Using a viewfinder to choose what to draw
Art & Design · Key Stage 2 · The School
A window, not a whole scene
A VIEWFINDER is a small card with a rectangle cut out of the middle. Hold it up and look through the hole. It blocks out everything else. It shows only one small part of the scene. That small part becomes your picture.
Why this matters
A real scene is huge and messy. It has too much in it to draw all at once. A viewfinder forces a choice. It picks out one part worth drawing. That part is often far more interesting than the whole scene was.
Moving the window changes everything
Move the viewfinder a little to the left. The picture inside it changes completely. Move it closer to something. That thing becomes huge and everything else disappears. The scene outside never moved. Only the frame did.
Stand in one corner of a room, holding a viewfinder. Look through it at the floor near your feet. That is picture one, close and abstract. Now aim it at a window across the room. That is picture two, with light and a view beyond. Now aim it low, along the skirting board. That is picture three, a long thin strip. Now aim it at a single object on a shelf. That is picture four. Four completely different pictures, found in one small corner, just by moving a small rectangle of card.