Project Overview
In this open-ended assignment, students will create a drawing or painting of their choice, in any medium, with one essential requirement: their artwork must include a door. Beyond that, the subject, style, and medium are entirely up to the student.
The door can serve as a literal architectural element, a symbolic or conceptual feature, or part of a larger imaginative scene. Students are encouraged to consider how the door contributes to the composition, narrative, or emotional impact of their piece.
This project emphasizes creativity, personal expression, and technical skill, allowing students to explore their preferred medium while integrating a unifying element: the door.
Objective
Students will:
* Include a door in their composition as a key element.
* Explore a subject and style of their choice.
* Use their chosen medium effectively to communicate mood, texture, and detail.
* Consider the door’s role in composition, story, or symbolism.
Materials
* Any drawing or painting medium (graphite, colored pencil, ink, charcoal, watercolor, acrylic, oil paint, etc.)
* Paper, canvas, or suitable drawing/painting surface
* Optional: reference photos, objects, or found materials
Process
1. Concept Development:
Decide what kind of scene, subject, or story you want to explore. Determine how the door will appear and what role it will play.
2. Sketching:
Lightly sketch the composition, including the door and other elements.
3. Drawing/Painting:
Use your chosen medium to complete the artwork, focusing on form, detail, color, and texture.
4. Refinement:
Step back and assess composition and impact. Emphasize the door in a way that supports your creative intent.
Assessment Criteria
* Inclusion of a door as a central or meaningful element
* Clear artistic intention and composition
* Effective use of chosen medium
* Creativity, originality, and effort
* Overall craftsmanship and presentation
Creative Challenge
Think of the door as a gateway—literal or metaphorical. How does it invite the viewer in, suggest a story, or convey emotion? The door can be realistic, fantastical, symbolic, or abstract—the choice is yours.
Learning Objectives / Student Targets
By the end of this project, students will be able to:
1. Observation & Representation
* Accurately observe and document real objects through drawing.
* Demonstrate proportional relationships and spatial awareness in a still life composition.
2. Material & Technical Skill
* Apply value and shading with graphite to create depth and form.
* Use ink to reinforce contour, emphasize contrast, and define edges.
* Incorporate oil pastel to build bold color, expressive texture, and layered richness.
* Use colored pencil to refine details, enhance form, and smooth transitions in color and tone.
3. Integration of Media
* Thoughtfully combine pencil, ink, oil pastel, and colored pencil into a unified visual whole.
* Make intentional decisions about where each medium contributes best to overall structure, mood, and emphasis.
4. Composition & Design
* Organize visual elements to demonstrate balance, proportion, and dynamic rhythm.
* Guide the viewer’s eye through strategic use of contrast, mark-making, and color placement.
5. Creative & Critical Thinking
* Experiment with media behaviors and problem-solve accordingly.
* Communicate personal artistic decisions through expressive mark-making and color choices.
6. Reflection & Artistic Growth
* Articulate strengths, challenges, and artistic intent in reflection or critique.
* Demonstrate increased confidence and competence with multi‑media processes.
Ohio Fine Arts Standards (Visual Arts)
Creating (CR)
Develop a practice of engaging with sources for idea generation.
Students use multiple approaches (observational drawing, thumbnail sketches, exploratory studies) to initiate creative work.
Select appropriate creative processes for solutions to artistic problems.
Students organize and develop artistic ideas through intentional planning and problem-solving strategies.
Performing (PE)
Refine artisanship while modeling persistence.
Students demonstrate quality craftsmanship through careful selection, handling, and care of materials and tools.
Apply and defend the selection of materials and techniques.
Students individually or collaboratively apply tools, media, and techniques with precision to enhance artistic intent.
Organize elements of art and principles of design to intentionally construct works.
Students intentionally use value, texture, color layering, and compositional strategies to strengthen artistic quality.
Responding (RE)
Expand relevant vocabulary to analyze and interpret works of art.
Students use art vocabulary to express preferences with evidence and supporting reasons.
Develop art criticism methods when responding to artworks.
Students analyze how artistic methods (value, texture, layering, composition) convey mood or tone and interpret contextual meaning.
Apply self-assessment and goal-setting practices to revise artworks and document growth.
Students evaluate and refine works of art through persistence, practice, reflection, and established criteria.
Explain the relationship between cultures, communities, and artists.
Students hypothesize how art reflects observation, investigation, or cultural meaning.
Connecting (CO)
Connect universal themes in visual arts to personal life experiences.
Students create works reflecting personal connections to experiences, knowledge, or observation.
Investigate emotional experiences through personal and collaborative artmaking.
Students relate artistic ideas across disciplines (e.g., understanding how material behavior influences compositional decisions).
Grading Rubric
Rubrics have become popular with teachers as a means of communicating expectations for an assignment, providing focused feedback on works in progress, and grading final products. A rubric is a document that articulates the expectations for an assignment by listing the criteria, or what counts, and describing levels of quality from excellent to poor.
Student Reflection
A student reflection is a brief, thoughtful explanation of how and why a student created their artwork, including the choices they made, challenges they faced, and what they learned during the process. In art, reflection is important because it helps students develop critical thinking, recognize growth, strengthen their creative decision-making, and take ownership of their artistic development.
Element of Art & Principle of Design
Artist: Chris Van Allsburg
The Door
Techniques
Examples
“Creativity takes courage.”
Cloverleaf High School
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