I had a college instructor who made us draw solids for an entire year. It was boring. It's a lot more fun to practice drawing and shading shapes when you have a creative goal beyond simply practicing. And I think that students learn differently when they have a more creative application and a more complex problem to solve.
In this lesson, I set a number of different geometric objects on the table and illuminate them with a single light source. In another post, I'll describe how to make these—it's really pretty easy.
I show the students a sample of the assignment: a drawing of a neighborhood, village, or city of geometric houses or buildings. I demonstrate how to draw and shade the objects and add windows and doors. I also instruct them on inventing light and shadow for the doors and windows. The result is an interesting cityscape of unique architecture.
