + red = purple

Drawing tips

1. Lightly sketch the main shapes with a pencil.
2. Add details with different lines.
3. Colour inside the lines using even strokes.
4. Keep your work clean and tidy.

Using locally available materials

You can draw with pencils, crayons or charcoal. Colour can also come from natural sources such as soft clay, leaves and ash. Always share materials and keep the art corner tidy.

Try it

• Draw a house using only straight lines, then a tree using curved lines.
• Make a border pattern with zigzag and wavy lines.
• Mix two primary colours and name the new colour.