Success Indicator: You can put the design elements and principles into practice as you begin to plan and design your own room or space.
Life Skills Practiced: Planning, decisions making, keeping records, goal setting, and problem solving.
Project Skills Practiced: Creating a personal color scheme and background materials for a room.

Helper's Guide to Section 1: The Basic Touch

Activity 1: Go Surf!

• Graphic Design Lesson 3: Hue: This site includes information on hue, shade, tint, warm and cool colors, color schemes, and more.
• PicturingBooks.com: This site is dedicated to artwork for illustrations in books, the design concepts apply to interior design. Be sure to check out the sections on the art elements, design elements, and the color wheel. PicturingBooks.com requires a free registration to access some of its content. Kids, check with your parents before setting up an account at this site!
• The Artist's Toolkit: Enter the tool kit for visuals of design elements and principles.

Activity 3: Create Your Color Scheme

Create Your Color Scheme Worksheet (630 KB PDF)

Create a Virtual Room

You might try Google SketchUp - a computer 3D graphics program that can be used to model your room.

One of the many resources for Google Sketchup is the Google Sketchup 3D Warehouse. This resource contains many 3D models of furniture and accessories developed by the members of the Google Sketchup Community. Should you choose to use these models, be sure to document who created the models. If you use these models as part of a competition or a personal business, be sure to contact the Google Sketchup Community member who created the model to acquire permission to use it

Helper's Guide to Section 1: The Basic Touch