Optical Illusion Self-Portraits

My students really love and enjoy making self-portraits. I like to start the year with a new style of self-portait and talk to the students about how the best portraits not only resemble the person but also show us something about their personality as well.

First through third grade students created these fun self-portraits to start off the year! We began by spending the first two classes drawing a realistic and proportional self-portrait and then coloring it in with colored pencils. The students were pushed to add details to make it look more like them. We then spent a class creating an optical illusion painting. We discussed different types of lines and created an interesting pattern for the background. During the final class, students added the self-portrait to the painting and added different line patterns. 

Throughout this project, students examined self-portraits by Chuck Close, Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Kehinde Wiley and several others for inspiration. 

Lichtenstein Style Self-Portraits

Students in grades 4-6 learned about American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein and created these dynamic self-portraits in a similar style. We began by drawing self-portraits in pencil as realistically as possible. Students then outlined the portrait in sharpie and added an action word and some lines or shapes around the word for emphasis. Next, students drew in several shapes and painted them in with the primary colors. We used primary colors and benday dots to stay in theme with the old school vintage style of early comic strips. This is a great project to teach about pop art while incorporating some elements that can capture the artist's personality.

Chuck Close Style Self-Portraits

Students in middle school created these self-portraits in the style of American artist Chuck Close. We began by working from a photograph- students drew a 1/2 inch grid over the photo and a 1 and 1/2 inch grid over a 12x18 sheet of drawing paper. We then transferred the information over so the portrait was accurate and proportional. Next, students chose a color and created a value scale in that color from light to dark. The drawing was then filled in with different values that matched the black and white photograph. Students had to become comfortable with blending and creating many values within the portrait. I do this project every year and the results are always incredible!

First Day of Art Class

PreK and Kinder students created these works of art on their very first day of art! We began by reading the book Art Is by Bob Raczka and talking about all the fun things we do in art class. Next, students were free to create a work of art and draw whatever they wanted. During the second class, students used some precut squares to create a pattern around the border. We learned the three primary colors and added some finishing touches to the drawings. The results are a nicely framed commemorative art piece for the first day of art!

Laurel Burch Style Cats

Students in grades 1-3 created these Laurel Burch inspired watercolor cats. I demonstrated step-by-step how to draw the body of a cat with simple lines and shapes. Students then outlined with crayons and added different types of patterns to the body and face. We used texture plates to do rubbings in the background. Students then used liquid watercolors to paint in the cats and backgrounds. This project is very simple and yields amazing results for all students!

Monet and Water Lilies

Students in 4-6 learned about French Impressionist painter Claude Monet and created these watercolor paintings in his style. We started by drawing out a series of water lilies and lily pads. Students learned about foreground, middleground and background and were required to include this in the drawing to create depth. Next, the drawing was outlined in black for contrast and lines were added to imply movement. The final step was using watercolor paints in the three cool colors- blue, green and violet. 

Sea Turtles

Students in PreK and Kinder created these Eric Carle inspired sea turtles. We began by reading A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle and discussing the underwater illustrations. I then showed students how to draw a sea turtle step by step in pencil. Students then outlined the turtle with blue or green crayon and painted them using watercolor paints. After cutting them out, we added seaweed and lines in the background. We talked about what types of lines would imply movement in the water so students could create a moving seascape.