Pop Art Self-Portraits

Well, well well.  I am itching to post something interesting, but I am waiting for my students to finish their self-portrait drawings so we can paint them and I can post some stunning student work.  But, as we all know...stunning work does not come from 1 single class period (or rarely comes, I should say).  So, I will post what we are working on this week and will post the finished paintings next week.  That way, you can be anticipating the marvelous work to come :)

The main idea is to create a Pop-Art self-portrait in the style of Andy Warhol.  I like Pop Art lessons because it really breaks down the intimidation barriers and helps kids to see that art can be fun and simple without being complicated.  One of my 1st grade Art Campers this summer said of Warhol's paintings..."It's so boring but so exciting at the same time!"  That was my 'Ah-ha' moment of being an art educator...I finally reached the other side!!!

This was the You Tube video that I showed the students:

So, I gave each student a piece of paper that measured 6x9".  For the older grades, I took the opportunity to teach them facial proportions, and for the younger grades (3rd & 4th) I just gave a quick demonstration and let them draw their portrait without the "rules" of proportion.  Next, I showed them how to heavily mark their drawing with pencil lead, turn it over, and rub the back of the paper with a scissor handle.  Then, when their image transfers, they outlined their drawing with a Sharpie.  Here is one example, look for more to come.

Jasper Johns Target Paintings

During my Jasper Johns unit, the 4th graders created these fabulous bulls-eye paintings.  We created a texture surface to paint on by layering crumpled magazine pages on our paper first.  Next, we traced three different circles on the paper and used tempera paint to add color.  This was a quick one-day lesson where students use a non-traditional surface on which to paint.  We discussed Johns's use of simple imagery and why his art is considered Pop Art.

Jasper Johns Flag Paintings

These paintings took a good 3 weeks to complete, but the final results were quite stunning!  The main idea behind this lesson was to discuss the art of Jasper Johns and his use of simple subject matter and iconographic imagery.  We discussed the main ideas behind Pop Art before we began our flag paintings.  Students were encouraged to think about using colors which represent certain feelings or emotions about our country.  Some ideas they came up were using the color green because it represented the greed of our nation, using the color pink because it expresses happiness and joy to be a part of our great nation.  The paintings were made on three pieces of tagboard, one large, one medium, and one small.  Small pieces of foamcore were glued between each flag to make the flags 3-D.  On the last day, the students worked on writing a description about the American flag, what it symbolizes, and why they chose the colors they did.  With the strong imagery and the descriptions displayed next to them, these flags attracted a LOT of attention at our school.