(click on to see a larger view)

Getting Started: Before you begin your picture, look at how other artists have depicted houses. Here are three examples from the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC:

• House on the Main Street, Easthampton by Childe Hassam, an American artist.
• The Old Mulford House by Childe Hassam, an American artist.

Notice the details and the similarities in both of Hassam's drawings of houses? Have you ever seen houses like those in Hassam's pictures? Compare Hassam's drawings of houses to The Magrot House by VIncent van Gogh. Which of the tree houses would you like to live in? Why?

The Project: Tape your paper to a board, take your pencil or marker, and go sit outside your house (or apartment building). Try to find an interesting place or point-of-view to observe your house from while you draw. (If you can't actually sit outside your house, then try to draw it from memory.)

• Before you begin to draw, study your house for a moment. Notice all the shapes in your house. What shape do you see the most? A square? A rectangle? Look for shapes that repeat. Look for unusual shapes.
• Begin by drawing the largest shape you see in your house. Look for other large shapes and draw them too. Then draw the smaller shapes and details inside the larger ones. Continue working this way (from large to small) until you've drawn all the shapes you see in your house.
• If there are trees or other things around your house, draw them too. Your drawing should fill the page.
• When your drawing is finished, sign, date and title it in the bottom right-hand corner. Share your drawing with your family or classmates.

"My House" by David (age 10) Gainesville, Florida.