Black History Month: Dancing Lady

Black history month projects can also give a nod to noted artists who live a bit south of us, like Bernard Hoyes from Jamaica.

This tutorial not only simplifies some of his graceful dancing ladies, but is a good exercise in filling a whole sheet of paper, as the head, arms and dress must all touch the sides to get the right proportion.

MATERIALS

• Dancing Lady PDF Tutorial
• Drawing paper
• Black Sharpie
• Oil pastels

DIRECTIONS

1. I find that students often tend to draw images too small, so requiring art to touch all four sides of the paper helps to eliminate this tendency. Students draw two hands as indicated in diagram #1. 

2. Draw a simple dress that connected to the hands, with a hem that touches the bottom of the paper. No feet are necessary, just a simple outline of a dress. 

3. They add a neck and head, either straightforward or at an angle. 

4. A turban and center knot that touch the top of the paper are added. Once the drawing is done, all the pencil lines are traced with a thick black marker. The skin is colored, along with the dress and background.