I have recently began teaching art to 6th-8th graders. I must say, it’s quite challenging. Keeping them interested and focused is hard!!!
Yesterday I had a great lesson with the 8th graders that I wanted to share with you. My theme is portraits. After teaching proportions and some basic observation methods, I decided (after consulting with my brilliant artist friend Ronit Baranga) to explore with them different techniques by studying different artists and applying those techniques, keeping portraits as the main subject matter.
The first artist I introduced was Vik Muniz.
After showing his work to the students, I gave them black paper, a black and white photo of a person (side view) and material of their choice: sugar, rice or noodles. Looking at the photos, they had to create what they see. starting with the overall shape of the head, making sure proportions are right, training the eye to look at the negative space to define what’s there. The students frequently checked proportions and easily fixed what was wrong. The temporary drawing allowed them great flexibility and the courage to try.
After they finished, I took a picture of their work and the original was put away...
Huge success.
