In the third grade, children are beginning to develop the skills that lead to more realistic drawings. Use picture books from the classroom or school library that contain photos of real animals. Each child has his own picture book to work from. Instruct the children to draw what they see as realistically as possible using only a pencil. After they draw the outlines of the object, children use the same pencil as they might use a crayon, with dark and light shading, to produce shadows and texture variations in efforts toward realism in their drawings.
Teach third-grade children about positive and negative space in a simple way using geometric figures. Instruct children to draw a geometrically symmetric triangle that fills two-thirds of the paper. They color the triangle with a light color to create the negative space. The negative space is the equivalent of the background space. Within the triangle, children draw a round circle, which they color with a heavy hand using a darker color than the negative space. Children should then identify the circle with a handwritten "P" for "positive space" and the background colored triangle with "N" for "negative space." They can create several of such drawings using a variety of shapes.
Works of art should have harmony, fitting together in a visually pleasing way to create a whole. Balance in art refers to this harmony and involves the ways in which the various elements of the drawing, including the lines, shapes and textures, are arranged. Symmetry or lack of it, asymmetry, affects the balance of the drawing. Third-graders can learn about symmetry and balance in creating simple portraits with a partner. Children can draw a portrait of their partner and then fold the paper in half vertically. They cut the portrait down the middle, and the partner then produces an exact replica to complete the missing half. This introduces the child to the concept of symmetry. Balance can be similarly taught with the use of a drawing partner. Both children can begin a landscape, leaving key elements out of the drawing. The children then switch papers, and complete the other's drawing, adding figures to the drawing to form a balanced whole.
To teach third-graders about patterns, have the students trace their bodies, lying down on a large sheet of art paper, using a pencil to draw the outline. They can go back over the outline with a marker or crayon. Inside the drawing, students add patterns with circles, triangles or other geometric shapes, which they trace using manipulatives. Some of the geometric patterns should densely populate the drawing, others should be placed more sparsely. Finish off the drawing with water paint or crayon.