Title: Creating My Own Color: Self-Portraits in Paint
(Note: This is my version of a classic Studio in A School lesson)
Medium: Paint
Materials: Tempera (or Acrylic) paint, brushes, paper, containers of water, and paper towels. Reproductions of self portraits, (suggested artists): Frida Kahlo, Lucian Freud, Chuck Close.
Grades: 4-8
Time: 2-3 45-minute sessions.
Prior Knowledge: Students should be familiar with basic painting techniques and cleanup procedures.
Learning Objective:
Through mixing paints to create a color that matches their skin and then using it to create a self-portrait from memory and imagination, students will learn that careful observation and inventiveness are both essential skills for making art. Students will also learn more advanced techniques in color mixing (mixing tertiary colors). Finally, students will learn how to break down a complicated goal into a series of small, sequential tasks.
Motivation/Demo:
Teacher: Today you begin creating self-portraits. To create them you will need to observe details about yourself as well use your memory and imagination. The first step is to observe the color of your own skin and mix a color to match it as closely as possible.
(Discuss the nuanced differences in skin color with the students, and how learning to make your own color is a good way to learn how to carefully observing something).
Once you have created your color, you will then turn to your memory to paint the details of your face. Finally you may wish to add imaginary touches, such as a different hairstyle, or show how you will look when you are grown up.
Model how mix a skin tone by attempting to match the skin of a student. Take suggestions from the class to direct the demo. Once the color is acceptable, model how to approximate the shape a face with it as a starting point.
Hand out materials.
Guidelines for Activity/Demo:
Teacher: Today you begin creating self-portraits. To create them you will need to observe details about yourself as well use your memory and imagination. The first step is to observe the color of your own skin and mix a color to match it as closely as possible.
(Discuss the nuanced differences in skin color with the students, and how learning to make your own color is a good way to learn how to carefully observing something).
Once you have created your color, you will then turn to your memory to paint the details of your face. Finally you may wish to add imaginary touches, such as a different hairstyle, or show how you will look when you are grown up.
Model how mix a skin tone by attempting to match the skin of a student. Take suggestions from the class to direct the demo. Once the color is acceptable, model how to approximate the shape a face with it as a starting point.
Hand out materials.
Independent work:
Assist students individually as needed.
Reflection:
Please point out a good match between an artistŐs skin and the color they mixed. What colors did you think they used? Why?
What part of this portrait reminds you the most of the artist who made it? Why?