This exercise introduces young children to the concept of negative space by actually having them paint on paper with holes in it. The instructor begins this exercise by either cutting various shapes in the paper before distributing it to the students or having the students cut holes in the paper themselves The students are then instructed to paint pictures that incorporate the holes on the page. The instructor should only do this activity with students that have had experience painting on whole sheets of paper.
In this exercise, students learn about negative space by drawing pictures of a fancy antique chair. The instructor brings in a picture of an ornately designed antique chair and explains that the students will draw this chair by drawing the negative space between and around the fancy pieces of wood. The instructor demonstrates the technique by first drawing a simple design with negative space. For example, the instructor might draw four triangles so that the negative space between them resembles an "x," then draw a rectangle around the triangles. In the resulting image, the triangles become the negative space and the "x" becomes the positive space. The students proceed with their drawings by first drawing the spaces between each piece of wood as positive images, and then drawing the outline of the chair around the shapes.
This exercise demonstrates negative space by having children create images with two sheets of construction paper in contrasting colors. The instructor gives each student both a 9-inch by 12-inch sheet of construction paper and a 9-inch by 6-inch sheet in a contrasting color. Each student draws and then cuts out half of a design along the 9-inch length of the 9-by-6-inch sheet of paper. This is glued down on half of the 9-by-12-inch sheet. The pieces that were cut out of the half sheet are glued down on the other half of the 9-by-12-inch sheet. The completed project will feature a positive image on one side and a negative image on the other.
This exercise begins by observing trees or pictures of trees. Students should take note that the branches form shapes resembling the letter "Y" as they split off from the trunk, creating a pattern of positive and negative space. After observing real trees or photos, students then sketch out imaginary trees with branches separating into "Y" shapes. Once they've completed their trees, each student should decide if they want to emphasize the positive or negative space. For example, they might emphasize negative space by brightly coloring the background while leaving the tree a neutral color.