Over the past few weeks I switched from Elementary to High School teaching. Our first project together has been the student's first experience with paint during an Introduction to Studio Art.
We began with a "mini" lesson on body proportions. The students learned what the "Average/Ideal" body proportions were and then took selfies to understand how every body is a little different! It was great seeing them getting up out of their seats and interacting with each other.
After the selfies we used our new skills to begin mapping out our narrative figure sketches. The students needed two figures in different positions and a foreground, middle-ground and background. We looked at a presentation on Narrative Art and the different forms that Narration can be used in Art.
Want to check it out?
https://www.pinterest.com/graceuttal/narrative-art/
To give the students an idea of my expectations I drew an example in a demonstration...
Once the sketches were planned out we talked about how to paint with COLOR and how color can impact our narrative paintings. We talked about the science of paint and how light illuminates color. If you look at the RYW diagram you can see how light reverberates in the pigment. The class learned how layering pigment can cause an entire different color from mixing. We reviewed some ways to make skin tones AND how if you use thick layers of paint then thin you can accidentally remove the paint.
They were a little hesitant to start but it did not take long for them to get on a ROLL!
See that lovely cell phone? This student was using their phone as a reference instead of printing. Saving trees, ink, time AND using technology in the classroom!
As the lesson came to a close it was wonderful to see their progress as some of them had never even touched paint before!