Using a viewfinder to choose a view
Art & Design · Key Stage 1 · The School
What a viewfinder does
A viewfinder is a small card with a window cut out of it. Hold it up and look through the window. It blocks out everything except one small part of the scene. That small part is what you will draw.
Choosing on purpose
A whole room has too much in it to draw well. Move the viewfinder around. Try a corner with just one chair. Try a window with a plant on the sill. Each choice makes a completely different picture, from the exact same room.
Making your own viewfinder
Cut a rectangle hole in a piece of card. Hold it at arm's length. Everything inside the hole is your view. Everything outside it disappears. Move closer and the view gets smaller. Move further away and it gets bigger. Try both before choosing.
Framing the same garden three ways
Stand in one spot in a garden. Hold up the viewfinder. Frame just a flowerpot, close up. Draw that. Now frame a whole flower bed, further back. Draw that. Now frame just the sky and the top of a tree. Draw that too. Three completely different drawings, from one spot, without moving your feet at all — only the frame moved.
Why choosing matters
Leaving things out is not a mistake. It is the first decision an artist makes, before a single line is drawn. A good frame can turn an ordinary corner into an interesting picture, just by choosing where the edges go.