Grade 6 Art And Craft Picture Making – Drawing:Stippling Technique Notes

Art & Craft — Picture Making

Subtopic: Drawing — Stippling Technique (Age 11, Kenya)

Stippling is a drawing method where you make many small dots to create shapes, shading and texture. Closer, more dots = darker; fewer dots = lighter. It is great for drawing animals, trees and patterns you see in Kenya.

Learning objectives

• Learn what stippling is and how it makes tones.
• Use dots to show light and shade on simple objects.
• Create a small stipple drawing of a Kenyan subject (e.g., acacia tree, elephant).

Materials

• Plain paper (re-used paper is fine)
• HB pencil for light sketching
• Black fine pen (0.3–0.5 mm) or black marker for dots
• Eraser and ruler
• Optional: coloured pencils to add colour after stippling

Steps — How to do a simple stipple drawing

1. Choose an easy subject: a rock, a mango, an acacia branch, or the outline of an elephant.
2. Lightly draw the shape with pencil. Keep lines faint.
3. Decide where the light is coming from (e.g., top left). Mark the light side and the shadow side.
4. Start adding dots with your pen. Put fewer dots on the light side and many dots on the shadow side.
5. Build up layers slowly. Look from far away to check the tone.
6. When happy, erase pencil lines gently if needed. Add details with smaller or larger dots.

Simple practice project — Acacia tree silhouette

Try drawing an acacia tree using stippling. Use these steps:

1. Draw a light pencil outline of the tree trunk and the flat top canopy.
2. Decide where the sun is (e.g., top right). The left side will be darker.
3. Use dots to fill the canopy. Put more dots under the canopy and on the left for shadow. Keep fewer dots on the top-right.
4. Add texture on the trunk with short groups of dots and small lines.
5. Optional: colour the sky with light blue pencil, but keep tree in stipple black to see the effect.

Classroom activity (30–45 minutes)

1. Teacher shows an example: a simple outline of a hut, elephant or acacia.
2. Each pupil lightly sketches the outline (5–10 minutes).
3. Pupils stipple the drawing focusing on one light direction (20–30 minutes).
4. Share and talk about which areas look darker and why (5 minutes).

Assessment — simple checklist for pupils

• Shape is clear and neat.
• Dots show a change from light to dark.
• Dots are even and not messy.
• Drawing shows care and effort.

Links to Kenyan environment & culture

Stippling works well for local subjects: the rough skin of an elephant, the shape of a baobab, the shady top of an acacia, or patterned cloth like a Maasai shuka. Try drawing something from your village, town or school to make your art feel like home.

Teacher note: Demonstrate dot pressure and spacing on the board. Encourage pupils to enjoy the quiet, careful work — stippling builds patience and observation.