I've recently fallen in love with the art of George Littlechild. He is a Native American artist who uses "bold colours and playful images, belying the serious undertones of his work." (click here to learn more) His art speaks of how we view the world and connections to ancestors. I personally am drawn to his bold, vibrant colors and the almost-not-quite symmetrical decorative designs.
I failed to take any in-progress pictures of my 3rd graders working on their self-portraits inspired by the work of Littlechild but the end results are quite stunning.
We started this lesson, of course, by looking at the work of George Littlechild and having conversations about what we see, what the work might mean, etc. A few things we took note of was the use of pattern on the faces, the images on the foreheads, and the colorful backgrounds.
As students planned their self-portrait, they had to think of an image to draw on their foreheads that was a symbol for themselves.
We revisited the 'rules' of drawing proportionate faces and students began their art with a pencil line drawing of their face and shoulders and then added patterns to their face and the background and added their personal symbol. They each had the choice of using markers or paints to finish their work.
3rd graders spent four-five 40 minute class periods working on these masterpieces.
We started this lesson, of course, by looking at the work of George Littlechild and having conversations about what we see, what the work might mean, etc. A few things we took note of was the use of pattern on the faces, the images on the foreheads, and the colorful backgrounds.
As students planned their self-portrait, they had to think of an image to draw on their foreheads that was a symbol for themselves.
We revisited the 'rules' of drawing proportionate faces and students began their art with a pencil line drawing of their face and shoulders and then added patterns to their face and the background and added their personal symbol. They each had the choice of using markers or paints to finish their work.
3rd graders spent four-five 40 minute class periods working on these masterpieces.
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