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Let’s Face It!At The Springville Museum of Art

A Project of the StateWide Art Partnership: Springville Museum of Art,Utah Arts Council, Utah State Offi ce of Education, and Springville City

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Let’s Face It!CONTENTS

Elementary Lessons

LOOK & SEE: Steps to Accurate Life Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 1

CONTOUR DRAWING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 3

THE FACE MAP: Understanding Human Facial Proportions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 7

FACES SHOW FEELINGS: The Expressive Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 11

READING FAMOUS FACES: Finding Content and Meaning in Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 15

FAMOUS FACES: Understanding Portraiture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 21

THE POINTILLIST FACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 29

PHOTO FACE WITH FEELING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 35

THE PHOTO BOOTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 39

PEOPLE–SELF: THE REAL ME, Expressive and Realistic Self-Portraits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 43

A WAYNE THIEBAUD POINT OF VIEW: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Contour Figure Drawing page 47

Secondary Lessons

NON-TRADITIONAL FULL-BODY PORTRAITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 55

FACE PROPORTIONS: Full Front and Profile (through 3rd Grade) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 59

FINGERPRINT SELF-PORTRAITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 67

EXPRESS YOURSELF! Creating More Expressive Self-Portraits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 75

Wayne Thiebaud Lessons

WAYNE THIEBAUD BIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page WTIII

WHERE DO YOU LIVE? PERSONAL LANDSCAPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page WTVII

REPETITION OF AN OBJECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page WT XI

ART IS A PIECE OF CAKE… ISN’T IT? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page WTXV

EAT, ART, OUT!—A Game of Aesthetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page WTXVII

THE BAKING OF A MASTERPIECE: Studio activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page WTXX

Handouts and posters for Art Is a Piece of Cake

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Let’s Face It!ARTISTS & ARTWORKS for the LESSONS

Elementary LessonsLOOK & SEE: Steps to Accurate Life DrawingRobert Barrett, Camille, Seated; William Whitaker, Ruth: The Listener; Connie Borup, A Compromise of Freedom and Control; Arkadi Plastov, Village Girl in the Snow; Trevor Southey, New Bloom; Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait in a Cap; Wayne Thiebaud, Pensive Male.THE FACE MAPLeonardo da Vinci, Possible Self-PortraitREADING FAMOUS FACES: Finding Content and Meaning in ArtRobert Brackman, Girl From the Village, Marie A. Hull, The Mississippi Farmer; Lee Udall Bennion, Snow Queen; J. T. Harwood, Boy and Cat; Jeanne Leighton-Lundberg Clarke, Entertaining Favorite Ladies II; Cyrus E. Dallin, Paul Revere;FAMOUS FACES: Understanding PortraitureVincent van Gogh Self-Portrait 1889; Howard Lasalle Kearns, Self-Portrait; Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa; Lee Bennion, Self in Studio; Mahonri Young, Portrait of John Hafen; Leonardo da Vinci, Self-Portrait. THE POINTILLIST FACEGeorges-Pierre Seurat, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte; Paul Signac: Breakfast, Georges Seurat, Detail From La Parade.PHOTO FACE WITH FEELINGDorothea Lange, Young Migratory Mother; Edward Weston, Photograph of Tina Modotti, PEOPLE–SELF: THE REAL ME, Expressive and Realistic Self-PortraitsHoward Kearns, Self Portrait; Rembrandt, Self-Portrait in CapA WAYNE THIEBAUD POINT OF VIEW: Contour Figure DrawingWayne Thiebaud, Three Prone Figures, Ballroom Trio III, Ballroom Figures #1, Two Kneeling Figures, Two Men WalkingTHE FACE AS FORM: Pastel PortraitsWayne Thiebaud, Player; Wayne Thiebaud, Two Paint Cans; Wayne Thiebaud, Dark Candy Apples; Wayne Thiebaud, Betty Jean; Wayne Thiebaud, Two Men Walking

Secondary LessonsFACE PROPORTIONS: Full Front and ProfileRembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait 1665FINGERPRINT SELF-PORTRAITSEaster Island Head Moai Rano rarakuEXPRESS YOURSELF! Creating More Expressive Self-PortraitsThomas S. Hoffman, Mini-Me

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Wayne Thiebaud LessonsWhere Do You Live? Personal LandscapesWayne Thiebaud, Tide Lines; Triangle Beach, W. Palm Street; George Inness: Indian Summer, Lake Albano,

The Lackawanna Valley

Repetition of an Object

Wayne Thiebaud, Watermelon Slices, Barbequed Chicken, Dark Candy Apples.

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STEPS TO ACCURATE LIFE DRAWING:(Accuracy might be over rated but is probably necessary to move on into personally expressive work. Notice that we are not valuing Realism’s accuracy over more expressive stylistic nuances.)

1. LOOK UNTIL YOU CAN SEE WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT.

2. DRAW WHAT YOU SEE.3. YOU LOOK WITH YOUR EYES, BUT YOU SEE WITH

YOUR MIND.

LOOKING TO SEE:

When we talk about “Life Drawing” or “Figure Drawing” or “Portrait Drawing” we tend to focus on subtle technical skills with the pen or pencil. It is true that learning to create value scales and shading techniques are essential in developing adequate drawing skills. These are basic skills necessary to succeed in drawing, painting or sculpting. The real skill necessary to draw from life is the ability to see what one is looking at. IF YOU CAN SEE IT, YOU CAN DRAW IT…or sculpt it or paint it! This may seem obvious, but it is a subtle and evasive skill. Most of us confuse seeing with looking. Looking is done by pointing the eyes at a thing and taking a moment to register what it is as a generic concept and find its classification and plug it into a memory or a symbol or a recognizable icon that somehow makes sense with what we already know. This does not mean the same thing as SEEING. Seeing is an intellectual process and is done with the mind. Seeing means “TO UNDERSTAND,” to comprehend, or to know. Can you SEE what I mean? If you can see what you look at, it means that you understand the thing you are looking at. If you can see what you look a,t then it is very easy to draw the specifics that you are looking at because you understand them. Life and portrait drawing is simply reproducing what one sees. The difficult part of this is the SEEING, not the drawing.

Let’s Face It!LOOK & SEE

Detail from Camille Seated by Robert Barrett

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What is the hardest thing to draw? If you poll your class or any group of any age it will usually be the same thing. The hardest thing to draw is PEOPLE. The hardest part of a person to draw is the face. The hardest part of the face to draw is the eyes.

What is the most recognizable thing in our lives? For most people the answer is PEOPLE. People seem to be the most recognizable thing in our visual environment.

What part of the person do we spend the most time looking at? Most students readily agree that it is the HUMAN FACE. What part of the human face do we tend to focus on? That would be the eyes. The eyes are the expressive center of the face. By reading the expression in the eyes and face we can understand the full emotional content of what someone is talking about or doing. We are hardwired from birth to recognize a human face from all the similar

kinds of faces possible in a child’s environment. It is probably a good survival strategy to recognize the difference between your mother’s face and a saber tooth tiger’s face. Exhaustive research seems to bear out the idea that our brains are built in such a way as to help us see from birth the specific proportions and placements of details of the human face.

If this is true, why then do we say that the most difficult thing to draw is the very thing with which we are most familiar? We stare at each other’s faces constantly. We stare at our own face daily. We talk to and interact with THE FACE. So why is the thing we know best about others considered by most people to be the most difficult to draw or render in art?

Could it be that since everyone is relatively astute at recognizing the human face and we are all experts on the human face, that the face drawing is the first and easiest kind of art to criticize when we look at our own or another’s work of art? Everyone is an expert on what the human face looks like. If everyone knows what the face looks like, and it is the easiest

Details from, upper left, Ruth: the Listener by William Whitaker, left, A Compromise of Freedom and Control by Connie Borup; and above, Village Girl in the Snow, Arkadi Plastov

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thing to criticize in artwork, then the reason we feel some anxiety about drawing the face is really an issue of courage and confidence. THE FACE IS THE HARDEST THING TO DRAW BECAUSE WE ARE AFRAID TO BE CRITICIZED! If you are already insecure about your drawing skills and find it difficult to take criticism, then you can use the excuse of “it is hard” to avoid trying and thus being criticized for your efforts.

If you believe you can’t, then you are probably correct. If you believe you can, then you are equally correct! Most of the skills in art have to do with confidence, tenacity, and perseverance. These lessons are designed to increase confidence and to eliminate some of the “self doubt” in the production of art.

Here are some Lessons and Exercises that emphasize the LOOKING TO SEE approach to “Life Drawing.” All of this is to help students gain confidence, observation skills and rendering skills.

LET’S FACE IT:

Contour Drawing:

Objective: Students will demonstrate an understanding of “Looking To See What You Are Looking At” by completing a series of contour line drawings of the FACE.

Materials: Black Ball Point Pen and drawing paper.

Process: Our goal here is to have students gain confidence and skill at drawing what they see. We will start with a continuous line contour drawing of the student’s own hand. We start drawing the face by practicing the Look to See idea on our own hand because the hand is accessible and does not stimulate the nervousness that staring at a fellow student’s face usually precipitates. Demonstrate to students what a hand gesture is and some of the limitless variations that don’t include obscene hand gestures. I usually approach the issue of obscene hand gestures as obvious, redundant, derivative, unimaginative, clichéd, and worst of all, BORING. It seems like something that any self-respecting artist would want to avoid. Also encourage students to avoid the flat open hand. It is also boring. It is the only way we never actually use our hand and is in fact a symbol not a reality. The open, five fingered hand is a wonderful symbol and can be used in many projects…just, not this one. Encourage students to not all do the same gesture. Point out that when one creates his or her own gesture the student can determine where the fingers go, how many fingers are visible, and what view of the hand and fingers are displayed. It is O.K. to experiment. So, find an easy gesture that you want to do.

Students should be given a piece of good paper (copy paper should work). Fold the paper into quarters. Have students draw the fold lines in to create a page with four same-sized rectangular spaces. We call these spaces thinking spaces. When the paper is ready, have students hold up their non-drawing hand and tell them to look at it until they can see it. Point out some features they may not intuitively notice like wrinkles and folds, shadows, hollows, bones close to the skin, blood veins and other discoloration, nails and dirt. When students are convinced that they can see their hand, have

Detail from New Bloom by Trevor Southey

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them use a black ballpoint pen to draw the contour (edge, outline, border) of their hand. This should be one continuous, unbroken line. The continuous line contour demands that students develop a strategy to get to all parts of the hand without lifting the pen. This demands some careful looking first. Remind students to include both interior and exterior contours. Include as much detail as you can see but do not lift the pen from the paper. The finished drawing should be one single entwining contour line.

Hand Gesture Contour Drawing.

The reason we start with the hand is to give students a chance to practice looking and seeing with the distractions of the model. Have students try different gestures. Have students do the same gesture 4 times and time their drawing. Go from several minuets to only seconds. After students are comfortable with the idea of a continuous contour drawing have them try “Blind Contour” drawing. This is the same as before but without looking at their pen or paper. This is going to be difficult for young students because everyone starts off getting lost on the paper. The hands will come out confused, distorted and overlapping in awkward ways. It is fine to find the humor in this but be careful of it only being funny. As students work on this idea they will increase in skill. Teach students to concentrate intensely on the contours and edges they see in their

hand. Let the eyes follow the contours at the same rate the pen is drawing the contours. Think of the eye as being the pen. The pen automatically makes the exact mark that the eye is looking at. This is a terrific lesson to use as a starter and attention getter. It does not need to take long and can be repeated often. When some level of proficiency is gained with this process it is time to move on to the face. It is harder for most students to concentrate on a fellow students face but after defusing the giggles and jitters they can do it. Even very young students can gain some skill in the continuous line and blind contour drawing. Have students trade off with neighbors. Try taking turns. Try both students drawing at the same time (especially in the blind drawing). Try drawing friends. In my class, we do these quick exercises each day as a warm up. The students are used to it and comfortable with the visual invasion. The contour drawing project can also be done with still life and even with landscape if you take the students out side to draw from nature. We do a tree project every spring and always start with contour drawings starting with leaves then move to branches and finally to the whole tree. The contour drawing does not need to take a long time.

4 gesture contours by Caleb, 3rd grade.

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As students become more experienced with seeing what they look at, their skill and sensitivity exponentially increase. All beginners, at any age start out the same, as beginners.

First and second attempt by second grader, Nathan. Notice improvement.

Emily, 3rd grade.

Brooke, 3rd grade.

Notice that the drawings become increasingly detailed and complex as the ability to see new visual cues increase. The contour drawing is not necessarily a finished project but it is an important step in portrait drawing because it helps concentrate on the, “Looking to See” skill agenda.

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Sources: Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain, by Betty Edwards. The Book of Hands, by George Bridgman. Heads, Features and Faces, by George Bridgman. How to Draw Heads and Portraits, by Jose M Parramon.

Assessment: For young students we use a quantitative assessment tool. This means that if the student participates in and completes a project, he or she will receive full credit. There is no qualitative evaluation until fourth or fifth grade. There is a “FINISHED” criterion written on the board and repeated frequently to keep students on task and moving forward. The reward for completion is “The Next Project.” This only works if the assignments and projects are designed to be self-instructive and the teacher is confident that participating in the projects has a built-in learning outcome.

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Elementary Level

Objective: Students will demonstrate an understanding of human facial proportions by making sketches of 1. The human face map, frontal; 2. The human face map profile; 3. The human face at a ¾ angle; 4. The Human face looking up or down.

Materials: Pen or pencil, good paper.

Process: Facial proportions and “Face Mapping” are probably redundant for many art teachers. This is a quick and painless exercise to help very young students start to look at the human face in terms of proportions and relationships. Other lessons in this packet will get more specific.

We start by folding our drawing paper into quarters to give us four “thinking spaces.” Label the paper “FACE MAPPING.” In the upper right hand corner have students copy from the board a traditional face mapping schema. Make sure that the students see you draw the schema on the board. One of the problems with teachers who do not have a lot of art education is their performance anxiety about visual art. When we refuse to let students watch us and watch us making mistakes they are learning that art is only for those who all ready know how to do it. Model instead, art is about trying and trying and making mistakes and trying some more and making more mistakes and figuring how to fix them and then keep on trying. Many teachers make wonderful posters that show examples and processes. The face map is one. Use the poster you have made or a commercial one but even if it is posted in your room, model on the board how to do it and in doing so you are teaching the most important lesson in art. IT IS OK TO MAKE MISTAKES AND TO LEARN FROM THEM! Art is a process not a product.

A simple and generic (thus, somewhat inaccurate) way to talk a student through the face mapping process is to explain in steps:

1. The human face is connected to the head. You cannot draw the face separate from the head and make it look real. The shape of the head is an egg shape with the small end down for the chin. [The big round face, two dots for eyes, a dot for the nose and a big “U” shape for the smiling mouth is a formative child schema and only vaguely resembles the proportions of the human face. The reason for the smiley face schema seems to be that the face icon in most brains is the circle of elements from eyebrows to lower lip and from ear to ear. This makes a circle with eyes very near the top and the mouth near the bottom.]

2. The eyes are about half way between the top of the head and the chin.

3. The bottom of the nose is about half way between the eyes and the chin.

Let’s Face It!The Face Map:

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4. The bottom lip is about half way between the bottom of the nose and the chin.

5. The space between the eyes is about the same size as the eye itself.

6. The width of the nose is about the same as the space between the eyes.

7. The width of the mouth is about the same as the space between the pupils of the eyes when they are looking straight ahead.

8. The ears are approximately from the eyes to bottom of the nose or to the top lip. Ears are much bigger than most guess and just keep on getting bigger as you grow older.

When students have furnished themselves with a frontal face map, have them work on the profile. Students must use a classmate model because with young students the profile is not hardwired into the brain. The profile view is evasive, so look at a neighbor and ask: what part of the profile sticks out the furthest, which part recedes the furthest; what shape does the eye and mouth appear to be from the side view; how is the ear different in the profile for the frontal view? Remember to draw eyes, nose and mouth form the side view not the frontal view.

The following examples are 5th grade attempts to work out all of these issues.

After the profile, students should map out a ¾ view in the third space and in the 4th space try to get the head to look up or down. It can be frontal, or profile, or ¾ view but the head should be tilted up or tilted down.

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I have found that the best way to get students to learn something new is to have them ask. If your instruction is a direct response to a student’s question, your answer has meaning to the student and a place in the student’s memory for the information to be stored. When we give an assignment to do a thumbnail sketch of a face in ¾ profile or a face looking up or down, wait until someone in the class asks, “How?” Then, when you demonstrate on the board, the students will be watching with the intent of answering their own questions.

A 3/4 view

Here’s an example of faces done in various views. Notice that this example also shows face mapping. Show some blocking in techniques; but mostly, students will learn from observation. Make sure their model is using a ¾ view. Have students look closely to see how close to each edge of the face the eyes are. Notice that as the head looks up or down the relative position of the eyes raise and fall. The next issue the students will be concerned about is how to draw details. The answer is to look carefully and see. It is appropriate to show the students what you see in the detail of the eyes, nose and mouth but they must learn to see it.

Sources: How to Draw Heads and Portraits, by Jose M. Parramon. Drawing and Learning About Faces, by Amy Bailey Muehlenhardt. Drawing Book of Faces, by Ed Emberley.

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Variations: Most of the curriculum in our art program is literacy based. That is, we try to use vocabulary as a building foundation for further research and ideas. Try starting with the youngest students (kindergarten) and have them look through books identifying the frontal portrait, the profile portrait, the ¾ profile portrait and the up and down looking portraits. They get it. It is universal. They all feel success; success in the arts. We all know that success breeds success and we are attracted, for the most part, by those things in which we fell successful. Remember that success is not found in what one does but rather it is found in how one feels about what one has done. I have had amazed and grateful parents call to say that their kindergarten

children have a larger art vocabulary than the parents. This is gratifying.

We also play this game with Landscape, Portrait, Still Life and Design.

Leonardo da Vinci, Possible Self-Portrait, c. 1530http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:

Possible_Self-Portrait_of_Leonardo_da_Vinci.jpg

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OBJECTIVE: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the evocative nature of showing feelings and emotions in portrait rendering of the human face.

Materials: pen, pencil and paper

Process: This lesson should take place after the students have been exposed to some basic drawing techniques such as contour drawing, shading (value scale), face mapping and the evocative nature of lines in art (lines show feelings). Even with older students it is good to start with a brainstorming process to think of and list a number of “feelings” on the board. With younger students the teacher should be the scribe but as soon as someone in the class in competent, let them write. Remember that for young students, “feelings” can be grouped into two categories. 1. Emotions like love, hate, curious and excited. 2. Tactile feelings like hot, cold, sticky or bumpy. Make a list of emotional feelings on the board. This is merely a starting point and a source of thinking. Try to get each student to invent a feeling of their own and one that no one else in the class is using. Once each student has chosen a feeling pass out drawing paper. I recommend using a paper like sulfite white for finished, exhibitable work. For sketching and planning and working out ideas, copy paper is sufficient. Avoid newsprint whenever possible. It is not archival and is easily damaged and difficult to use. The quality of the paper will greatly impact the quality of the finished work. When students are ready, have them us a ruler to make a space at the bottom of the paper. We usually make a ruler wide space parallel to the bottom edge of the paper. Students should then write in neat, bold lettering, the emotional feeling they want to represent with a human expression. With a little extra instruction (and perhaps a lesson on “Font Design”) students should write the feeling titles in

a manner that also reflects the feeling depicted in portrait face.

Now it is research time. Use books and poster prints and the postcard images provided by the Springville Art Museum and search through these historical archives to find examples of faces that show feeling. As a student finds a printed portrait that shows some emotion, have them show it to the rest of the class and let the class discuss how this particular artist showed feeling in the face of his portrait. Notice and point out: lines, shapes, colors, textures, values, compositional elements and any other visual devices and techniques that help the artist imbue the portrait face with emotional content and feeling. It is O.K. if students don’t agree on what feeling the art print expresses. At this point give students the time and space to render this

Let’s Face It!FACES SHOW FEELINGS (the expressive face)

Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-portrait in a cap, with eyes wide open, etching and burin, 1630

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Rembrandt_aux_yeux_hagards.jpg

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project. These students have already done the “Lines Can Show Feelings” project in which they render a feeling by using the abstract quality of a line to show that feeling. The best way to show emotion on a face is to use lines and textures that show that feeling also. The expression on the face is important of course and it helps to have friends act out a facial gesture to observe the emotional quality, but do not overlook the impact of using angry lines to show anger and curious lings to show curiosity. The examples in this lesson are pen and ink drawings on good drawing paper.

FACES SHOW FEELINGS: ILLUSTRATIONS

To get students to move beyond the big “U” for a smiley face, use fellow students as models. Notice that no one’s mouth actually looks like a “U” when they are smiling. Also point out that there are many kinds of smiles and only some a “happy” smile. Try to get students to avoid Happy, Sad and Mad as their chosen emotion. These become cliché and trite. A very good lesson to learn in art is to “Avoid

The Obvious.” Art is not about fitting in; it is about finding something important to say and learning to say it well.

Assessment: While this is not a traditional assessment, the students will get an idea of how well they pulled off the assignment by polling the rest of the class. Our classroom is divided into four worktables of about 10 students each. We do a little game to see if the other tables can figure out what the feeling in each drawing was. This is also a time to exhibit the work in the room. Cover up the written feeling (paper and tape) and set them up on the wall. Each table is to cooperatively figure out what the feeling is. This takes the onus from being the exclusive provenance of the artist and allows it to be shared with the whole class as they are being tested on their ability to perceive feelings as well as the artists being tested on the ability to render feelings. We always start by showing some famous

“BORED”, by Alexis, 6th grade.

“BEWILDERED” by Sam, 6th grade.

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space thumbnail sketches and then choose one for a large finished product. The secret in drawing funny faces is to first know how to draw faces with the right proportions and placements. A funny face is funny, not because you just made up a bunch of silly things but because of the way the artist changed, twisted and perverted the real human face. Just a bunch of scribbles with an eye is not funny but a normal face with a huge bumpy nose and crossed eyeballs is funny. Humor is a learned condition, not hardwired in the brain. Humor is dependent on cultural nuance and sensibility.

portraits and have students guess what the emotion in the face might be. Try, Franz Hall’s, Boy With A Lute; Dorthea Lange’s, Migrant Mother, California, 1936; Lee Udall Bennion’s, Snow Queen: Portrait of Adah, 1992; Leonardo Da Vinci’s, Mona Lisa; Edvard Munch’s, The Scream; and any of the Self-Portraits by Van Gogh, Gauguin or Rembrandt.

Variations: Some other lessons that help students learn how to imbue feeling and emotion into face portraits are:

1. The Halloween Pumpkin Face. Have students design and draw and color and paint jack-o-lantern faces which show different feelings. Have classes or groups see how many different emotions and feelings can be captured this way. This makes a good Halloween decoration for the hall.

2. Cartooning is a great way to learn how to put feelings into characters. Try having students invent their own cartoon character and assign a list of different feelings. These can be done as thinking

“INFURIATED” by Tanner, 6th grade.

“EXCITEMENT” by Andrea, 6th grade

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Try some of these guys!

Wayne Thiebaud, Pensive Male, 1977

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Let’s Face It!Reading Famous Faces

Objective: Students will demonstrate an understanding of “finding content and meaning” in works of art by studying a portrait from art history and writing or dictating a short statement about what character they read in the face of the portrait.

Material: Art prints and writing paper

Process: In this specific project we will limit ourselves to Utah artists just to avoid the hassle of printing copyrighted material in this format. The project can be done with any portraits. There is not a lot of set up initially. We used the postcard-size prints from the Springville Art Museum so everyone could see close up and each student could choose a favorite one. It is o.k. to duplicate images because we won’t all agree on what the face in the portrait is like. After choosing a print, ask students to address the question, “What kind of person is this?’ We are trying to read character. Character is probably not a word that most elementary students recognize, so here is the learning window. For younger students you may want to ask leading questions like, “Is this a happy or sad person? Why? Do you think this is a picture of a mean or a nice person? Is this a friendly face or not?’ Why? Try not to lead too much. Just ask enough questions to get the thinking flowing. If students are too young to write for themselves, team them up with older students or yourself and have them dictate to you. Language is the spoken word. Literacy is a codified response to the Language. The best way to motivate a child to learn to translate her ideas into writing is to help her to have something to say. The enthusiasm for saying things can only come from successful experiences in expressing oneself.

Robert Brackman, Girl From the Village 1960 Marie A. Hull, The Mississippi Farmer 1940

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Detail of Snow Queen, by Lee Udall Bennion with illustrations by Tyler, 6th grade

“This is a nice person. She likes toys. She likes striped dresses. She looks like a quiet person. I think her favorite color is red. I would like to go to her house to play because red is my favorite color too.”

This was dictated to another student by Dakota, who is in the first grade.

Boy and Cat, by James Harwood After James Harwood by Nate, 5th grade.

“It looks like he might be a little depressed. He must he hungry. He might be poor. He has no shoes. He has patches. He looks like he might be a little scared of the artist painting him. His facial expression looks like sad and depressed and thinking about something all at the same time. I wonder what he is staring at.” Written by Ben, 5th grade.

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“This picture is a copy of one done by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It is called, The Theatre Box or in French it is called La Loge. I think she is worried about something in the play she is going to. She looks nice to me. She looks like she is famous because she has on nice clothes and her face and hair is all done up. She looks very rich. She looks in-between; she could be mad and nice at the same time. I think she is mostly happy. I like her. She seems like she has a good personality. Observations by Brogan, 4th grade.

“Paul Revere” by Cyrus Dallin “This is a very aggressive guy. It looks like he was a leader because he’s on a horse. He looks like a strong person. He also looks kind of angry right now. I don’t think I want to mess with him.” Observations by Chandler, 5th grade.

Drawing detail by Brogan 4th grade.Renoir detail from “Entertaining Ladies” by Jeanne Clarke

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Detail of “New Bloom” by Trevor Southey “She looks a little bit sad. She might be lonely because her husband might be dead. She looks old. That might make her sad too. She looks like a nice person but I wish she would smile.” Observations by Sarah, 3rd grade.

We have included some drawings from the famous face project. They seemed to fit here. We also continue the famous face with a painting project.

Variations: This project does not need to be done with Utah artists. We used images that the Springville Art Museum own so we could photograph details legally. We have also used the facial portraits to write poetry, Haiku, and short stories.

Sources: All of the poster images here are from the Springville Art Museum and are available for all schools in Utah. They are also included on the packet CD as are a variety of other images from the Springville Musuem of Art’s collection.

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Here is a dialogue written by Cassidy, a 6th grader. She put the self-portraits of Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin next to each other and imagined this dialogue exchange:

Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin were sitting at the breakfast table in France discussing their artwork and their future plans:

Vince: “You use all the wrong colors Paul! It does not look real.” Paul: “You use big ugly brush strokes in everything. It does not look like a real place or a real person because everything is lumpy and bumpy.” Vince: “I don’t care if it doesn’t look real because I am more interested in painting a feeling and an idea instead of a person or a place. I just want it to feel right.” Paul: “Well I don’t care about the colors because every color has it’s own feeling and that is what tells the real story not just a picture of something.” Vince: “Well, I guess we both are more interested in feelings than pictures of the things we paint.” Paul: “Yes! Yes! It is all about the feelings and I feel like moving to a new country. Somewhere far away where no one can find me.” Vince: “Well that’s alright with me. Oh! By the way, have you seen my straight razor around? I have a hot date tonight.”

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Objective: Students will demonstrate an understanding of “PORTRAITURE” as a motif in art by researching art history to find an interesting portrait from the past to STUDY and then render while learning as much about that artist and the style and technique used to make the original portrait.

Materials: Enough research books or prints for students to do some quality research, watercolor paper, pencils, pens, and watercolors.

Process: Depending on the grade level and depth of art history background the students have this can either be a “wide” open project, meaning that any artist at any time in any style is available. However, this project is terrific for focusing in on a time period or style or even cultural nuance for a more specific learning window. In this particular lesson we are working with sixth graders who have done this portrait project before with a more specific focus so we will open it up completely. The first step in any art project is research. If visual art is about looking and seeing the visual world, then the more you look, the more you will see and therefore the more you will understand. “See what I mean?” Art is a kind of thinking. The more you know the fatter your thoughts can be and broader and deeper your art ideas will be. There are many great resources for art images in printed form. Let’s start with the easiest and most accessible. The Springville Art Museum has a very large selection of prints and postcards available for classroom teachers that can be used for this project. There is also a wonderful book entitled “Utah Art” co-written by our own Dr. Vern G. Swanson, the Director of the Springville Museum of Art. This book is full of wonderful prints of many of Utah’s finest artists. This is a great resource for the “FAMOUS FACE” project. If you open up this project, make sure you have wide range of art styles for the students to

choose from. A fuller bibliography will be included at the end of this lesson. Once the students have decided on a specific image, they need to write down the name of the artist, the title of the work, date if possible, and the book or source of the print. The next step is to do a sketch of the portrait. This is a way for students to really concentrate on what they can see in the original work. By trying to draw the picture, they will look carefully at the details and subtleties of the work. We chose to do the final project in watercolor.

Let’s Face It!FAMOUS FACES:

Vincent van Gogh Self-Portrait 1889http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:

Vincent_Willem_van_Gogh_109.jpg

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It could also be done in tempera paints, acrylics, or oils. This project can also be done in any other medium and in any style as an interpretation of the original work. We left it up to the students to decide if they wanted to copy the work accurately or to interpret the work. For this lesson we will focus on those who want to learn “how the original artist did it!” Help students attend to issues like size and proportion, value and shading, and subtleties of color. Using both the small sketch that students made and the original image, have students draw (ball point pen is a good option for drawing or for going over the pencil sketch to increase value and contrast, which are always an issue with new watercolor artists). When a reasonable drawing has been achieved, it is time to watercolor. It is always a good idea to help young students resolve some of the issues of watercolor before they start on the finished project. Some studies and exercises that

are helpful are: the color wheel, color relationships and schemes (complementary, monochromatic, and analogous), color blending. Help students understand that we don’t mix colors in the color pans or on the paper but in a mixing tray. Most watercolor sets have a mixing tray for the lid but an extra mixing tray (any smooth plastic surface) is a good idea. Demonstrate some watercolor techniques like wet wash, wet on wet, dry brush, dropping in, glazing and paper resists. Also make sure the students know how to choose the right brush for the right job (a large brush for large general areas and small brushes for specific details) and have a choice of brushes beyond the one in the paint set. I recommend that if you use Crayola

Howard Lasalle Kearns, Self-Portrait (1930)oil on canvas mounted, 18” x 14”

Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisahttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Mona_

Lisa.jpg

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brand watercolors, you use the square pans called “Educational” half pan plus watercolors rather than the cheaper oval pan “washable” watercolors. The oval pan sets are not very good paint and do not include a primary blue color, but they do wash out. A good rule of thumb to use when selecting a medium for students is to ask yourself, “What famous artist uses this particular medium and why not?” Give students enough time to obsess on this project. Have some less aggressive projects ready for students to work on as they finish while they are waiting for the rest of the class to finish. When the painting is complete, each student will do a writing exercise about his or her work and the artist the student is studying. If the students know that they will be expected to write about the famous face, they usually slow down and aren’t in such a

Mckensy working on Da Vinci

hurry to be “the first one done.” It is unfortunate that most elementary students would much rather make pictures than write stories. The reality is that they are both the same thing only using different languages and different alphabets. The visual language of line shape color value and texture is the same as the “literate” language of spelling, punctuation, lexicon and grammar, in its intent, content and substance.

Caleb working on Matisse

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Assessment: The assessment for this project is a writing assignment that includes a self-evaluation of the student work. For years I have used a version of this writing project as part of my art history curriculum. It can be extended for older students and abbreviated for younger students.

Famous ArtistsThese are the questions that need to be addressed in your famous artist report:

1. Who? (name and title of artwork) 2. When? (birth-death and any other significant dates) 3. Where? (country or area where from, any travel movements and where the bulk of art was made) 4. What? (style and medium and motif) 5. How? (techniques) 6. Why? (artist’s meaning) 7. So What? (Your interpretation of meaning) 8. Choose one work of art by this artist and use the Hamblen Critical Model to write a critique. (please use an illustration)

Variations: The obvious variation on this project is to use a different medium. This process can be done with any medium. We have done this with tempera paint on matte board, pointillism using marker pens, pen and ink with colored pencils and more. Another way to use this project is to have the class divide up into small groups representing the several famous artists in your art history curriculum. Each member of the group then finds a work by that artist and uses it as a study base to produce his or her own work. Notice how hard I am trying not to say copy, but I guess that is what I actually mean. Armed with each member of the group’s picture, the group should then create a poster dealing with the life and times of their chosen artist. Students should then mount an exhibition in the hall of school gallery that shows their version of the artist’s work and their poster, documenting the famous artists life.

Famous Faces continued

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famous artist’s name. They are hard bound and are less than $8.00 each with educators discounts. The quality is a little better than the previous series. This is the one I use the most.

What Makes A___________?, by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Fill in the blank for each book in the series. They are inexpensive, softbound and really beautiful. The drawback is that there are only six artists in the series so far. There may be more but I have not found them.

Utah Art, Utah Artists, by Swanson, Olpin, Poulton, and Rogers.As you know, Utah art is heavy on the landscape and lighter on the portraits, but this is a terrific softcover book with beautiful images and short, succinct writing.

Women Artists, by Nancy Heller.This too is a softbound volume with many hundred illustrations of works by women artists. As the father of five daughters I am tired of all famous artists being white,

Sources: Any book of “famous art work” will work well for this project. Make sure that the images have the artists name, title of the work, medium and date for each printed image. Here are some books and sets of books that are inexpensive and attractive:

Getting To Know The World’s Greatest Artists, by Mike Venezia.

This series has about a dozen volumes, each on a different artist. They are well illustrated with salient information and very affordable.

The Barnes & Noble series on Famous Artists, by Christoph Heinrich. Each book in this series is titled by the

Left: Lee U. Bennion, Self in Studio 1985SMA Collection

Lee U. Bennion, Snow Queen: Portrait of Adah, 1992

SMA Collection

Photograph of Lee Bennion

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European, male painters. This book dispels the myth.

The World’s Greatest Art, edited by Dr. Robert Belton.This is a 10-inch square format book of over 500 pages. The illustrations are not very large but are nicely printed with interesting information printed and a good index of both the artists and the titles of the artwork. It is printed by a British company called STAR FIRE.

.

Famous Faces Continued

watercolor by Janelle, 6th grade, after “Portrait of a Young Woman, 1480”

by Sandro Botticelli.

watercolor by Taggart, 6th grade, after “Self Portrait” by Edgar Degas.

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Another variation on this lesson is to focus on a specific time or place or style. We did an interesting project focusing on Utah artists only. Utah art and artists are one of the best kept secrets in Utah. Our art heritage is second to none in the United States. Here are some images of our Utah Artists project:

This is a portrait of the Utah artist, John Hafen, painted by Utah artist Mahonri Young. On the left is the original painting photographed from “Utah Painting and Sculpture” by Swanson, Olpin, and Seifrit. The middle illustration is a pen and ink study by Sara, 6th grade. The image on the right is the finished watercolor by Sara. The pen and ink work is an important part of teaching students to see what they are looking at.

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Famous Faces continuedFAMOUS FACE ILLUSTRATIONS:

Annie wrote: “I don’t know who this Balldassare person is but when I saw the painting I really liked the way he painted the eyes. The eyes didn’t exactly look very real but they made you want to stare at them. So I did. The hardest part for me was the shadow by his nose but it looks pretty good anyway. I didn’t do the eyes as good as Raphael but he had more practice.” Annie, 6th grade

Watercolor by Kaden, 6th grade, after “Edward Hopper” by Edward Hopper.

Watercolor by Annie, 6th grade, after “Balldassare Castiglione”, by Raphael

Watercolor by Tyler, 6th grade, after “Self Portrait” by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Watercolor by Colby, 6th grade, after“Girl With Braids” by Modigliani.

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Let’s Face It!The Pointillist Face:

Objective: Students will demonstrate an understanding of portrait rendering in the “Pointillist” style by lightly drawing a face map with pencil and then rendering it carefully with colored marker pen dots.

Materials: pencil and watercolor paper (Try sulfite white. It is not a true watercolor paper but it is a heavier gage, soft and slightly textured paper) and marker pens.

Process: Show students as many of Georges Seurat’s pointillist paintings as you can find. Seurat’s most famous work is La Grande Jatte. In fact it is probably the only one that most artists and art teachers know. Here are some other fine works by Seurat. The Yoked Cart, Une Baignade, Asnieres, and Bec du Hoc. Also look for Seurat’s stipple like portrait drawings. They are wonderful value studies. Look up Paul Signac, Henri-Edmond Cross, and Valho Bukovac as other fine pointillist painters.

Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, by Georges-Pierre Seurat in 1884 – 1886.

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Pointillism is a style of painting is which small distinct points of color create the impression of a wide selection of colors including tints and shades as well as a full pallet of secondary colors and intermediate colors and neutrals. This project can be used for learning color, color blending and color theory. We are going to use this style of color applications for learning how to paint the human face. The next step is to practice mixing colors with marker pen by placing dots adjacent to each other. I use a worksheet for the younger students and the older students make their own.

This work sheet can obviously be used for any medium to practice using the three major color schemes.

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After students have worked on face mapping and contour drawing, we will use the four- space thinking page to make some thumbnail sketches of our selves. We are going to make “Self-Portraits.” A self-portrait is a work of art that depicts the artist who makes it. We call this “The Picture Of The Only Person You Can Never Look At.” Interestingly, each of us is the only person in the world that we can never accurately observe. Even in mirrors and photographs … it is not you in the same way others can observe you. The mirror is flat and backwards and most photos are much too small and render a living, breathing, three-dimensional creature as a static two-dimensional artifact. So how do you draw yourself? Here are some hints. Since you know some of the distinguishing characteristics of yourself, use them. Use the length and color and style of your hair, the color and shape of your eyes, the clothes you are wearing. Use a mirror but remember that it is backwards. Use photographs but remember that it is not you but only something that reminds you of yourself. Don’t be afraid to have fellow students critique your sketches and tell you how close you have gotten. In this exercise we have fellow students assigned to be our eyes watching us to help guide us in our choices.

For younger students I will frequently use a cam-corder to film a student with a prolonged close up of each student’s face from many different angles. Students love to look at themselves, so this becomes an exciting “Look to See” project. We then spend some time pointing out the specific details of each individual’s face; all participate. When the sketches are finished, have students either choose the best one or mix several ideas together to make one light pencil drawing of themselves. They should do this on good paper.

Students should then use colored marker pens to begin rendering themselves in pointillist color. Have friends and neighbors continually give advice as to the accuracy of the self portrait. Some students object to advice. You can be the coach or just let the students work on their own.

Jessica’s finished self-portrait, 4th grade Sam working: 3rd grade

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A few technical pointers and hints should be given to students as they begin working:* Use one color at a time. * Push lightly so the tip of the pen stays small and doesn’t flatten out with use.* Slow down: rapid tapping with the pen turns the dots into dashes and little “c shapes.* Slow down: each dot should be placed, not just randomly splashed on.* When mixing colors, put the dots adjacent to each other, not on top of each other.* Smaller dots make better color mixing and more detail.* When you get tired and bored, stop and rest for a while. Have another project to work on. If you keep making dots without paying real attention, the project will suffer. Take a break now and then. There is no prize in art for “fastest.”

“Self Portrait” by Shelbi, 6th grade.“Self Portrait” by Sydney, 6th grade.

The image on the right is a detail from a Seurat painting, showing the individual dots of color. The image is worth downloading because it’s big, more than 10” x 16”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Seurat-La_Parade_detail.jpg

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Variations: These portraits are actually part of a larger project in which we first did thumbnail sketches of the four visual art motifs: Landscape, Portrait, Still Life and Design. We define a design as, “Lines, Shapes and Colors that don’t make a picture of something else.” We also make “Value Borders” with pen and ink. We do this for the learning in pen and ink but primarily as a frame when we do mass exhibition (not to be confused with “Gallery” exhibitions). Another variation is to use colored paper dots. I have seen this done with sticky dots but we just use a small hole paper punch and fill containers with small colored paper dots. The students love doing this and we use this work process to learn to organize colors by warm and cool, tints and shades, primary, secondary, intermediates, and neutrals. The little dots are then stored in Ziplock baggies. Glue sticks are use to apply the dots. White dots are used to create tints rather that leaving white paper showing through. Cover the entire paper with dots.

Sources: George Seurat: Masters of Art, by Pierre Courthion; Pointillism in Black and White, by Richard Kessler: Seurat and the Science of Painting, by William Homer; Seurat (Basic Art), by Taschen. Paul Signac, Henri-Ecmond Cross and Vlaho Bukovac.

Web Sources: http://www.dl.ket.org/webmuseum/wm/paint/auth/seurat/honfleur/index.htmhttp://www.abcgallery.com/S/seurat/seurat.htmlhttp://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/seurat/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Seurat-La_Parade_detail.jpg Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, by Georges-Pierre Seurat in 1884 – 1886. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Georges_Seurat_-_Un_dimanche_apr%C3%A8s-midi_ %C3%A0_l%27%C3%8Ele_de_la_Grande_Jatte.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Henri_Edmond_Cross_001.jpg

Paul Signac: Breakfast, 1886-1887 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Signac2.jpg

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Let’s Face It!Photo Face with Feeling:

Objective: Students will demonstrate an understanding of evocative facial features by photographing a classmate with a specific emotion and expression portrayed on the model’s face.

Materials: camera, printer

Process: Show the students some examples of close-up portrait photography. Some photographers to look at are: Dorthea Lange, Edward Weston, Gordon Parks, Man Ray, Margaret Bourke-White, Richard Avedon, Robert Altman, and Annie Leibovitz (Some of these photographers did nudes. If you use a search engine, instead of books, and you want to avoid the nudes, you can change the filter on the search engine you use to “Strict Filtering.”) Each of these photographers is well

known for their emotionally laden portraits. Each has at least one book (some have many books) and all have at least one documentary film about their work. We want to look at close-up portraits and see how the photographer captured an emotion or feeling. Brainstorm on the board a list of feelings and challenge students to invent a unique feeling that they can coach their model to dramatize for the camera. First choose the feeling, and then choose the model. Use an easy to operate digital camera. These are very inexpensive and available in most any story including grocery stores. There is probably one of these cameras already in your school. You will need a computer and a printer and some photo software. Most of you all ready have it. We are using the cheapest 12 year old Olympus digital camera. It has very little adjustments, and is basically a point and shoot camera. We are not focusing on the camera or the technology in this lesson. A lot can be taught about photography to young students. We will be covering photography lessons in a future Evening For Educators, but for now we are trying to learn about the human face and how to make it interesting. Our goal here is to discuss facial expression and human feelings, visually.

Choose an appropriate background. Let each student choose his own but help the students choose something neutral. Children tend to want interesting backgrounds that compete with the subject for primary interest. Help them avoid this. Students should practice with their models to make sure that the models are prepared and won’t freeze up when the camera is on them. Show the students: 1. Where the exposure button is. 2. How to hold the camera still, especially while pushing the button. 3. How to get close enough to crop out most everything except the face. Use good principles of composition. It may be necessary to help some of them hold the camera still while shooting. This may seem a bit

“Young migratory mother, originally from Texas. By Dorothea Lange April 11, 1940http://www.archives.gov/press/press-kits/1930-census-photos/

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intrusive but very young students might think, “still” means, “don’t move too much.” Like they think “be quiet” means “don’t talk a lot.” So gently hold the camera hand still while the student is taking the picture. It usually only takes once for them to get this vision of stillness. We are talking about Kindergarteners here. Older students may not want your help. There is still a learning window even in blurry failure. Learning what not to do and how to not do it are as important in art as in the rest of life’s experiences.

We are not going to belabor the “how to” part of this lesson. Just make sure you can import these images into iPhoto or Photoshop or even something like ClairisWorks. You can do this on regular copy paper and make the prints as small or large as is needed. We print on the school work room’s black and white laser printer. We print four images to the page. We did every Kindergartener in our school, about 150 students, without any significant cost. Here are some Kindergarten examples: “DISGUSTED” by Joseph, Kindergarten

“EXCITED” by Jose’, Kindergarten “SURPRISED” by Marissa, Kindergarten

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“SHY” by Lucy, Kindergarten

Notice that these photo we taken very close to the subject. This cropping was done with the camera not in the computer. We used the computer to increase the contrast and sharpness. The rest is done in the camera by the student photographer. It should also be noted that the students name is that of the artist photographer not the name of the model. Sometimes we put the models name in the title like, “HAPPY KEVIN”. We want to focus on the artist not the subject. It is an important lesson because is only slightly about the subject matter but much more about the artist and the medium and the intent.

Assessment: We process this project like many others we do with very young students. We play a guessing game of sorts. Students take turns showing their portrait photo to the class. Students then take turns guessing with the feeling or emotion is. The feeling is written ahead of time on the back. I keep a record of the original feeling the student was trying to capture. Sometimes the artist changes his or her mind. This is all right. It is a good thing when the student recognizes that the artwork is obviously about something other than what was intended. This is a good lesson for many adult art students to learn.

Variations: Theoretically all portrait photography is a variation or extension of this project. This project can be extended by having students do value drawings of this feeling or paint a version of their photograph. Of course, the best extension is to exhibit all of the work with a short written explanation about the process. For Kindergarten, it is easy to have students dictate to the teacher who types it into the computer. The student then O.K.’s the writing and chooses the font and color. We want students to own their ideas as early as possible. Here is an artist’s statement by a Kindergartener. It was dictated to their Kindergarten teacher and then printed to accompany their artwork in the hall gallery.

“SAD” by Phoebe, Kindergarten

Phoebe said. “This is my friend. She is not really sad. She is just acting. I like it because it looks sad to me and lots of kids said so.”

We always address the question: “DO YOU LIKE IT? WHY?

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Edward Weston, Photograph of Tina Modotti, 1923http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Tina_Modotti_

Edward_Weston_1923.jpg

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Objective: Students will demonstrate an understanding of computer graphics and self-portrait by creating an original self-portrait for the cover of their art portfolio using the built in camera on the computer with the PHOTO BOOTH software.

Materials: Computer with Photo Booth, printer, portfolio paper and border paper.

Process: This is actually a variation on the PHOTO PHACE lesson. This time we will be make photographic self-portraits using the built-in camera on the computer and a software package call PHOTO BOOTH. The built-in camera is common with new computers and all of the ibooks in Alpine District are equipped with the camera and the Photo Booth software. Many teachers at my school have used this program to play with and entertain the students. We want to do this in just as playful a way and include a learning window in the process. Photo Booth has two effects modes. One has a variety of visual modes like black and white, sepia, comic, colored pencil, and more. The other effects mode is nine different distortion effects like stretch, mirror, twirl, and fisheye. The benefit of this project is to expose the students to some of the interesting technology available to artists.

Each student should be shown how to operate the program. Get students close to the little green dot above the view screen. Choose the background carefully. Wander through the various effects modes and then click. This is so easy that students will want to do it over and over. Most students will go for the strange and humorous. Remind them that the final print will appear on the cover of their portfolio and represent them for the rest of the year. Once the image is in Photo Booth it has to be moved to iPhoto for printing and editing. This is easy. There is an iPhoto icon to click on. Once it is in iPhoto you can play with the color, the saturation, and the contrast. Students also gain hands-on experience with

intensity, temperature, tint and shade, brightness scale, sharpness and exposure. The picture can be rotated, cropped and retouched. This is the learning window. Make sure that students understand the vocabulary. It is the standard vocabulary in photography and carries over in to other visual art medium.

When the student photo is composed, it is time to print. We usually print a 5X7 size, but it can be bigger or smaller. Use a color printer and a whole new window of learning about color theory is opened up. Remember that a variety of paper will have an interesting effect on the way the photo is printed. Use your imagination. The students will. Now it is time to mount the photo on the portfolio. We always put an original border around the portrait and a hand-lettered nametag.

This may not seem like a very in-depth learning project, but ask yourself if you know what color saturation is and how to explain it. Students will learn this concept and many others just by using the idea. Make sure they are exposed to more than just the obvious.

Let’s Face It!The Photo Booth:

Miriam, 5th grade. Squeeze mode.

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Examples of Photo Booth portraits:

Hyrum & Kent, 4th grade. Twirl mode Kaden, 3rd grade. Light tunnel mode.

“TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE”, by Dianna, 4th grade. Mirror mode.

We have mounted several exhibits with this work. When we do, each student must do an artist’s statement about the photograph. We have done some thematic exhibitions such as “Group Portraits,” ‘I Wish I…,” and “Guess Who This Is?” It is really amazing how easy it is to occupy students’ attention when the subjects are themselves. Don’t hesitate to have teachers do this also. One of the most talked-about exhibitions this year was one we titled, “Teachers Framing Teachers, Not Just Another Pretty Face.” It was difficult, but we got them all.

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More Examples:

The Gotto Girls and Mr. Germaine. Twirl mode. Nice Smile, by Laura, 6th grade. Mirror mode.

The last step in this project is to mount the photo booth picture onto the student’s portfolio. Students are encouraged to make a border to mount the picture on, but it is optional if the student explains that it detracts from the photograph. We want some sort of hands-on creation to accompany the digital print. We are looking for personal ownership. But, sometimes, it does detract.

The Third Eye, by Maya, 1st grade. Mirror mode. Cyclops, by Zola, 1st grade. Mirror mode.

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Notice the handmade borders and nametags. This helps the students feel some ownership of the project rather than just letting the machine do their artwork.

Aubrey, 3rd grade,Colored Pencil mode. Nate, 5th grade, Squeeze mode.

Dakota, 1st grade, Comics mode. Seth, 3rd grade, X-ray mode

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Let’s Face It!People-Self: The Real Me

Expressive and Realistic Self-Portraits

Grade: KArtwork: Howard L. Kearns, Self-Portrait(See additional artworks at end of lesson) Content and Process Indicators:

Students will demonstrate . . . .

• Ability to portray personality traits in expressive self-portraits.

• Formulate personal opinions on the relationship between expressive and realistic self-portraits through class discussion and activity

• An understanding of realistic and expressive self-portraits through the creation of both types

• An understanding of the purpose of portraiture in art history through viewing, discussing, and classifying

• An understanding of expressive qualities in Media Arts and Visual/Pop Culture

• Identify and interpret expressive qualities in self

National standards:

1. Media, techniques, and processes- Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories

2. Structures and functions- Describe how different expressive features and organizational principles cause different responses

3. Subject matter, symbols, and ideas- Select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning.

4. History and Culture- Demonstrate how history, culture, and the visual arts can influence each other in making and studying works of art

5. Characteristics and merits- Describe how people’s experiences influence the development of specific artworks

6. Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines- Identify connections between the visual arts and other disciplines in the curriculum.

Key Terms:

• Abstract• Realistic

• Expressive• Portrait

• Personality Trait

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Materials:

• Self-Portrait Images• Variety of Materials• Paper• Camera/Heart Cutouts• Shrek Video or DVD• Attached Resources

Assessment tools/strategies

Resources:

We are all alike . . . We are all different. Chelton Elementary School Kindergarteners; Scholatstic: New York, New York: 1991Lee Udall Benion, Snow Queen: Portrait of Adah, 1992.James T. Harward, Boy and Cat: My Little Son, Heber James, 1910.Springville Museum of ArtRembrandt van Rijn, Self Portrait, 1665 and Rembrandt van Rijn, Self Portrait, 1630see also, the CD file, Postcards of Self-Portraits

Procedures:

1. Motivation: Emotion Activity. Provide the students with many different expressive self- portraits. Pass out a variety of personality traits on note cards( i.e. silly, scared, happy, energetic, timid, adventurous, serious, friendly, forceful, etc.). In pairs, have the students attach their notecard to a portrait that matches their trait. Have each student identify a personality trait they have. Brainstorm how this can be achieved through using different elements of art and media. (Experience)

Teaching tip: Older grades can use the “Celebrations of Diversity” worksheet. (Attached) Use this activity as an opportunity to introduce new terms. You may need to tell the younger students what their word is.

2. Compare and Contrast: Explain to the students why artists create self portraits. Discuss how artists use portraits to help define themselves. Compare the Kearns portrait to a Rembrandt portrait. Draw a large Venn Diagram on the board. Compare and

contrast different aspects of the portraits on the board. Also show the students the Benion and Harward reproductions. Have the students do the same activity for these two art works.

3. Expressive Self-Portrait: Select one personality trait from the board and as a class, brainstorm how to portray this personality trait in a self portrait. Discuss the expressive qualities of line, color, shape and form. Also discuss the impact of color and choice of medium. Refer back to the reproductions for examples during the discussion. Have the students select a personality trait they want to develop. Have the students expresses this trait in their own Expressive Self-Portrait. (Experience) (P)

Teaching tip: Let the students select any media to use for their self-portrait. They also can select the size and format for their portrait. Explain to the students that personality traits can change and they chose to develop certain traits. Introduce aspects of abstraction as part of the expressive self-portrait.

4. What are they trying to say? Pass out

Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait in Cap, 1630

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expressive self-portraits to groups of three or four children. Have the students share with the class what they think the person in the portrait is thinking, feeling, or what they might say if they were in the room with us. Was the artist successful in expressing certain traits? (Explore) © (Interpretation)

Mary Cassatt, Self-Portrait

5. Realistic Self-Portraits: Teach the students the correct placement of features on a realistic face (see the attached handout). Show the students several realistic self-portraits. Have the students create a step-by-step drawing of a face as the teacher draws a face on the board. This can serve as a template that the students can use tracing paper for their final drawing. Have the students draw a final realistic drawing. (Apply) (P)

Teaching tip: Be careful while teaching realism to not make the students think that realism is more important than expressionism. This lesson works best to have the students do the expressive self portrait before the realist self portrait.

6. Which is better? After students have completed both portraits, have a discussion with the class. Have a realistic portrait hanging on one side of the room and an expressive portrait on the other. Have students stand in the corner next to the corresponding picture as you ask questions about them. Questions may include: Which style was easier to make? Which style do you like to look at more? Which style would your mom like better? Which style is worth more money? Have several students share their responses as they move from corner to corner. Which one represents you more accurately? (Conceptualize) (A)

7. Continuum: Give each table three examples of self-portraits. Give them a cutout or picture of a Camera (realism) and a Heart (expressionism). Have the students place their portraits somewhere on the continuum.

8. Closure: Shrek Expression: Show the students a video clip from the movie Shrek. Talk about Shrek and Fiona’s struggle over appearance. Why was this a struggle for them? Ask the students what they can do to be expressive in their appearance. Do they have a favorite cartoon character that represents them? Is there a favorite color they wear a lot? Discussion may include other aspects of clothing and hairstyles. (Conceptualize) (VC)

Assessments (F=Formative, S=Summative):

1. C and VC: Class discussion-individual participation/observation (F) (S)

2. A: individual/group participation and teacher test on continuum (F)

3. AH andP: Oral Learner report with teacher (S)

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Key: P-Production, C-Criticism, A-Aesthetics, AH-Art History, VC-Visual Culture

Standard IMedia:MixedTechnique:VariedProcess:

Standard IIElement:Varied Principle:

Function:

Standard IIISubject Matter:PortraitsSymbols:

Ideas:People-Self

Standard IVHistory: Portraiture Culture: (Visual Culture):Shrek, Clothing,

Hairstyle

Standard VCharacteristics(Aesthetics):Realism/ ExpressionismMerits (Criticism):Interpretation

Standard VIArts:Media ArtsDramaOther:Literature

Assessment Strategies for People/Self Lesson

Learner Report: (formative)

1. What personality trait are you trying to express?

2. What medium did you select to achieve your goals?

3. Were you successful in illustrating your selected trait?

4. What did you struggle with?

5. How can I apply what I am learning to other subjects?

6. Did you like abstract or realistic better?

7. Which portrait was easier?

8. Which of the two images do you feel most accurately represents the real you? Why?

9. What did you learn about yourself during this lesson?

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Let’s Face It! A Wayne Thiebaud Point of View

Objective: Students will learn to do contour figure drawing. After studying the unique composition of Wayne Thiebaud’s work, students will create a collage by drawing a picture to attach their contour drawings on that exhibits their understanding of a typical Wayne Thiebaud composition.

Materials: An image of the Wayne Thiebaud painting, Three Prone Figures, other Thiebaud images: Ballroom Trio IIIBallroom Figures #1Two Kneeling FiguresTwo Men Walkinglarge sheets of drawing paper, pens, colored pencils, scissors and glue, 9” x12” or similar-size drawing paper, other media of choice such as paint or crayons etc., examples of other artists’ work (see lesson) a tape measure Teacher preparation: Study the composition of Wayne Thiebaud’s work. Notice what is unusual about his compositions. Be prepared to discuss this with the students. (Perhaps have some examples of other artist’s work that has similar subject matter but would be considered a more normal composition.) Notice his style of rendering the figure. Be prepared to discuss this with your students so they will have an understanding of how he draws and paints. Be prepared to demonstrate how to do contour figure drawing. Be familiar with the proportions of the human figure and able to point out simple relationships such as where the hands come to when the arms are hanging down, where the elbows are in relation to the torso, that the shoulders stick out past the head, that length of the body from the waist down is longer than from the waist to the shoulders

because legs are longer than arms, that the elbow and the knee divide the arms and legs in half, etc.

Lesson: Show the image Three Prone Figures, and discuss the following questions: What do you see in this painting? What’s different about this painting?

Why do you think the artist painted the figures lying face down?

How do you feel about this painting?

Show some of Wayne Thiebaud’s other paintings of figures.Ask: Do you think these paintings were done by the same artist? What makes you think that?(If the students haven’t picked up on the unusual composition, show works of other artists that contain figures, and discuss their composition as compared to Thiebaud). Ask students to compare the Thiebaud pieces with those showing more traditional genre

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scenes. Ask whether Thiebaud’s pieces could be called genre scenes and have students explain their reasoning (there is no right or wrong answer). If the students are old enough to understand the terms, explain static and dynamic. If the students are too young for these terms, explain the concepts.

Discuss Thiebaud’s style of painting. (Here again comparing other artists’ styles may be helpful). You may want to discuss what style is and show examples of extreme differences in style. You can also have students look at how Thiebaud uses paint—very thick, rich layers of paint.

Activity: Step 1 - Get a student volunteer to stand at the front of the class and show the relationships of size among various parts of the body, and measure lengths to emphasize proportions. Have the student make different poses and point out the relationships of one point (part) to another.

Explain contour drawing to the students, if they do not know what it is, and demonstrate how they are going to draw just the outline of the body and don’t need to draw details (hair or buttons or pockets, etc.) Pass out the large pieces of drawing paper and pens. Explain they will be doing several drawings on this piece of paper.

Get a student volunteer to pose. Have the model face away from the class so the students will only be drawing the figure from the back. Discuss with the class some of the contours they should notice such as where sleeves, collars or pants stick out or end.Give the students only two minutes to do three or four drawings as practice warm ups.

Then have them evaluate their own drawings. Are you drawing the arms and legs long enough?

Does the pose look natural? What do you need to do to make it look more natural?Is it a real contour drawing that only shows the outline?

Have the students do three or four more drawings, and this time, give them three minutes.Then have them choose the one they like the best—even if it is one from the first group— and have them

enhance it with additional lines using colored pencils and tracing over the pen lines. When they have completed the drawing, they can color in the figure with the colored pencils and add a few details such as clothing lines and colors. Cut out and save this drawing.

Step 2 - Discuss how they have drawn the back of the figure so now they will have to decide what their figure is looking at.Show: An example of a painting where the figures are facing out.Ask: What do you think this figure (s) is looking at?Show: Three Prone FiguresAsk: What are these figures looking at? Are there any rules as to what you can decide your figure is looking at? (if necessary discuss appropriateness) Is it ok for fine art to be humorous?

Pass out the other drawing paper and whatever media you have chosen for the students to use and

Wayne Thiebaud, Ballroom Trio III 2003

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have them draw whatever it is that they want their figure to be looking at.Before having them glue their figure on their “whatever their figure is facing” drawing, review Wayne Thiebaud’s unusual composition and encourage the students to think carefully about where they are going to attach their figure.

Assessment: Discuss with the students what they have learned from participating in this art project. *proportions of the human figure *contour drawing *artistic composition,etc.

Teacher evaluation: Assess the class as a whole on whether the students were able to grasp the concept of composition and try something different, reflecting their understanding of the uniqueness of Wayne Thiebaud’s compositions.

Discuss why they chose what they did for their figure to face.What does this say about them as an individual?How is choosing what the figure in the drawing is seeing different from having the figure face out?How did they feel about having to think about the composition of their art? Did it make them uneasy, or did they like it? Why?What was the hardest part of this project?What was the most fun?

Extensions: What is it about this project that might help us to understand how other people might have a point of view that is different from ours?Why is it important for us to realize this?

In your social studies lesson, use examples of art that reflects the point of view of the people you are studying.

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Let’s Face It!The Face as Form: Pastel Portrait Drawings

Upper Elementary Level

Objectives: Students will examine their reactions to Wayne Thiebaud works before they learn about him and his artworks and then re-evaluate their reactions afterward. Students will learn some of the artists whose work Thiebaud admires. Students will discuss and make decisions about an aesthetic puzzle. Students will create a portrait in pastel, using some of Wayne Thiebaud’s techniques and approaches.

Art Criticism: Show the class the images of the following Wayne Thiebaud artworks:Player, Two Paint Cans, Dark Candy Apples, Betty Jean, Two Men Walking

Have the students give their initial reactions to the works. How do they feel about the works? What do they like or dislike? What qualities of the paintings are most evident?Then move into the Art History segment.

Art History: Present some of the biographical information, but don’t tell the class about Thiebaud’s statement about thinking about himself as a painter instead of an artist. Show some of the images of artworks by artists Thiebaud admires: (See the folder on the CD for The Face as Form. See list of artworks at end of lesson.)

Art History/Art Criticism: Ask the students to identify ways in which they think Thiebaud has incorporated ideas or painting techniques from these artists in his own work.

Aesthetics: Students will consider and discuss an aesthetic puzzle about the definition of an artist. Students will demonstrate their ability to make distinctions, to understand what art is, and to come to conclusions about aesthetic ideas by

coming to conclusions, listing their support for those conclusions, reconsidering and reinforcing or changing their minds.

Divide the class into small groups and pass out small copies or show large images of Wayne Thiebaud’s work. Have the students in their groups discuss Thiebaud’s statement about being a painter or an artist. Ask the students to discuss the following points:

1. Why do they think Thiebaud considers himself a painter, rather than an artist.

2. Do they believe Thiebaud is a painter or can he be considered an artist. They must define artist and give a list of reasons why Thiebaud qualifies or does not qualify as an artist. They must come to an agreement as a group.

Allow each of the groups to make a brief presentation, giving the reasons for their decision. Make a list of the reasons on the board in two columns: Is an Artist; Is a Painter. Allow students time to discuss their ideas.

Wayne Thiebaud, Two Paint Cans

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Ask the students, as individuals, now, whether they still believe their group’s decision was correct or whether they have changed their mind. Have students indicate on a paper what their vote is and two reasons they have or have not changed their mind.

Art production: Have the students look again at some of Thiebaud’s work and pay particular attention to the way Thiebaud has lovingly created the forms with very rich paint. Read the following description of Wayne Thiebaud’s style:

Wayne Thiebaud looks at the objects and people he paints as objects by themselves, not as related to anything around them. He uses “slow-moving strokes to model the forms.” Thiebaud “concentrate[s] on the discipline of painting and his formal concerns” (shape, line, space, color, etc.).

Steven A Nash, in “Wayne Thiebaud: A Paintings Retrospective”

Assign students to create a portrait in pastel, trying to think of the portrait as a simple form, not as a

person. They should start by drawing in the main shapes using light colors and then gradually adding smaller areas of darker colors to model the face and hair. Have the students stop periodically and evaluate their drawings/paintings upside down. Turning the artwork upside down will help the students see the artwork as an overall design and help them avoid the pitfalls of worrying about the face looking “right.”

Have the students design an exhibit that includes labels for the artworks and an brief explanation of the problem/assignment. Have the students find a place to display the artworks.

Use the rubric on the following page or design your own to suit your classes’ particular goals and criteria.

Art Criticism: Now that the students have had a variety of experiences relating to Wayne Thiebaud’s work, have the students re-examine his work and their reactions to the work. This can be a class discussion or you can have the students write a brief statement about how they feel about Wayne Thiebaud’s work in light of their experiences learning about him, his art, artists whose work he admires, his ideas about being a painter, and having created a portrait using some of Thiebaud’s approaches to painting.

Assessment: If you have had the students write down their feelings, have them turn in the writing. Evaluate the writing and insight as +, √ , or —. For younger classes, use a checklist for participation and have the students evaluate their own participation and thinking by circling the face they think represents their effort and the quality of their contribution.

Wayne Thiebaud, Betty Jean

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Artworks that Thiebaud admires:

Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin, Still Life with Glass Flask and Fruit c. 1750Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin ‘La Brioche’ (Cake) 1763Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin, The Silver GobletJean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin Water Glass and Jug c. 1760 not copyright freehttp://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/c/chardin/index.html

Giorgio Morandi, Natura Morta (Still Life), 1956http://english.mart.trento.it/UploadImgs/303_Giorgio_Morandi___Natura_morta___1956.jpgGiorgio Morandi, Still Life 1960

Giorgio Morandi, Still Life (The Blue Vase) This is a great image but not copyright free. You can get a copy for personal use in your classroom from the following website:http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/morandi/blue_vase.jpg.html

John Peto, Still life with Mug, Pipe and Book 1899http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:John-Peto-001.jpg

John F. Peto, Still Life with Hat, Umbrella and Basket Also not copyright free:http://www.ajkollar.com/gallerypics/Peto_Market2.jpg

Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin, Still Life with Glass Flask and Fruit c. 1750

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Jean-Baptiste_Sim%C3%A9on_Chardin_029.jpg

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Name Date

Assignment: Pastel Portrait

Great Job! 3 pts Nice Job! 2 pts Needs Work! 1 ptI kept the design simple

I used rich colors

My portrait filled the whole page

I wrote a complete label

I was careful

I cleaned up

Total Grade

What I like best about my portrait is

A possible Rubric: Notice that you can add any specific skills you’re working on such as fill-ing the whole page.

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Objectives and Standards:

Standard 2 Perceiving

1. Students will examine the artwork of Romare Bearden and Hannah Hoch for their use of creative and non-traditional portraits.

Standard 1 Making

2. Student will be able to create an original life-size portrait using the concepts of collage.

Materials:

Big sheets of craft paper (banner paper, two for each group.)Scissors, Pencil Stapler, Lots of Staples, Glue, Collage Magazines (they are cutting for color not for objects), Copy Paper or Sketchbooks, Envelopes for each color group (Warm, Cool, Black, Skin tones and White), Paper clips, Newspaper for stuffing the figuresFishing Line to hang the sculptures

Vocabulary: Collage, Space, Warm, and Cool Colors

Activity:

1. Show figurative works of art by Romare Bearden and Hannah Höch (see Sources at end of lesson). Ask the students to talk about the artists’ use of space and color to convey emotions and the different visual ideas expressed through their artwork. Have the students guess what the figures are feeling in the images. (Example: Bearden usually has a confining space: What would it feel like to be trapped inside of a city? What could make someone feel trapped? (poverty, race, age, inexperience, etc.)

2. Have students break up into small groups (3 to 4 students). In the small groups, they will cut small squares out of the magazines in each of the color

groups. Once the group has the envelops full, have the group members brainstorm and sketch out what would be an interesting standing position for their full body sculpture. (It’s fun if you can get them to act it out.)

3. Once the group has figured out the position, have one of the students be the model. Lay out both sheets of the banner or craft paper evenly on top of each other on the floor. Have the student lay down on those two sheets. Then the group will trace around the person with a pencil. (Watch using markers, they can mark up the clothing of the student.) Then paperclip around the paper to keep both halves together, and cut out. Have then staple around 2/3’s of the figure. (Do not close the figure completely.)

4. Then have the students use the envelopes with the colored magazine pieces by placing them onto the figure to create the color on the person. Once they have covered the front of the piece, they need to complete the back, because it is a 360º sculpture.

5. When the collage is completed, have the student take the newspapers and make small bunched up balls to fill the interior of the person. (avoid making the sculpture too heavy to hang.) Once it is filled to a reasonable amount, finish stapling around the figure till it is stapled completely.

6. Pieces can be hung around the school. Please note that the higher you hang them up the more likely they will not be messed with, because they look cool and are very light like balloons.

7. When the pieces are hung up, have the students walk around like they are in an art gallery. Have each student complete an evaluation of one of the figures.

Let’s Face It!Non-Traditional Full-Body Portraits

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Peer- Evaluation: Name of the students’ evaluating the piece:

Name of the group being evaluated:

Is the figure in a dynamic pose and is it interesting to look at?

Does the collage cover the complete figure?

What is the strongest part and what area of the figure could be improved? Please explain.

An assessment rubric is included on the next page

The idea for this project was sparked by the online web page called the Incredible Art Department lesson plan by Mark Anderson’s the Moveable Murals.

Variations: Older students could use some thing more permanent like plywood to create the shape of the figure. Younger students could just complete a head or upper part of the body.

Sources: Romare Bearden’s Collage, Pittsburgh Memory, 1964, and Hannah Höch Das schöne Mädchen (The Beautiful Girl), 1919-1920 are good examples.

Romare Bearden, Pittsburgh Memory http://www.nga.gov/feature/bearden/170-025.htm

Romare Bearden, Return of the Prodigal Son http://www.albrightknox.org/ArtStart/Bearden_l.html

http://www.michenermuseum.org/exhibits/bearden.php

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Assessment RubricStudent Name: Class PeriodAssignment/Problem: Non-Traditional Figure Sculpture Date Completed:Circle the number in pencil that best shows how well you feel that you completed that crite-rion for the assignment.

SuperiorJustifyBelow

Excellent Good AverageNeeds

ImprovementRate

YourselfTeacher’s

Rating

Composition and De-sign—does it read well? 5 4 3 2 1

Growth and progress— how does the work compare to previous work? Is there growth in thought?

5 4 3 2 1

Impact—Is it daring? Does it extend from past work? Is it a theme of personalexpression or if borrowed, how did you change it?

5 4 3 2 1

The problem—have you addressed the problem posed? Are variations made for a reason?

5 4 3 2 1

Care/effort—Is the work appropriate to the style? Attention to details—What level is the crafts-manship?

5 4 3 2 1

Work habits —Did you use your time efficiently, ask questions, record your thoughts and ex-periments?

5 4 3 2 1

Grade:Your Total Teacher

Total

Student Reflection:

Teacher’s Comments:

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3rd grade to 12th

Artists and works: Bill by Chuck Close and a Self-Portrait by Rembrandt ( I use posters from Scholastic Art and Man magazines) Or, use the two images included here: Thomas Hoffman, Mini-Me, and Self-Portrait by Rembrandt van Rijn.

Objectives: Students will be able to draw a human face with correct placement of facial features in the correct places and draw their own face looking into a mirror.

State Core Links: Drawing (VA 1140) Making; obj. B., Perceiving; obj. A and B,Expressing; obj. A, and Context. obj. C.

Foundations (VA 1200) Making; obj. B Perceiving; obj. A and B, Expressing; obj. A and Context. obj. C

Materials: • 9x12 60 lb paper • copies for each student of graph drawing for full front face • pencils, erasers • classroom set of mirrors. • Posters of Bill and Self-Portrait from Art and Man magazines, or get images from: Bill, http://www.museum.oas.org/permanent/ new_expressions/works/close.html A Self-Portrait of Rembrandt from commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category: Rembrandt_selfportrait Or, use images from the CD

Lesson : (includes activities, aesthetics, art history, and criticism)

Let’s Face It!FACE PROPORTIONS: Full Front and Profile

Frontload activity: Display and compare by slide or poster, 2 portraits that are different in style, media and time period. I’ve used Bill by Chuck Close and Self-Portrait By Rembrandt. To generate a class discussion that includes aspects of art history, aesthetics and criticism, the following questions may be helpful:

1. What are paintings of people called? 2. What is the objective of a portrait? 3. What is similar about these two paintings? 4. What is different? ( Chuck Close says that he paints “photographs” not people, and Rembrandt looked at himself in a mirror)

Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait 1665commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Rem-

brandt_Harmensz._van_Rijn_132.jpg

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5. What is the time difference between the 2 paintings? What has changed in those years? 6. How are portraits done today? 7. Before the camera was invented, how were portraits done? 8. When was the last time you had a portrait done? With your family? 9. Did you like the way you looked? 10. Can portraits be changed to make the person look better? 11. How is this done with photography? How is it done with painting? 12. Do you think it right that portraits should be altered to make a person look better? Is it then a lie? 13. What is so important about looking “better”? 14. Why would an artist paint a portrait of himself?

Drawing Activity 1: Pass out 9”x 12” drawing paper, pencils and erasers, and print-outs to all students. Students with Full Face Graph print-outs on desks or tables will watch while you draw the graph on the board or overhead. (A full-size copy of the graph is included at the end of the lesson.) Students then model the teacher by drawing the

graph themselves (not trace the print-out unless a student is really struggling). The adult human face is represented by a circle and another half which makes an oval and which can be divided into third parts. Continue modeling for students by drawing dotted, horizontal lines that show this division of thirds. This is called the “Rule of thirds.”

The face is also divided in half vertically with a dotted line. Wait for students to mimic you with their drawing. Circulate to help students get this concept. Continue… “This vertical line is called the Y axis, and the horizontal line that divides the circle is called the X axis. The point where Y and X cross should be between the eyebrows. Draw eyebrows on the X axis and draw vertical lines from the eyebrows to the bottom of the circle for the nose. Stress that nose lines go into the eyebrows, not the eyes, which is a very common mistake with beginning learners. Another common inclination is to diminish the nose and nostrils by drawing it too small. (Japanese pop culture Anime characters have little or no nose at all)

The middle section contains 3 important organs for the senses; eyes, nose and ears. Draw a foreshortened nose with nostrils, center bulb and flanges. (Foreshortened means you have shortened the lines of an object so it looks like the object projects in space.) Draw almond shapes for eyes underneath the eyebrows. Stress leaving an eye’s thickness between the brow and the eye. Off to the side of the drawing, draw a large eye including corner tear duct, upper/lower eye lids, iris, pupil, reflected spot of light, and eyelashes. Give students time to draw eyes in the right position and circulate in the group to catch incorrect placement.

Draw the mouth line first in the lower third of the face. Draw it closer to the nose than the bottom of the chin. Draw the little “loop” that comes down from the nostrils and creates the “bow” on the upper lip. The width of the mouth line should not exceed imaginary lines that can be draw vertically from the pupils of the eyes. Draw lips with upper lip bow.

The last features to add are the foreshortened ears, which look like skinny letter “Cs” and must occupy the space on the side of the head between the X axis and the bottom of the nose and the neck. The neck

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should be as wide as the face and vertical lines come down from the ear lobes. Finish the bottom of the neck with a large curved “U” shaped line. It looks so much better than leaving 2 vertical lines dangling or drawing a straight, horizontal line connecting them, which is what beginning learners will do.

The upper third of the face has no sensory organs, only the forehead and hair. Beginners will want to diminish this area because there is nothing important up there, but resist that and insist they do not put eyes in the forehead above the X axis. Draw a hairline with a dotted line close to the top of the forehead. Demonstrate a few ways to draw hair for boys and girls.

Shaded Face: When the students have completed a line drawing with pencil, they should shade in the face with the side of a sharpened pencil and cover the whole face, lips, eyes, ears, and neck with medium gray pencil strokes. This general shading assumes that light is coming from above. Then with finger or shading stumps, students should smooth out the pencil strokes by going in the opposite direction until there is a smooth gray tone on the flesh parts of the drawing. Students may complain that the face

now looks dirty, but it will look natural when the details are darkened.

Next, using an eraser, students will erase out the forehead, the top of the nose and top of nose flanges, the tops of cheekbones, the upper lip (except where the nose creates a triangular shadow on the upper lip), the protruding lower lip and the top of the chin. Next, have students smooth the edges of the erased areas so that the change from gray to light is gradual. Students should go over the eye and eyebrow details with heavier pressure on the pencil, so the details are darker. They also need to shade the hair by adding light gray strokes and dark gray strokes of the pencil.

Drawing Activity 2: Model for students the drawing of graph and facial features of a profile face again using 9” x 12” drawing paper, pencils and print-outs of the Profile Face.

Drawing Activity 3 (and assessment): On new sheet of drawing paper, students draw either a full face or profile face starting with the graph and correctly fitting the facial features in the correct places. This drawing can be expressive in that students can create a male or female face with unique hair styles and

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appropriate details. Emphasize that this is not to be a cartoon and that facial features need to be correct, not left out or exaggerated. The teacher may show slight gender differences to help students with their drawings. Shading the face in very general terms may be modeled for students as well and be part of the assignment. Display completed works on a wall and conduct a critique by asking students the following questions: 1. Which drawings did the best job of using the graph correctly by putting features in the right place? 2. Which drawings have eyes that look natural? Nose? Mouth? Hair? Shading? Etc. 3. What did you learn by doing this drawing?

Drawing Activity 4: Self-portrait drawing using mirrors.

In this activity the students will use what they now know of facial proportions and draw their own face by looking in the mirror. Use the same materials: pencils, erasers, and 9” x 12” drawing paper, but now each student needs a mirror that can sit on a

desk by itself. The students should be encouraged to use the circle graph first, and draw the general shapes lightly and then draw their own features in the correct places. This work can be extended to include color and or shading. Again, place finished works on a wall and conduct a critique by asking questions.

Sources: Any good basic, beginning drawing book about portraiture or anatomy.

Variations: Color can be added with colored pencils or crayons to the assessment drawing. Also, personal symbols can be drawn into the negative spaces.

Extensions: Self-portrait drawing from mirrors or digital black and white photocopies, with white chalk pencils on black paper.

Expressive self-portraits can be painted with tempera or acrylic after a lesson on color and human emotions.

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Abstract/Cubistic self-portraits can be done with pastels after the manner of the early 20th century cubists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Man with a guitar http://artchive.com/artchive/B/braque/man_guit.jpg.htmlhttp://artchive.com/ftp_site.htm See “Analytical Cubism”

Stylized self-portraits can be created in colored pencil after the manner of contemporary illustrators or cartoonists.

Students can create self-portraits based on any significant historical style such as Fauvism.

Non-Objective self-portraits can be done with no facial features at all. Instead, students will create an abstract picture using only colors, simple shapes, and marks that reflect the student’s internal, emotional state of being.

Advanced: Once students have a good understanding of facial proportions, they can create portraits using unusual points of view:

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Visual Culture: Have students bring in copies of recent family photo portraits and display them and ask questions like; 1. Why is everyone smiling? 2. Why do we want to be seen smiling? 3. What would happen if the faces reflected their true feelings?

Alice Neel’s family portrait of her daughter and 3 granddaughters as featured in Scholastic Art and Man magazines, issue, March 2001 would be a good work to look at and compare to the formal photo family portraits. Another possible comparison is John Singer Sargent’s painting The Daughters of Edward D. Boit, which can be found at http://www.artchive.com/artchive/s/sargent/sargent_daughters.jpg

All the student examples in this lesson are from The All-State High School Show at the Springville Musuem of Art, 2008

J. Alden Weir, Portrait of Robert Hoebyu.edu

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Grade Level: Secondary

Elements and Principles: Value, Repetition

Artist: Chuck Close

Objectives:1 Students will learn and recognize Chuck Close’s artwork.2 Students will be able to create a self-portrait based on Chuck Close’s technique of creating a face from a grid, focusing on one square at a time. They will use their fingerprints.3. Students will learn the importance of Value as an art element to visually represent things accurately.4. Students will contemplate and reach their own opinions of the meaning, value, and many possibilities of portraits.

Materials: • Photoshop • Printer • Camera • Drawing paper 9” x 9” • Drawing paper 24”x 36” • Butcher paper (pieces about 45” long) • Rulers • Yardsticks • Ink stamp pads • Ink stamp pad refill bottles

State Core Standards: Standard 1, Objective 1 – Refine techniques and processes in a variety of mediaStandard 1, Objective 2 – Create works of art using art elements and principlesStandard 2, Objective 1 – Critique works of art

Art History:Introduce the students to the artwork of Chuck Close through a PowerPoint presentation. His work

is primarily up-close, large-scale faces of people he knows. Early in his career he made careful airbrushed portraits that were photorealistic. After suffering a crippling accident, he is now confined to a wheel chair and is not as able to use his arms as he used to be. He still paints large-scale portraits but rather than make them photorealistic, he creates them from a grid where each square in the grid contains abstract designs up close, but from a distance makes up the face. Chuck Close has made hundreds of different portraits this way. One of the variations of techniques he’s used is making a portrait out of repeated fingerprints.

Let’s Face It!FINGERPRINT SELF-PORTRAITS

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A good video to show could be “Chuck Close: A Portrait in Progress.”

The following list are some good websites with Chuck Close images and they include some of his fingerprint ones which are harder to come by: http://www.paceprints.com/artistportfolio/artistportfolio.asp?aID=18&UID=1853http://www.chuckclose.coe.uh.edu/learning/TeacherPacket_Viewing.htmlhttp://www.barbarakrakowgallery.com/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/313

Or just do a google image search for Chuck Close.

Art Criticism:Display Big Self-Portrait, 1967-68 to the class (it is Chuck Close, shirtless, with a cigarette in his mouth. This portrait was airbrushed during his photorealistic days)(ttp://www.moma.org/exhibitions/1998/close/). Using this image you may do one of three things (either writing in student journals or have a class discussion):

1. Describe this person. What kind of thoughts might be going through his mind? What could his personality be like? What time of the day is it? What might his name be?

2. How is this photo different from your traditional portrait photo – like one you would get done in a studio, or for your Senior photo? (he’s not wearing a shirt, his hair isn’t combed, he has a cigarette in his mouth, the lighting isn’t good, the angle is not right, he’s not smiling, etc.). Then tell them it is a self-portrait; the artist depicted himself this way. Why would someone want to portray themselves this way? What is a more honest portrait, one like this, or one taken at a portrait studio where your hair has been combed perfectly and you have a posed smile on your face?

3. Ask students to compare and contrast this portrait with a photo of an Easter Island Head statue. How are they similar and how are they different – in looks, purpose, and creation? Remember that Chuck Close’s portrait is 107’’ x 86’’. How does viewing a face at such a large scale influence the viewer’s reaction to it?

Aesthetics:Discussion#1: Show the students a Chuck Close portrait (one of the grid-based ones), and a photomosaic poster image. (http://www.picturemosaics.com/ or http://www.bigmosaics.com/photo-mosaic-1132-example.html) Ask them to compare and contrast these in as many ways as they can. They are very similar in some ways (it’s a large image made up of smaller squares) but what is the biggest difference? Photomosaics are made through a computer program, but Chuck Close creates and makes decisions without the aid of a computer. Are photomosaics art? Are Chuck Close’s portraits art?

Discussion #2: Show the students the National Geographic photograph “Woman from Kabul”.( http://www.sites.si.edu/images/exhibits/In%20Focus/pages/Caged-Goldfinches_jpg.htm) Does this count as a portrait? (you can’t even see her face). Have the students defend their different opinions. Does this portrait have any deeper meanings or symbolism in it? The bird cage on her head can be a representation of the freedom women have in that culture. Try to come to a conclusion of what the definition of a portrait is, or have the students decide for themselves.

http://gloriana.wordpress.com/2007/03/

(Easter Island head http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Moai_Rano_raraku.jpg) In Packet

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Discussion #3: Show the students an image of Marc Quinn’s “Self”, (http://www.artnet.com/Magazine/features/kostabi/Images/kostabi5-24-16.jpg) a cast self-portrait made of the artist’s frozen blood. Have them guess what it is made out of. After you have told them it is the artist’s own blood, ask the students, “What does this add to the meaning of the self-portrait”? Does this make it cooler, or grosser? Should a line be drawn for what materials can be used for art? (If you wish, you may tell them of, or show them Marc Quinn self-portrait made of his own poo.)

Studio Production:For a warm-up to their self-portrait assignment, have them create a collaborative portrait where each student is in charge of only one square from the grid that makes up one big picture. This can be prepared on Photoshop. Pick any photo and divide it up into however many squares you want to, using the lines you can drag out from the rulers on the side of your window (I did it 8 squares across and 10 down). Then copy and paste each individual square into a new window, save them, and print them out as large as you can. Label each square with a code so that you know where that square goes in the grid. I numbered my columns and lettered my rows, just like in battleship. So a square might have a label such as “C5”. Give the students a blank square of paper (I made them 9”x9”) and one of the printed, enlarged squares from the grid.

Once the squares have been enlarged and isolated from the grid, they are less recognizable, so students won’t be able to tell whether they are working on an ear, eye, nose, or who-knows-what. This is very important, and what they learn from this exercise will help them make a successful Chuck Close portrait. Give them an ink stamp pad and their assignment is to fill their blank piece of paper with fingerprints, BUT they have to try to match the values in the printed square from the bigger picture. So in the darker areas the students will put more fingerprints and/or have more ink on their fingers when they print, and in the lighter areas they will have fewer fingerprints and/or less ink on their fingers when they print.

Make sure that when they are done, they write the code on the back of their fingerprinted square paper. If done right, the squares can be taped up on a wall in the right order, and they will reveal a large fingerprint portrait. This should go fairly quickly and should take one class period. Some students might be able to do more than one. I let them repeat squares too, just as long as they stayed busy, and that way I had repeats of some squares, and I could pick the best ones.

While the students work on this exercise, take them aside one by one to take their picture. I put up a white sheet of butcher paper so that the background would be light, and show shadows (if any). Remember to zoom in pretty close to their face — the same way Chuck Close does. If they were camera shy, I let them do a ¾ view, so they didn’t have to stare at the camera. Do not use a flash; it’s important to have natural shadows.

I printed out their photos in black and white at 4”x 6”. The first thing they need to do is draw a grid on their photo. The boxes should be ½” x ½” giving you 8 boxes across the top and 12 boxes down the side. The best way to do this is to make marks every half inch along the top AND the bottom of the photo, Then make a line connecting the marks with the ruler. Same for the two sides (You’d be surprised how many students try to eye-ball it). A good precise grid is the first step to getting a good enlarged reproduction. If the grid is messed up, start over; there’s no point in going on.

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The grid should then be duplicated on the large 24”x 36” paper. This time the boxes are 3”x 3”, but you still have 8 boxes across the top and 12 down the side. As with the grid on your photo, the easiest way to do this is to make marks every 3 inches along the top, bottom, and two sides, then draw a line connecting the marks. Make sure you make these lines very lightly so that they can be easily erased later, or hidden by the fingerprints.

Once they have the grids made, the students may start fingerprinting. Take it a square at a time. It is wisest to start from an edge. Most students started from the top, completing one row and then moving onto the next. For storage purposes and to keep it cleaner while working, each student was given a sheet of butcher paper about 45” long. This was kept behind their 24”x 36” paper so that they could make fingerprints right up to the edge of the paper and print on the butcher paper too. When it was time to put it away, the students simply rolled their photo and their fingerprint portrait in the butcher paper and put a rubber band around it. The student’s names were written on the outside of the roll for quick recognition.

Tips:1. Keep in mind that your first fingerprint after pressing on the ink pad will be the darkest and the following fingerprints will get lighter as you go. Use this to your advantage. Also remember that the pressure you put in your fingerprinting will also affect the darkness and lightness of the fingerprint.

2. Use the butcher paper for any test fingerprints or to get excessive ink off your finger.

3. Remember: you are imitating the value you see in each individual square. That’s all it is. Don’t be fooled by knowing you are making an eye or a nose. If you try too hard to make it look like what you know you are working on, then chances are you are going to goof it up. Stay on the mission of just copying the values as you see them. Trust in that. Even though it doesn’t look like a nose or mouth in that one square, it will when you step away and combine it with the other squares, if you’ve copied the value right.

4. Some students found it helpful to cut a ½”x ½” window in a piece of paper with an x-acto knife so that they could place it over their photo and focus on one square and its values. It helps with the mind game explained in tip #3.

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Assessment:

Craftsmanship Grids are measured correctly. Precise lines. 5

Value AccuracyThe values in the fingerprint portrait match the values in the photo. No cartoony outlines of

eyes, nose, mouth, or edge of face.10

EffortStudent consistently put forth genuine effort.

Used class time wisely. Came to the teacher for help and advice.

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Total points possible: 30

Student examples:

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Variations:Doodle itYou can do the exact same concept on a smaller scale, but the students doodle in every square in order to copy the values from the photo. Close doodling and sketching appears dark, and farther apart doodling appears lighter. You can enlarge a 4”x 6” photo on to a 12”x 18” drawing paper. See photos 6 – 9.

Watercolor itYou can do the same thing in color. Have the students focus on a square of the grid at a time and make a watercolor wash trying to imitate the values and colors in the photo.

Paint itDo it just like Chuck Close does. Use acrylics or oils. It’s easier if you stick to black and white.

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Let’s Face It!EXPRESS YOURSELF!

Objective: To help secondary students explore the wide variety of ways to express themselves in a self-portrait by asking them to make a large number of specific choices and decisions.

To the Teacher: As you are no doubt aware, many secondary students, even those with some facil-ity in drawing and painting, get themselves stuck in a rut. Either, they have found an approach or style they can do fairly well and stay with it because it’s safe—they feel successful. Or, they tend to mimic other artists. Sometimes, just making the students aware of how many choices they are making can help the students get out of their rut, and try new ways of expressing themselves, opening up whole new vistas for exploration. The following worksheet helps students work through 15 different decisions about creating a self-portrait.

Materials:The Expressive Self-Portrait WorksheetImages of a wide variety of self-portraits—see CD im-agesA variety of mediaA variety of paperTools, as needed for each mediaSketch paper and pencils

Show the class a few examples of expressive self-portraits and have the students identify the many different decisions the artists have made in choosing how to represent themselves. Give the students a copy of the worksheet and explain that each of them is going to plan out an expressive self-portrait using the work-sheet. Once the worksheet is complsted, the students will create their self-portrait. The students may change their minds about some facets of the self-portrait as they work. When/if they do, the students must record on their worksheet what they have changed and why. The worksheet will be turned in along with the finished self-portrait.

To the students:Use the following worksheet to plan your expressive self-portrait. Brainstorm several possibilities. Be creative and imaginative in your choices. If you invest a little time imagining the possibilities, it will help you begin your artwork. You can still modify or change your plan as you “get into” your work, but planning will help you overcome the blank canvas or paper. Right now anything is possible – so go create.

Thomas S. Hoffman, Mini-Me (2001)

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What is thekey idea you are

trying to express?

Example

Shyness

Example

Flamboyant

What kind of lineswould you use?

Light, almost invisible Bold, curving and diagonal, thick and thin

What colors wouldyou use?

Neutrals and grays, maybe even cool colors

Bright, fluorescent, reds, purples, greens

What kind of shapeswould you use?

Curving, possibly even dissolving into the

background (wallpaper)

Curving and free flowing, large to fill most of the

space

What kind of valueswould you use?

Mostly mid tones to light without much variety

Full value range but most light with some dramatic

darks

What kind of textureswould you portray?

Subtle, small texture, mostly just flat surfaces with some little patterns

Wide variety of patterns and textures, maybe some

actual textures

What kind of spacewould you portray?

Vast space with the figure small in the distance

Close (in-your-face kind) with the face front and

center

What kind of form (3-D quality) would you use

Flat, close, almost cut-out or cartoon-like

Figure would appear rounded, full

What media would you use?

Soft pastels on top of a monochromatic watercolor

flat wash

Oil pastels dipped in white tempera paint before they

are applied

What size and type of support would you use?

8 ½” x 11” cold pressed watercolor paper – figure

placed vertical

16” x 16” bright blue construction paper with the

figure dead center

What viewpoint will you use? (seen from the top, below, profile, front, 3/4,

cropped, angled)

Seen from slightly above as if the figure were smaller

then the viewer

Mostly profile with the face lifted, maybe even seen slightly from below as it

was floating

What objects or symbols would you include?

Maybe a small pet or toy Some sort of musical instrument such as a

tambourine

What other considerations would you explore to make

it more expressive?

The figure would have downcast eyes and slightly

humped shoulders

Possibly the whole figure would be portrayed in a dancing, moving gesture

What artist’s self-portrait or artwork did you choose?

Paula Modderson-Becker’s Self-Portrait with Flower

Miriam Shapiro’s Moving Figure

What aspect did you transfer from the artwork?

The tight, closed posture with the head slightly

turned down

The bright, flowing patterns and the thick

brushstrokes

EXPRESSIVE SELF-PORTRAIT WORKSHEET

Name__________________________________________________ Period _________________

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Some examples from The All-State High School Art Exhibition at the Springville Musuem of Art 2008

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EXPRESSIVE SELF-PORTRAIT EVALUATION

NAME__________________________________________________ PERIOD _________________

What is the most successful aspect of your self-portrait?

What would you change, and how?

What ideas could you use in further exploration?

How successfully is your key idea expressed?How well do the lines contribute to the key idea?How well do the colors contribute to the key idea?How well do the shapes contribute to the key idea?How expressive are the values?How well do the textures help convey your idea or add interest to the artwork?How effectively were you able to convey the sense of space you wanted?How effectively did you convey your chosen sense of form?How well did the choice of media convey your key idea?How successful was your choice of support?How well did your choice of viewpoint contribute to the overall idea of the artwork?How well did the objects or symbols you used contribute to the key idea?How well did other artistic considerations help you convey your ideas?How successful was the aspect of another artist’s work in conveying your ideas?What is your overall evaluation of your self-portrait?

Excellent3 pts

Average2 pts

Poor1 pt

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Let’s Face It!WAYNE THIEBAUD LESSONS

Wayne Thiebaud, Two Kneeling Figures 1966oil on canvas, 60 x 72 inches

Collection of Paul LeBaron Thiebaud

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Wayne Morton Thiebaud (tee’-boh) was born in Mesa, Arizona, November 15, 1920. Before becoming an artist in 1947, he worked as a sign painter, cartoonist, commercial artist, illustrator, designer, and publicity manager in New York and California. From 1942 to 1945 he served in the Air Force and painted murals for the officers club and the post theater before being assigned to the first Motion Picture Unit in Culver City, California.

During 1949-50, he studied at the San José State University and from 1950 to 1953 at California State University, Sacramento, and the California School of Arts and Crafts. In 1951, he had his first one-man exhibition at the Crocker Art Gallery, Sacramento, California.

Thiebaud taught studio art and art history at Sacramento City College from 1951 to 1959, becoming chairman of the department in 1954. From 1959 to 1972, he taught at the University of California at Davis. Mr. Thiebaud is considered a personable, and an extremely articulate, masterful painting instructor.

Thiebaud first gained national and international acclaim in the early 1960s when he became known for thick, impasto paintings of subjects such as mass-produced food and ordinary household objects. Thiebaud is usually considered a pop artist, but his naturalistic images are more personal than is usual in true pop.

Writing about a retrospective of his works, A Feast For The Eyes, Janet Kuter comments on the variety of Thiebaud’s work, even within his tight focus:

“ Few people will come away [from the retrospective] untouched. Those who know Mr. Thiebaud best for the luscious depictions of baked goods that catapulted him to fame in

Let’s Face It!WAYNE THIEBAUD BIOGRAPHY

the early 1960s will gain broader perspective on his accomplishments. Those who think him a traditionalist will notice peculiarities that set him apart from the crowd. Those who gravitate toward seductive surfaces will have their appetites whetted. Those who prefer a more cerebral approach to art will be appeased by the paintings’ tight underpinnings, not to mention an abundance of abstract tendencies by an avowed realist.”

One quality of Thiebaud’s works many people acknowledge is the honesty and directness with which he treats everyday subjects. His paintings are about objects that are not symbolic, but real. The techniques Thiebaud developed painting still lifes carries over into his figurative work. The figures are stiff and posed against nondescript backgrounds,

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the people themselves objects-isolated, structured geometric shapes.

After being content to paint the same subjects over and over, in the late 70’s, Thiebaud turned to landscapes: “Complex composites of multiple vantage points, these paintings read like abstract networks of horizontal, vertical, and curved elements intersected by bold diagonals.” (Janet Kuter)

Wayne Thiebaud does not consider himself an ‘artist,’ but rather a ‘painter.’ He likes to make a clear distinction between the two. The following excerpt from a conversation with Elizabeth Farnsworth illustrates Thiebaud’s perspective. The two had been discussing Thiebaud’s subjects:

ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: What about the gumball machines? We shot a series of them and you’ve been painting them for a very long time-the penny machines. What do you like about those? How do you see them?

WAYNE THIEBAUD: I just see them as sort of magical objects and interesting and. . . very, very interesting objects to work on because of the color. I mean, a big round globe is so beautiful and it’s really a kind of orchestration of circles of all kinds. But it’s also very sensuous, I think, and it offers wonderful opportunities for painting something like, almost like a bouquet of flowers.

ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: You’ve said before that you don’t consider yourself an “artist,” what do you mean?

WAYNE THIEBAUD: Well, isn’t it something for other people to make a decision about? I think it’s just like, as I say, it’s like a priest referring to himself as a saint. Maybe it’s a little too early or he’s not the one to decide that. It’s decided apart from you and that’s the way it should be. It’s. . . Being an artist I think is a very rare thing. There aren’t very many people who achieve that and I think we ought to keep it as a golden special word so that it. . . It doesn’t get all gummed up or dirty or too usual. It has to be special.

ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: So what do you say when people say what do you do? You say, “I’m a painter?” WAYNE THIEBAUD: A painter and then sometimes they ask me to paint, paint their house. (Laughter)

Wayne Thiebaud, Player 1981

Wayne Thiebaud, Bananas 1975

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[The entire text of their conversation is available at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/jan-june00/thiebaud_6-30.html]

In another conversation, this one with Victoria Dalkey, Bee Art Correspondent (Thiebaud on Thiebaud Published June 4, 200), Thiebaud explains his vision of the role of a painter in the coming (21st) century:

The same role as always: to be sensitive to what his general world is and to express it with some real ability and craft, and awareness that enhances and doesn’t (make) ignoble the tradition. But also, hopefully, to develop some new visual world that we haven’t seen or haven’t seen in the same way. And I think that’s always going to be surprising. It may not be a great revolutionary idea. That’s something that the art historians often seem to think needs to occur. It’s quite a less complicated idea, not a matter of invention but of some kind of personal resolution. As you would say in poetry, finding your own voice. . . . Painters will always try to do that and pursue it with conviction.[Available at http://www2.sacramento.com/features/060400thiebaud.html]

Thiebaud also said: “Painting is more important than art. . . People say painting’s dead. Fine. It’s dead for you. I don’t care. Painting is alive for me. Painting is life for me.”[http://yp.washingtonpost.com/E/E/WASDC/0001/90/66/cs1.html]

In his essay for the catalog of the retrospective in San Francisco, Adam Gopnik describes Thiebaud as “ a modest but not minor painter.” Gopnik says he is as major as his themes: “desire, disappointment, dessert, etc.” These universal themes and the richness of Thiebaud’s paint handling have garnered him a place in America, as well as places in the major museums of American art.Sources: http://sheldon.unl.edu/HTML/ARTIST/Thiebaud_W/SSI.htmlhttp://www.fi.muni.cz/~toms/PopArt/Biographies/thiebaud.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/jan-june00/thiebaud_6-30.html

Grolier Encyclopedia

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/T/thiebaud/thiebaud_reservoir.jpg.html

Wayne Thiebaud, Yosemite Ridge 1975

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Elementary Level

Objectives:Art History & Aesthetics—Students will learn about Wayne Thiebaud, be able to identify three of his artworks, and discuss how his landscape paintings provide a personal point of view.Art Criticism—Students will compare and contrast George Innesses’ Landscapes with Wayne Thiebaud’s landscapes and will identify a favorite and provide two reasons for their choice.Studio—Students will create a personal landscape that expresses their feelings about the area where they live.

Materials: • Images from the CD folder, Where Do You Live? Wayne Thiebaud:Tide Lines, Triangle Beach, W. Palm Street George Inness: Indian Summer, Lake Albano, The Lackawanna Valley • Large sheets of paper, standard copy paper • Pencils, colored media • Copies of landscape voter page or small colored squares, one per student

Art History & Aesthetics: Give the students some biographical information about Thiebaud and show the class the examples of Wayne Thiebaud’s landscapes and the cityscape. Tell the students the names of the paintings and play a game with identifying them. Ask the students to identify ways the landscapes express Thiebaud’s personal point of view, what he’s like, what he cares about. (The view is from above, but skewed, some of the colors are brighter than they really would be, no details, he must live near a beach but also a city, he likes, the beach, etc.)

Let’s Face It!WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

Personal Landscapes

Art Criticism: Show the class the examples of George Inness’ landscapes and give a very brief biography of him. (See end of lesson) Draw a large Venn diagram on the board and ask the students to find ways the two painters’ landscapes are the same and ways they are different. Students can talk about lines, colors, shapes, and other art elements as well as art principles such as, emphasis, unity and proportion. They can also talk about overall impression, amount of Realism, etc. Have students identify ways each artist has expressed himself, personally, in his landscapes. Then allow students to choose their favorite landscape. Very young students

Wayne Thiebaud, Tide Lines, 2004-06

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can simply vote by putting their colored square in front of their favorite piece and saying why they like it best. Older students can use the voter page and explain their reasons. You may want to allow the students time to share their preferences with other students.

Studio: Remind students of the ways the class identified that Thiebaud and Inness made their landscapes personal. Give students a piece of copy paper and have them fold it in half and then in half again so they have 4 thinking spaces. Before they begin sketching, they should identify some words that describe how they view or feel about the land or city where they live. Keeping those words in mind, students should make one possible sketch of their landscape in one of the 4 squares. Students should evaluate the sketch and try a slightly different version that might better express their feelings and ideas about where they live. Students will make 2 more sketches.

When they have chosen the best sketch, they can use a pencil to very lightly sketch their landscape on a large piece of paper. Then students can finish the landscape using the colored medium of their choice. When finished, students should title their landscape and write (or have the teacher or an older student write), a brief statement about what they were trying

to express in their landscape. Exhibit the landscapes with their labels in an appropriate place in the school or the community.

George Inness, Indian Summer Landscape, 1894.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:George_Inness_002.jpg

George Inness, Lake Albano, 1869http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:George_Inness_001.jpg

George Inness, The Lackawanna Valley, 1855.http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/George_Inness_003.jpg

George Inness, Indian Summer Landscape, 1894.

George Inness, scanned from an engraving in the 13 July, 1867 edition of “Harper’s Weekly.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:GeorgeInness.JPG

George Inness Biographical Information

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George Inness was born May 1, 1825 in New York. He had 12 brothers and sisters. When he was 14 he got to study with a traveling painter for a while and later he studied with several different artists and at the National Academy of Design.

When he was 26, he got to go to Rome and then Paris, to study painting. While he was in Paris, the artists of the Barbizon School influenced him. These artists created moody paintings with dark colors and loose brushwork. When Inness came back to America, he was paid to create paintings that would show how the railroad was growing. The Lackawanna Valley painting is from this group.

As he grew older, Inness created paintings that often showed a broad panorama, with clouds above, like the painting Lake Albano.

And even later in his life, Inness was influenced by spiritual ideas about nature and his paintings became softer and more abstract and focused on a smaller, more intimate scene. Indian Summer is this kind of painting. The painting shows a couple of men in a field with cows; the colors are rich but there isn’t any strong contrast. The shapes of animals, men,

and trees are easily recognizable, but softened. This kind of painting is called Tonalist.

Inness said that art should cultivate “the artist’s spiritual nature.1” But he also believed artists should know how to use color and create strong compositions that are based on reality.

Sources: “A Painter on Painting”, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine 56, page 461. February 1878.

Bell, Adrienne Baxter. George Inness and the Visionary Landscape. 2003. ISBN 0-8076-1525-0.

Cikovsky, Nicolai: George Inness, Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1985.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Inness accessed 3/16/08

George Inness, The Lackawanna Valley, 1855.upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/George_Inness_003.jpg

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Secondary Level

Objective and Standard: Standard 2 Perceiving1. Students will examine the artwork of Wayne Thiebaud for his use of repetition in his food paintings. Standard 1 Making2. Student will be able to create a painting with texture and imagery of food, using repetition.

Artwork to look at by Wayne Thiebaud:Watermelon Slices, 1961Dark Candy Apples, 1983Barbeque Chicken, 1961

Materials: • Images of food or actual food to look at • Pencils, Paper for sketching, Painting surface (poster board, thick paper, or gesso canvas) • Acrylic paints, Acrylic additive to make texture (thickener) • Brushes (try popsicle sticks or a palette knives as well, to create a variety of marks with the paint) • Water Cup • Newspapers (table covering) and Paper Towels

Vocabulary: Texture and Balance Activity:1. Discuss the artwork of Wayne Thiebaud, and focus on the work looking at his use of food. Discussion questions: Does the food look like you could eat it? Why do you think he repeats the same objects or subject matter in one painting? How are the objects the same or different? Why does he use texture in his work? Why do you think Thiebaud used so much repetition in his paintings? Look at the quality of the paint in his artwork. What effect

Let’s Face It!REPETITION OF AN OBJECT

does the thick, rich paint have on the way we view the items he has painted? How would the artwork be different if the cakes and other items were painted with very thin paint, maybe with the canvas showing through?

2. Demonstrate sketching a piece of food on the board. Break the food down to its basic shapes, for example, a piece of pie would start with a triangle.

3. If possible, bring or have the students bring some real food objects so the students can get the sense of a three-dimensional object. This means the foods would need to be able to last several days. Have the students pick a food to sketch. They should make several sketches with variations, and then choose the sketch they feel has the best composition. (Optional: Have the students draw a shelf under the food to give the food a sense of ground.)

4. Have the students draw their sketch into the painting surface lightly, so that any pencil marks do not show through, because their backgrounds will be white.

Wayne Thiebaud, Watermelon Slices, 1961

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5. Now have your students clear their area and cover the table with newspaper or any table cover. Before students start to paint, demonstrate how to use the paint with the additive to create rich, thick colors. (If you have not worked with acrylic additive, you will need to experiment with it before demonstrating to the students.) Students will start painting; make sure they have the textured medium or thickener for their paints. They may need to try out the paint to become familiar with how it acts.6. Have them try different painting tools to get different types of textures.7. The paintings may take a while to dry, depending on the thickness of the paint.8. You may want to repeat the painting process to get thicker work.9. After those pieces are dry, assess the work using a rubric, and have the students look at each others’ work by having a walk-around. (Place work on the tables or walls, and make it like a gallery or museum tour around the room.) Assessment: Student Self-EvaluationChecklist: (Student-friendly language)

____ I brought a piece of food or an image of a food.____ I repeated the image of the food more than once.____ I created texture in my work with thick paint.

(Add any other criteria that fit your class and the assignment.)

For older students, use the rubric on the next page.

Other Sources: Kinder Art Lessons (Sweet Stuff Lesson)

Variations: Use junk food or healthy foods to tie in the idea of health.

Repeat objects other than food, ex. childhood toys, and look at how the subject changes the meaning.

Wayne Thiebaud, Barbequed Chicken, 1961

Wayne Thiebaud, Dark Candy Apples, 1983

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Student Reflection:

Teacher’s Comments:

Assessment RubricStudent Name: Class PeriodAssignment/Problem: Repetition of an object Date Completed:Circle the number in pencil that best shows how well you feel that you completed that crite-rion for the assignment.

SuperiorJustifyBelow

Excellent Good AverageNeeds

ImprovementRate

YourselfTeacher’s

Rating

Composition and De-sign—does it read well? 5 4 3 2 1

Growth and progress— how does the work compare to previous work? Is there growth in thought?

5 4 3 2 1

Impact—Is it daring? Does it extend from past work? Is it a theme of personalexpression or if borrowed, how did you change it?

5 4 3 2 1

The problem—have you addressed the problem posed? Are variations made for a reason?

5 4 3 2 1

Care/effort—Is the work appropriate to the style? Attention to details—What level is the crafts-manship?

5 4 3 2 1

Work habits —Did you use your time efficiently, ask questions, record your thoughts and ex-periments?

5 4 3 2 1

Grade:Your Total Teacher

Total

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WTXV

Art is a Piece of Cake…Isn’t it?

A delicious lesson by Christine Sorensenfocusing on the art of Wayne Thiebaud

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LE MENU1. EAT, ART, OUT! A Game of Aesthetics •Lesson plan •Eat, Art, Out posters for categorizing •”The Great Cake Debate” worksheet •Colored photos of food art (CD)

2. A Delightful Treat Powerpoint Presentation about Wayne Thiebaud

•Presentation on CD

3. The Baking of a Masterpiece A Delicious Studio Activity •Lesson plan •”The Great Cake Bake-Off” assessment worksheet •”Make Me a Cake” adaptation handout

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EAT, ART, OUT!Lesson Theme: “Eat, Art, Out!”- An aesthetics game

Target Grade Level: K-4

Estimated Time: 1 Hour total Learning Tasks- 40-50 min. Assessment Worksheet- 10 min.

INTASC’s Core Principles: 1,2,3,5,6,8

National Visual Arts Standards: K-4: (1b) Describe how different materials, techniques, and processes cause different responses. (3a) Explore and understand prospective content for works of art. (5c) Understand there are different responses to specific artwork.

Content Indicators: 1. Students will understand how the same subject matter can be represented in many different ways, both artistic and non-artistic. 2. Students will know how to formulate their own opinions about what makes something a work of art and understand their reasons behind their opinions. 3. Students will understand that there are many different opinions regarding artistic merit.

Process Indicators: 1. Students will be able to categorize the same subject matter represented in different ways into art/non-art categories. 2. Students will be able to formulate their opinions about what makes something art. 3. Students will be able to share their rationale behind categorizing something as art and recognize that there are many different viewpoints.

Vocabulary: Opinion-1: a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter 2: belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge. Pop Art- Art in which commonplace objects (as road signs, hamburgers, comic strips, or soup cans) are used as subject matter and are often physically incorporated in the work.

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2.Wayne Thiebaud- (born Mesa, Arizona, November 23,1920) is an American painter whose most famous works are of cakes, pastries, boots, toilets, toys and lipsticks. His last name is pronounced “Tee-bo.” He is associated with the Pop art movement because of his interest in objects of mass culture, however, his works, executed during the fifties and sixties, slightly predate the works of the classic pop artists. He has also been seen, due to his true to life representations, as a predecessor to photorealism. Thiebaud uses heavy pigment and exaggerated colors to depict his subjects, and the well-defined shadows characteristic of advertisements are almost always included in his work. (6)

Motivation: Show students a real, yet plain-looking, cake. Show students a real, yet very artistic-looking, cake. Show students a smushed, and very yucky looking piece of cake. Show students a sculpture of a cake. Show students a painting of cakes by Wayne Thiebaud. Lead a discussion about the differences and similarities of the cakes. Have students discuss whether they would consider each cake something to EAT, something that is ART, or something that is neither and should be thrown OUT!

Learning Tasks: 1. Display three posters for categorizing artworks, EAT, ART, and OUT! They can be coated with Velcro dots or have a pouch for holding photos of artwork.

EAT= Something that is NOT art, and should be eaten.

ART= Something that may or may not be eaten, but should DEFINITELY be seen as a work of art.

OUT= Something that should not be eaten, nor considered a work of art. Throw it out! (Posters at end of lessons) 2. Prepare photos of food: paintings of food, actual food, sculptures of food, food arranged in a display or exhibit, etc. There are some very interesting examples of art and food available on the internet! If desired, place a Velcro dot on the back of each photo for easy placement onto posters. 3. Explain to students that they will be looking at pictures which all relate to food somehow. Each student will get a few pictures to place in the category they feel is most appropriate. Remind the students that there are no wrong answers! One of the best things about art is that there is room for many different opinions! They should, however, be able to give a reason to support their decision. 3. Let each student explain one of their choices as they are categorizing their picture.

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4. Have students complete “The Great Cake Debate” worksheet for assessment. (At end of lessons) EXTENSION ACTIVITY:

1. Pick something out of the EAT or OUT sections. 2. Ask students if there is anything that could be done to those items to

make it fit into the ART category. A few good questions to suggest for young students: 1. What if Vincent van Gogh had signed it? 2. What if someone painted on it? 3. What if an art director in a museum puts it in an exhibit? 4. What if we frame it? 5. How would you change it to make it art?

Important Thoughts: Since this is an exercise in formulating individual opinions about the nature of art, it is important to create a comfortable, non-threatening atmosphere in which students can explore and express their own thoughts and feelings about art. It should be emphasized to the students that there are COUNTLESS opinions about what makes something art and NONE of those opinions are wrong. They are just what they suggest—opinions. Students should be reminded not to laugh at another student’s viewpoint. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion… especially when it comes to art!

Assessment:

•.Verbal explanation of opinion through EAT, ART, OUT activity. • Completion of “The Great Cake Debate” worksheet.

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The Baking of a MasterpieceLesson Theme: “The Baking of a Masterpiece”- A Delicious Studio Activity

Target Grade Level: K-4

Estimated Time: 1 1/2 Hours total Learning Tasks- 1 hour Bakery Walk- 15-20 min. Assessment Worksheet- 5 min. Clean-up- 10 min.

Materials Needed: • Polymer Clay- such as Sculpey (Approximately 2oz. per student) • Toothpicks or clay tools • Toaster oven or conventional oven • Desired materials for displaying cakes

INTASC’s Core Principles: 1,4,5,6,8

National Visual Arts Standards:K-4: (1c) Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, stories.

(1d) Use art materials and tools in a safe and responsible manner. (4b) Identify specific works of art as belonging to particular cultures, times, and places.

(5a) Understand there are various purposes for creating works of art.

Content Indicators:1. Students will understand how the art of Wayne Thiebaud represents American pop culture.

2. Students will know how to create a sculpture of a “food icon”. 3. Students will understand that the method in which something is

displayed effects how it is received by its audience. Process Indicators: 1. Students will be able to design a cake or a sucker based on the art of

Wayne Thiebaud. 2. Students will be able to create a 3-D food sculpture out of polymer clay. 3. Students will be able to display their sculptures as a group in a bakery setting.

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Vocabulary: 1. Pop Art- Art in which commonplace objects (as road signs, hamburgers, comic strips, or soup cans) are used as subject matter and are often physically incorporated in the work. 2.Wayne Thiebaud- (born Mesa, Arizona, November 23,1920) is an American painter whose most famous works are of cakes, pastries, boots, toilets, toys and lipsticks. His last name is pronounced “Tee-bo.” He is associated with the Pop art movement because of his interest in objects of mass culture, however, his works, executed during the fifties and sixties, slightly predate the works of the classic pop artists. He has also been seen, due to his true to life representations, as a predecessor to photorealism. Thiebaud uses heavy pigment and exaggerated colors to depict his subjects, and the well-defined shadows characteristic of advertisements are almost always included in his work. (6) 3. Sculpture- A three-dimensional work of art. 4. Symbol- Something that stands for or represents something.

Motivation: Show students several common symbols that they would easily recognize. Examples: American Flag, Statue of Liberty, McDonalds Arches, Nike Swoosh, etc. Explain that these images represent our culture here in America. They are popular images. Show the food art of Wayne Thiebaud. Ask the students how his paintings of pies and gumball machines might represent our culture. These, too, are popular images in our country. This is called pop art because it depicts such popular images.

Extention Activity: Show students a Coke can and compare it to a less recognizable drink can. Ask them to determine which represents pop culture more effectively and why. This can also be done with many other items, such as sports logos, clothing, etc.

Learning Tasks:1. Show students several delicious works of art by Wayne Thiebaud. Discuss the different patterns, shapes and colors in his cake designs.2. Instruct students that they will be creating miniature cakes out of clay for a bakery display case similar to the art of Wayne Thiebaud. 3. Have students use colored pencils or crayons to sketch ideas for their own cake designs. Remind them that they are miniature cakes- about the size of a quarter or less.4. Divide students into groups of about four students each. 5. Each student will design his or her own cake(s).6. Each group will construct a bakery display together, using each student’s cake sculptures.

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7. Students will receive several colors of clay per group and clay tools, which can also be toothpicks, forks, etc.8. Students will also receive items for arranging a display case such as: small wooden discs for plates or spools of thread for cake stands, etc. They can also use paper and other materials to create their own, unique bakery environment.9. Bake clay according to directions on packaging. (Usually about 30 minutes @ 275°) 10. When all groups are finished, have a bakery walk where all the students get to see the different bakeries.

11. Suggestion: Clay confections (after baked) could be glued to magnets and hung on a local fridge BECAUSE, what is more representative of American pop culture than hanging a kid’s artwork on a fridge?

Assessment:•.Students will be graded using cake scoring rubric.

Inter-Disciplinary Connections:•.MATH- Have students create paper cakes and cut them into 4-8 equal pieces. Students can then use their cakes to study fractions.•.LANGUAGE ARTS- Have students create an advertisement for their bakery, describing in detail, one of their most delectable cakes. •.SOCIAL STUDIES- Have students describe what another country’s food display case might look like. Example: Japan might display sushi.

Adaptations: Special Needs Students • Students who struggle with fine motor skills can color or paint the “Make Me a Cake” handout instead of sculpting a cake out of clay.

Cutting Costs • Salt dough can be used instead of polymer clay.

Further Extensions: • Students can make their own cake paintings and drawings. • Students can make edible art by frosting a graham cracker “canvas” and using a toothpick to carve (or “paint”) their canvas. • Ceramic students can make larger cakes and frost them with glazes.

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Resources:1.Brown, Kathan. Wayne Thiebaud. www.Magical- Secrets.com/artists/thiebaud. Crown Point Press.

2. Haber, John. No Time Like the Present, Haber Arts Reviews, NY. www.haberarts.com/thiebaud.

3. Nash, Steven A. Wayne Thiebaud: A Paintings Retrospective, 2000.

4. Smithsonian. Archives of American Art; Wayne Thiebaud, Memories and Delights. 2001-2002

5. Susan Goldman Rubin. Delicious: The Art and Life of Wayne Thiebaud, 2007. 6. Wikipedia, The Internet Encyclopedia.