Clay Dali Portraits

This is was one of my favorite lessons in Kindergarten this year. I don't think myself or my students have ever laughed so much during a class period before.

I decided to introduce my little kinders to my absolute favorite artist, Salvador Dali. We viewed some of his surrealist paintings and discussed how imaginative they were. I also showed them a few pictures of the famous painter himself and they fell in love with his mustache!

Then came the giggles. I did a demonstration for the kids on how to roll and pinch their clay into a flat oval for the portraits face. We used rolled paper for the nose, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners for the mustache. The kids loved it!

I only have one picture of this particular project from the art show, we were having too much fun to stop and take photos during work time!

The students still talk about this project and how much they love Dali. He's now an artist they will never forget!

Routines

I really enjoy doing this project with high school students as it is very open ended and the students are free to choose what relates to them using a wide variety of materials.

As a class we discuss different types of daily routines that the majority of people do every single day. Getting up in the morning, going to school, eating lunch, household chores, and the list goes on. Once the students have compiled some ideas, I ask them to choose a specific daily routine that is personal to them. They can represent their routine any way they wish including charcoal, paint, photography, and any other techniques that we have practiced and implemented through out the school year.

The students have always come up with something completely different and I feel like it is a very successful project. Here are a few examples of the finished projects below:



 

   

Crazy Splatter Painted Hair

I really love doing abstract art work with younger grades. Most of them are not afraid to jump right in and explore with colors. This year I wanted to try something new with my second graders and this lesson is what inspired me: Art Projects for Kids.

To introduce the lesson I read the book "I Aint Gonna Paint No More" by Karen Beaumont. The book has great splatter painted illustrations and is bright with patterns and color.

After the story the students and I discussed the different facial expressions and emotions associated with them. I prompted them with the question, "How does art make you feel?" Based on that question, the students began drawing an expression of their choice at the bottom of their paper.

The rest of the paper was saved for the best part- splatter painting! Straws were used to drip paint near the top of the portraits head and the paint was then blown upwards. When the paint was dry, the students finished coloring their background and wrote a sentence about their chosen expression or feeling.

           

           

           

My students and myself loved this project so much. I feel like it could be done in a variety of ways and can be adapted for other grade levels. I even used these in the final school art show because they were so funny! The students different personalities can really be seen in each individual portrait. 

High School Grid Portraits

Awhile back I had posted about my high school girls' portrait unit, and I haven't uploaded their final assignment.

At the end of the unit, students experimented with the grid method of making portraits. They chose a photo of someone they admired and enlarged the photo onto an A3 size paper using a measured grid. The finished product was then colored and blended with oil pastels.

Here are a few examples below of their work. 

             

Most of the students chose movie stars or singers that had inspired them. Overall I thought the students did a fantastic job!  

High School Portrait Unit

The introductory art course for high school is a combination of freshman and sophomore students. The class has a range of artistic abilities, from beginning to middle level.

It is now Term 2, and my class of nine has begun a portrait unit. For a beginning level art student, portraits can seem like a daunting challenge. We have been taking this step by step and so far my students and I have been pleased with the results!

To kick off the unit I had my class sit in separate parts of the room away from each other. They were given two or three small squares each. These squares all had something different on them. The students were to draw what they saw on those pictures onto blank squares that were provided.

On the back of each square there were numbers. When the students had completed their drawing, they were to stick their finished square on the corresponding number to a grid chart I had at the front of the room. Piece by piece their collaborative drawing was put together, until they could see what they had collectively made.

 This activity worked really well and got rid of some of the portrait "anxiety" that my students were expressing.

During the next class period, I had students bring in a photo of themselves. We discussed facial dimensions and proportions. Students were also given a handout with helpful drawing tips and reminders for certain facial features.

The students cut their photo in half however they preferred, and practiced drawing the other half with different shading techniques. They really did a great job and enjoyed completing these as well!

The students are now practicing a full portrait using the grid method. They brought in large photos of someone they admire and will complete the drawing using oil pastels. I will post them when they are finished! Well done high school!