Overview:
During this lesson, student artists take their objects and their self-portraits and combine them to create a portrait that represents them both inside and out.
Students will be able to:
- understand that objects can stand in for something else (mood, experience, etc.).
- combine drawings of themselves with drawings of objects.
Setup:
Students will be working independently.
Have materials set up in a way that is easy to pass out, see, and select from.
Materials:
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Tracing Paper with Objects from Lesson 1
- Extra Tracing Paper
Media:
- N/A
Handouts & Photocopies:
- N/A
Lesson 3
10M, INSPIRATION IMAGE
LOOK AND DISCUSS AN ART PIECE THAT INTRODUCES SOME OF THE LESSON CONCEPTS
Project the inspiration image where students can see it. Give students a moment to study it silently, then begin a brief discussion with the phrase, “What can we find?”. Paraphrase what students say for the benefit of the class, being careful to remain neutral, then ask “What else can we find?”. Alternately, allow them to draw or write what they notice on a blank piece of paper or in a sketchbook.
- \’Lady Playing a Lute\’, Bartolomeo Venteto, 1500s
- This painting would have told a story to its viewers, who would have known how to ‘read’ the symbols: the woman has her head tilted to the side and wearing an enigmatic expression as a young woman plays the lute. Instead of consulting the open book of music at the bottom of the painting, the lutist faces the viewer; the lute and the music are just props. The rich fabric and jewels on her dress mark her as upper class. A fur piece is draped over her left arm. Worn by high-ranking women in the 1500s, such furs were thought to keep away fleas. The many versions and derivations of this portrait made by different artists indicate that the subject enjoyed great popularity in Milan in the first half of the 1500s.
Note on using the information above: As your students participate in a conversation around this artwork, it may occasionally be helpful to provide them with additional or contextual information. This information can and should be imparted at the teacher’s discretion.
The point of this discussion time is to have students learn and add onto each other’s thoughts. By remaining neutral and simply repeating what students say you allow students to do the heavy mental lifting and also create an environment where there is no wrong answer, fostering creativity and mental risk-taking.
5M, INTRODUCTION VIDEO
WATCH THE INTRODUCTION VIDEO & CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING
Check for understanding by asking, “Who was listening closely that can sum up what we are doing today?” Make sure that student artists can list all the steps and clarify anything that needs clarifying.
20-25M, WORKTIME
FOCUS ON CHOOSING WHAT AND DECIDING OW TO COMBINE THE OBJECTS WITH THE PORTRAITS
At this point, the focus of the class period should be getting student artists to incorporate the objects that they chose to represent themselves into their realistic portraits. The teacher wants to make sure that s/he is encouraging unique depictions; comment on the students who are invested in telling their own story in their portrait rather than mimicking their neighbors or the examples. This project has a great deal of choice in it, so the teacher should make sure that that s/he is setting up an environment where students are comfortable making decisions as well as mistakes. S/he should be enthusiastic but commenting genuinely; making sure to recognize those kids embracing their own choices and, while maintaining positivity, not giving empty compliments. Make sure to have the books and magazines available that students referenced in Lesson 1. Many students will want to revisit tracing/symbolism now that they have a clear idea of the outcome, which is fine.
5-10M, CLEAN-UP/PRESENTATIONS
STUDENTS PRESENT WORKS IN PROGRESS AND DISCUSS THE ARTISTIC DECISIONS THAT THEY MADE
Sharing should work as follows:
- Student stands by their work. A teacher should hold it, or place it on an easel.
- The student presents their work, answering What they made, How they made it, and Why they made the decisions that they did. When they are done they ask, “Any comments or questions?” and can take responses from the audience.
- A note on responses: it is o.k. if an audience member questions or wants clarification from the artist. It is also o.k. if an audience member makes suggestions. But it must be done in a kind, thoughtful, and respectful way.
- Always end the conversation by asking the class to give the artist a compliment.
Depending on the teacher’s style of classroom management, it might be helpful to only choose and train a few kids to clean. The rest of the class can be busy with the presentation. Make sure to train these helpers well in advance so that you aren’t left with a messy room.
Clean-up times will vary with materials; get to know your class and allow 5-10 minutes depending on how efficient they are and whether or not the material was messy.
ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS
- Students should be encouraged to add their objects in whatever way they feel comfortable; some will hesitate to alter their portraits from the previous lesson, in which case they can develop a background for their portrait and incorporate the objects into that. Other students will jump headfirst into erasing and editing with their objects.
- If they get frustrated with things not looking like their original tracing, you can place their tracing paper ON TOP of their drawing and show them where the two differ.
EARLY FINISHERS
Students can take out another piece of paper and list a secret “Key” to their drawing (object=meaning).
This project is free to access, but after the first lesson, you will have to create a free account and enroll in the course. After you create an account and enroll, the project can be accessed from the \’artroom\’ tab at the top of the page.