Lesson: Practice Makes Perfect

• Review students’ notes from their “Graphic Organizer: Working With Ideas” skills sheets.

1. As a class, read “Practice Makes Perfect.” Have students pause after each section to observe the artworks.
2. Ask: How does LeWitt use shape in these artworks? (LeWitt created an original set of instructions and rendered the first composition in ink on a postcard. The 1992 version follows the same pattern but uses wider, more precise color bands and is on a larger scale. In the third rendering of the work, the squares are arranged next to each other and are layered ink.)
3. Have students record their findings in their “Graphic Organizer: Working With Ideas” skills sheets.

• Compare these works with the works on pages 4-5 and the cover. What do you notice? (Answers will vary but should refer to the artworks and text.)
• Consider the titles of these three works. How do they relate to the final compositions? (Answers will vary but should refer to the artworks and text.)
• How do the different colors in these works change the artworks themselves? (Answers will vary but should refer to the artworks and text.)

• Write a set of instructions in the style of LeWitt. How could you vary color, format, and layout to execute your instructions in different ways? Try creating the artwork in a few of these different ways. Experiment with a variety of media.
• Do a web image search for LeWitt paintings and pick one without looking at the title. Think about what you would call the work in order to give “instructions” to future artists. If you can find the original title, compare it with your idea.

Have students complete the “Sketchbook Starter” on page 6.