Teaching Foreground, Middle Ground, and Background- the Easy Way

Teaching the concept of creating space in an artwork through the use of foreground, middle ground, and background while working on a flat piece of paper can be tricky to say the least.  Use this free fold up printable to help your students envision exactly how these elements of landscape stack up!

Landscape divided….

Foreground, middle ground, and background are concepts that apply to many 2-D projects.  They are evident in both still lifes and landscapes but for our purposes we’re going to stick with landscapes.These concepts divide the landscape into different planes that the artist uses to create a sense of depth.

Foreground…

The foreground of a landscape is generally closer to the bottom of the composition, although that isn’t always the case.  Because this part of the scene is closest to the viewer the objects appear to be larger.

Background….

The background of a scene is the furthest away.  It gives some context to the scene, where it might be taking place.  Because items in the background are meant to appear farther away they are much smaller in size, duller in color, and contain less detail than objects that are close to the viewer.

 Middle ground…

The middle ground is the space naturally occurring between the foreground and the background.  Easy, right?

Introduce the vocabulary and discuss the concept of creating the illusion of space by using a distinct foreground, background, and middle ground.  The examples above are great conversations starters.  Ask questions and let your kiddos have a discussion about what they see without having definite right or wrong answers.

“Where are colors the brightest?”

Where are the most details evident in the paintings?”

“Do you notice anything special about the way sizes of objects relate to each other?”

“In the center painting “Cattleya Orchid” do you think the orchid is really bigger than the hummingbird?  Is it bigger than the tree?”

Introduce and discuss, but don’t worry if it seems the information isn’t sinking in.  This is a complex concept.  If your kiddo isn’t ready to completely understand it the next time they hear it they will at least have a context for the ideas.

Now the doing…..

Talking about a concept is good.  But putting it into action is even better!  Before you’re ready to paint a fancy picture let’s start simple.  This printable has a super simple skyline.  Fold the paper into thirds using the vertical lines.  The paper will fold like an accordion so it’s important not to start drawing till you’ve folded.  In some places you’ll actually be drawing on what is the back of the paper when it’s flat,  

Though kids are starting with the same silhouette they will no doubt come up with unique solutions to fill their space.  Supply pencils, markers, colored pencils, whatever floats your boat!  Another quick and easy option is this painting with marker technique.

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