MODERN ART LESSONS · STUDENT WORKSHEET
Brush Mouse: Make a Place for the Story
Make a cartoon setting with a character 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. The character is largest near the important object. Three simple environmental clues locate the action without filling every space.
What to do
- Your finished project is a cartoon setting with a character 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.
- Choose an ordinary place where this problem could happen. Draw two small arrangements.
- Place the main character and prop first. Add only three background clues that explain the location or problem.
- Use overlap and a clear ground line; keep background marks quieter than the character’s outline.
- Ask a partner where the scene happens and what they notice first. Remove or move one distracting detail. Compare two arrangements and revise one unclear visual clue after peer feedback.
My project: a cartoon setting with a character featuring a mouse with a giant paintbrush. My chosen ending is…
Two small setting plans…
Three useful place clues are…
The viewer should look first at… One distracting detail to change…
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…
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