Graffiti Color Wheels

Color theory and mixing is vital for art students but can become very tedious and boring. This lesson was a fun and different way to teach color mixing and give students the chance to experiment with different lettering styles as well. We started with drawing out names in any chosen font- I gave my students the choice of bubble letters, block, graffiti or three-dimensional.Next, students divided the paper up into 12 sections. These 12 sections would include all 12 colors on the color wheel (primary, secondary and intermediates). They would have each color appear twice- once around as the letter and its complement as the background. This was a great lesson that got students to understand color theory but also put their own style and creativity into the lesson.

Subvertisements

International Academy students learned about the guerilla marketing style known as subvertising. Subvertisements are parodies and spoofs of corporate or political advertisements. Subvertisements may take the form of a new image or be an alteration to an already existing image or icon. Students were challenged to come up with their own original parodies to bring more truth to traditional advertisements. 

Watercolor Self-Portraits

Students in grades 4-6 began the school year with these vibrant self-portraits. We began by drawing a proportional self-portrait in pencil during the first week. These were then traced over with crayons before being painted in with watercolor paints. Students learned about all different styles of portraits- from Frida Kahlo to Pablo Picasso and Chuck Close. Students were given the option to do a more realistic portrait or one that was more colorful and expressive. We also wrote out and added names by adding textures and patterns in crayon and painting it over. I am loving the uniqueness of each piece and how it reflects each artist's personality!

Self-Portraits with Names

Students in grades 4-6 created these self-portraits with watercolor paint. We began by drawing half of a face in pencil. I taught the students accurate proportions in the face. When the face was finished, students would fill the other half of the page with their name in large block or bubble letters. I also provided some examples of graffiti style fonts for the more advanced students. The face and names were then traced over with crayon before being filled in with watercolor paint. We learned how to use more or less water to create lighter and darker skin tones. This was a new twist on self-portraits that easily add a nice element of personality.

Street Art Cityscapes

Students in grades 4-6 created these street art cityscapes. We began by drawing out our names in bubble letters. I gave the students several different fonts for examples and also showed them how to create "wild style" letters. These were colored in with colored pencils and the students used blending to mimic the blended style of spray paint. We learned about several street artists and discussed the differences between legal street art and illegal vandalism. Street artists often are payed for their murals and create art that addresses social or political topics. The students printed a brick background in black for extra contrast and then painted a cityscape of downtown Dallas in different values of one color.