In this painting there are a variety of depths. The foreground is one shore of a lake with trees with yellow leaves. In the middle ground is the lake. In the background is the other shore of the lake with hills of forest.

In this painting there are a variety of depths. In the foreground there a flat, snowy piece of land. In the middle ground are some hills painted black. In the background are large glaciers and blue sky.

A shape is an element of design. A shape is a form that is enclosed or outlined. For example, when three lines meet they create the shape of a triangle. A shape has length and width. A shape can be created by line, value, colour and/or texture. Shape may be geometric or organic. Shapes may be positive or negative.

A shape with regular edges. For example, a square, a circle and a triangle are geometric shapes.

Organic shapes are free-flowing shapes. They are irregular. They can be found in nature.

Create an audio or written description of what you would add in the foreground, middle ground and background of your landscape design.

Would you create a natural landscape like Lawren Harris, or would you create a cityscape which includes buildings?

Create a landscape drawing using a digital application of your choice.

Start by planning what kind of art piece you will create. How will you use the design elements discussed in the learning activity? Your artwork could be real or imaginary. Begin by planning how to include the design element.

Digitally create your piece using your plan! Remember to include details that create the feeling or the message you would like to communicate.

Possible materials you might need for this learning activity:

• pens, crayons, markers, oil pastels
• any large sheet of paper / three sheets of paper taped together along the longest edge
• scissors
• paper
• glue
• paint and paint brushes, or markers, or crayons

First you are going to take your large sheet of paper and fold it into an accordion with four sections. Start with your paper and fold it in half along the longest edge.

Next, fold your paper in half again along the longest edge. This creates four sections!

Open your folded accordion and lay it flat. Using a pencil or marker, create a diagonal line from the top corner all the way down to the bottom corner of your paper.

Use scissors to cut along your line. This piece of paper will be your landscape!

For the next step, you are going to add textures and/or colours to the front-facing pieces of your landscape.

• Start by folding your paper so that the smallest piece of paper is at the front.
• Use your materials to make each of the four sections a different texture and/or colour!
• Next, consider what kind of landscape you want to create and/or which colours you would like to use.
• Decide if you going to focus on a landscape from nature like Lawren Harris. Or are you going to include buildings to create a cityscape?

Add items to the foreground. You will want to create your items on a separate piece of paper. You can paint them or use other materials to draw the pieces such as pencil crayons or oil pastels.

Next, cut out your objects and attach them to the smallest section of your paper.

The items in the foreground will be largest and have the most amount of detail!

Now you can add objects to your middle ground, which are the second and third sections of your large paper. Repeat your steps of creating objects on a separate paper and attaching them to your artwork.

The items for your middle ground should be getting smaller. You can cut and paste your items with glue once they are dry!

Your final step is deciding if your background needs any objects or details. Once you have attached all your pieces to your landscape, fold it up and examine your finished artwork!