← BACK TO TEACHER LESSONGrade 4 · Cartooning · Pencil, eraser, and optional black drawing pen on paper

MODERN ART LESSONS · STUDENT WORKSHEET

Lunchbox Raccoon: Poses That Talk

Make a three-pose drawing featuring a raccoon with a lunchbox. The character wants to share a sandwich, but the lid will not open. One possible ending: it discovers the latch was closed on a napkin. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer.

Character reference shared across ten skill lessons—not a picture of the completed assignment. Study the example for possibilities, then close or cover it. Your work should make different choices.

Story starter and example

The character wants to share a sandwich, but the lid will not open. One possible ending: it discovers the latch was closed on a napkin. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer. An upright reaching pose becomes a slumped or puzzled pose, then an open, confident pose. The body carries the feeling.

What to do

  1. Your finished project is a three-pose drawing featuring a raccoon with a lunchbox. Read the story seed: The character wants to share a sandwich, but the lid will not open. One possible ending: it discovers the latch was closed on a napkin. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer.
  2. Start with masked eyes, striped tail, and a box with a latch. These are helpful shapes, not a tracing template.
  3. Draw a simple curved action line for wanting, struggling, and solving.
  4. Build large body shapes around each line. Tilt the head and shoulders to support the feeling.
  5. Keep faces simple so the pose does the storytelling. Separate arms and props from the body outline.
  6. Cover the faces. Ask a partner which pose looks most determined and why. Redraw a stiff or unclear pose. Compare two arrangements and revise one unclear visual clue after peer feedback.
01

My project: a three-pose drawing featuring a raccoon with a lunchbox. My chosen ending is…

02

Draw three action lines.

03

Build one pose around each line.

04

When I cover the faces, I can still tell…

05

Story clue: How will I show that the character the lid will not open?

06

Before feedback, I wanted the reader to notice… The reader actually noticed…

07

Revision: I changed… because…

Use browser Print / Save as PDF