MODERN ART LESSONS · STUDENT WORKSHEET
Brush Mouse: Poses That Talk
Make a three-pose drawing featuring a mouse with a giant paintbrush. The character wants to make one small mark, but the huge brush makes a wide stripe. One possible ending: it uses the stripe as a road in a drawing. 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 make one small mark, but the huge brush makes a wide stripe. One possible ending: it uses the stripe as a road in a drawing. 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
- Your finished project is a three-pose drawing featuring a mouse with a giant paintbrush. Read the story seed: The character wants to make one small mark, but the huge brush makes a wide stripe. One possible ending: it uses the stripe as a road in a drawing. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer.
- Start with round ears, thin tail, and a brush longer than the body. These are helpful shapes, not a tracing template.
- Draw a simple curved action line for wanting, struggling, and solving.
- Build large body shapes around each line. Tilt the head and shoulders to support the feeling.
- Keep faces simple so the pose does the storytelling. Separate arms and props from the body outline.
- 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.
My project: a three-pose drawing featuring a mouse with a giant paintbrush. My chosen ending is…
Draw three action lines.
Build one pose around each line.
When I cover the faces, I can still tell…
Story clue: How will I show that the character the huge brush makes a wide stripe?
Before feedback, I wanted the reader to notice… The reader actually noticed…
Revision: I changed… because…
Use browser Print / Save as PDF