Basic 7 · Creative Arts and Design · Media and Techniques
Testing Drawing Tools and Sight-Singing the Major Scale
In this topic you will experiment with tools and materials to find the best ones for still-life drawing, shading, pattern making and modelling, and read and sing the major scale from staff notation.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Experiment with drawing tools to produce different tones and textures
- Select suitable tools and materials for pattern making and modelling
- Read the C major scale on the staff and sing it in pitch
What you already know
- Tools and materials for drawing and modelling
- Tones and semitones of the major scale
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
Lesson 1
- Strand
- Visual Arts
- Sub-strand
- Media and Techniques
- Indicator
- B7.2.1.1.1 – Identify and determine the nature and uses of tools materials and techniques needed for still-life drawing and shading pattern making and modelling
Introduction
A good artist tests tools before starting a big piece of work. By experimenting, you discover which tool gives the line, tone or surface you need.
1. Making a Tonal Scale
Tone (in art): How light or dark an area of a drawing is.
A tonal scale is a strip of boxes going from the lightest tone (white paper) to the darkest tone the tool can make. Making one with an HB pencil, a 4B pencil and charcoal shows clearly how each tool behaves.
2. Shading Techniques
| Technique | How it is done | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| hatching | drawing parallel lines close together | even tone; closer lines are darker |
| cross-hatching | layers of lines crossing each other | darker, rich tones |
| stippling | many small dots | soft tone; more dots are darker |
| blending | rubbing pencil or charcoal smoothly with a finger or paper stump | smooth, gradual tone |
| scribbling | loose, tangled lines | rough texture |
3. Testing Materials for Pattern Making and Modelling
Test pattern materials by printing the same motif on different surfaces such as newsprint, cardboard and calico. Some surfaces absorb ink well; others make the print blur. For modelling, test clay by rolling a coil and bending it into a ring. Good clay bends without cracking. Clay that cracks is too dry and needs water; clay that sticks to your hands is too wet.
| Task | Suitable tools and materials |
|---|---|
| fine detail in a drawing | sharp HB or 2B pencil |
| large dark areas | charcoal or 6B pencil |
| printing on cloth | calabash stamp and adinkra dye (or fabric ink) |
| modelling a small pot | well-prepared clay, sponge, modelling tool |
Tip: Always label your test strips with the tool and material used, so you can repeat good results.
4. Recording and Judging Your Results
Experiments are only useful when the results are recorded. Keep a sketchbook page for each test. Write the tool, the surface, what you did and what happened. Then judge each result honestly: was the tone smooth or patchy, was the print sharp or blurred, did the clay hold its shape? From these notes you can choose the most suitable tools and materials for your final still-life drawing, pattern or model, and explain your choice to others.
| Tool | Surface | Result | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|
| HB pencil | cartridge paper | light, clean lines | outlines and light tones |
| 6B pencil | cartridge paper | very dark, smudges easily | shadows |
| charcoal | newsprint | bold and rich, paper tears if pressed hard | quick tonal sketches |
New words
- tonal scale
- A strip of boxes from light to dark.
- hatching
- Shading with parallel lines.
- stippling
- Shading with dots.
- blending
- Smoothing tone by rubbing.
Summary
- Testing tools shows which ones give the tones and lines needed.
- Hatching, cross-hatching, stippling and blending are shading techniques.
- Good modelling clay bends without cracking or sticking.
Class activity: Tool and Material Trials
- Make a five-box tonal scale with three different tools.
- Shade a small square using each of the four techniques.
- Test a clay coil and record whether the clay is too dry, too wet or just right.
You need: Cardboard, Wooden ruler, Starch paste
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Shading with many small dots is called…
- A. stippling
- B. hatching
- C. blending
- D. scribbling
Show answer
Answer: stipplingDots build tone.2. Clay that cracks when bent is…
- A. too dry
- B. too wet
- C. ready to use
- D. burnished
Show answer
Answer: too dryIt needs water.3. In hatching, lines closer together give a darker tone.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueMore lines, more tone.4. How light or dark an area of a drawing is, is called its ______.
Show answer
Answer: toneTonal value.5. Describe how to make a tonal scale.
Show answer
Answer: Draw a row of boxes and shade them from white to the darkest tone, increasing pressure or layers in each box.Light to dark.6. Why is it important to experiment with tools before starting a final artwork?
Show answer
Answer: To find which tools and materials give the best results and avoid wasting materials on the final piece.Testing saves time and materials.
Lesson 2
- Strand
- Performing Arts
- Sub-strand
- Media and Techniques
- Indicator
- B7.2.1.2.5 – Sing in pitch the diatonic major scale
Introduction
Sol-fa is useful, but musicians all over the world also read music from the staff. Learning to read the C major scale on the staff lets you sing music written by others.
1. The Staff and the Treble Clef
Staff (stave): Five horizontal lines and four spaces on which music notes are written.
Notes are written on the lines or in the spaces. The higher a note sits on the staff, the higher its pitch. The treble clef (also called the G clef) is placed at the start of the staff. Its curl circles the second line from the bottom, which is the note G.
2. The C Major Scale on the Staff
Middle C is written on a short extra line below the staff, called a ledger line. The scale then climbs step by step: D just below the bottom line, E on the bottom line, F in the first space, G on the second line, A in the second space, B on the middle line and C in the third space.
| Position | Letter names |
|---|---|
| lines (bottom to top) | E G B D F |
| spaces (bottom to top) | F A C E |
Remember: Lines: "Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit". Spaces spell "FACE".
3. Sight-Singing
Sight-singing means singing music you have not heard before by reading it. Start by finding doh, then sing each note by counting how far it is from doh. Steps (next line to next space) are easy; leaps (skipping notes) need more care.
Sight-sing a short tune
Sing the notes C D E C, E F G.
- C is doh; D is ray; E is me.
- So C D E C is d r m d.
- E F G is m f s; remember E to F is a semitone.
Answer: d r m d, m f s
4. Keeping a Steady Beat
Reading the pitch of each note is only half of sight-singing. You must also keep a steady beat. Tap your foot or clap gently while you sing. A crotchet usually lasts one beat, a minim lasts two beats and a semibreve lasts four beats. When you sing the scale in crotchets, each note gets one tap. When you sing it in minims, hold each note for two taps. Singing in time and in pitch together is what makes a choir sound good.
| Note | Beats |
|---|---|
| semibreve | 4 |
| minim | 2 |
| crotchet | 1 |
| quaver | half a beat |
New words
- staff
- Five lines and four spaces for writing music.
- treble clef
- The G clef that marks the second line as G.
- ledger line
- A short extra line above or below the staff.
- sight-singing
- Singing music by reading it at first sight.
Summary
- Music is written on a five-line staff with a clef.
- Treble staff lines are E G B D F and spaces are F A C E.
- Sight-singing uses sol-fa and step-counting to sing new tunes.
Class activity: Staff Note Race
- The teacher writes notes on a large staff on the board.
- Groups race to name each note and give its sol-fa name in C major.
- Each group then sight-sings a short four-note tune written by another group.
You need: Ghanaian atenteben, Keyboard, Printed sol-fa cards
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. The treble staff has how many lines?
- A. Five
- B. Four
- C. Six
- D. Three
Show answer
Answer: FiveFive lines and four spaces.2. In the treble clef, the spaces spell…
- A. FACE
- B. EGBDF
- C. CAGE
- D. BEAD
Show answer
Answer: FACEBottom to top.3. Middle C is written on a ledger line below the treble staff.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueIt needs an extra line.4. Singing music you have not heard before by reading it is called ______.
Show answer
Answer: sight-singingReading at first sight.5. Name the notes on the lines of the treble staff from bottom to top.
Show answer
Answer: E G B D FEvery Good Boy Deserves Fruit.6. Write the sol-fa for the notes G A B C in C major and explain the last step.
Show answer
Answer: s l t d'; t to d' is a semitone, the leading note rising to doh.Leading note.
Homework
- Shade a sphere using two different techniques and compare the results.
- Write the C major scale on a staff with letter names and sol-fa.