Grade 6 Art And Craft Picture Making – Drawing:Imaginative Composition Notes

Art and Craft — Picture Making

Subtopic: Drawing — Imaginative Composition (Age 11, Kenya)

These notes explain how to plan and draw imaginative pictures. Imaginative composition means making scenes from your ideas — mixing things you know (a market, a school, Mt. Kenya) with things you imagine (flying goats, glowing trees, tiny mountains on rooftops).

Learning goals

• Plan an imaginative picture using simple sketches (thumbnails).
• Arrange objects clearly: foreground, middle ground, background.
• Use size, overlap and colour to show depth and interest.
• Create a small finished drawing that tells a short story.

Materials you can use

• Pencils (HB, 2B), eraser, sharpener
• Colour pencils, crayons, or poster paints
• Plain drawing paper (A4) or an old exercise book page
• Ruler (for horizon lines), small brush if using paint

Simple idea starters (Kenyan themes)

• A market where fruits float like balloons above stalls.
• A village with a giant glowing baobab tree that talks to children.
• Mount Kenya with tiny houses climbing its sides like ants.
• A matatu with wings driving through clouds above Nairobi.

Steps to make an imaginative composition

1. Think of a story: What is happening? Who is there? (One sentence is enough.)
2. Thumbnail sketches: Make 3 small quick drawings no larger than a postage stamp. Try different arrangements.
3. Choose one idea: Pick the best thumbnail and decide the main focus (the centre of interest).
4. Draw a light outline: Put the horizon and divide the page into foreground, middle ground and background.
5. Add important shapes: Start with big simple shapes (circles, rectangles) then add details.
6. Use overlap and size to show depth: Objects in front are larger and cover parts of objects behind them.
7. Colour plan: Choose warm colours (reds, yellows) for things you want to bring forward and cool colours (blues, greens) for background.
8. Finish neatly: Add texture (short lines for grass, dots for sand), and tidy your outline.

Key composition ideas (easy to use)

• Centre of interest: The main thing you want people to notice first (a child, an animal, a magic tree).
• Balance: Put large shapes on one side and smaller shapes on the other to balance the drawing.
• Repetition: Repeat shapes (like circles or triangles) to make the picture feel joined.
• Leading lines: Use roads, rivers or fences that point toward the centre of interest.

Quick drawing demo (visual)

Below is a small simple picture showing foreground, middle ground and background. Labels show how to place things.

Tips for colouring and finishing

• Plan light and shadow: choose where light comes from (e.g., from the sun on the right) and add a little darker colour on the opposite side.
• Use stronger (brighter) colours for important objects and softer (lighter) colours for the background.
• Add small details to tell your story: a kite string, a signboard, footprints, or a school bag.
• Keep outlines tidy: use a darker pencil or thin marker for the final outline after colouring.

Class activities (30–45 minutes)

1. Warm-up (5 min): Draw three quick thumbnails of an imaginative scene with a Kenyan theme.
2. Main task (25–30 min): Choose one thumbnail and make a finished A4 drawing. Label foreground, middle ground, background and add colour.
3. Sharing (5–10 min): Pair up and tell a classmate the story of your picture for 1 minute each.

Homework

Create one imaginative composition at home. Use an idea from the list or make your own. Bring it to class for display.

Assessment: What the teacher will look for

• Clear composition with a centre of interest.
• Use of foreground, middle ground and background.
• Evidence of a story or imaginative idea.
• Neatness, colour choice and finishing details.

Useful reminders

• Practice small quick sketches often — that is how ideas grow.
• It is okay to mix real things and fantasy. Be bold and kind to your mistakes.
• Look around in Kenya — markets, shrines, farms, schools — and imagine them differently.