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5.23.2008

Spray Paint Self Portraits (6-8)

Spray Paint Self Portraits:

Students Learned/Practiced
- Positive/Neg Space
- Spray Paint (new medium)
- Planning
- Cutting
- Process

This lesson was inspired by a lesson in the magazine Arts and Activities. The article was for an advanced high school art class and was much more complex -- I simplified it for my students and they had a blast!

I first took pictures of them with my digital camera with a strong light source from one side (the overhead). I then opened those pictures in Adobe Photoshop where I made them black and white -- no grey, just black and white. I printed them off and handed them out. I then explained to the students that all the white pieces had to connect -- if the white pieces didn't connect their stencil would fall apart, so in some places they would need to make up lines to connect it all.

To make their stencil I gave them single overhead transparency sheets that they taped over their paper and drew on with permanent/overhead marker to connect all the white spaces. The students then cut away everything that was black -- leaving their stencil.

Many students felt their stencil did not look like anything let alone them. So, we took them outside and taped their stencils to paper. I did a quick demo on how to use spraypaint and let them go at it -- keeping the away from any concrete/building. Almost every student would peal off their stencil and go 'ahhhhh. That is so cool!' and then ran to do another one.

5.14.2008

Torn Paper Pirate Collage (3rd)




Students Practiced/Learned
--Tearing
--Collage
--Layering
--Glue
--Creating
--Problem Solving
--Listening
We first read the book, 'How I Became A Pirate' by Melinda Long. We then discussed what pirates look like -- what they wear, if they are clean, hats, bandannas... etc.
The students then choose their background color and dug in the scrap drawer for pieces to make their pirate. The students weren't too sure about tearing right at first, but really took off after they ripped a few pieces. Once they were done with their pirate they drew a background!