Lessons from the AP Lesson Sharing Group
Submitted by Laurie Poole, Nashville School of the Arts, Tennessee
GOOD FORTUNE
lesson #1
From direct observation students will create a quality composition of
fortune cookies. Using Colored Pencils
and/or Oil Pastels
they will create a
drawing that shows the reflection on the fortune cookie package. (This is
not easy and lots of cookies will be eaten). Visual example for students
is Janet Fish "Oranges" 1973 Pastel on Sandpaper.
lesson #2
Open the fortune cookie and read the fortune. Contained fortune is the
starting point for project #2. Students should tape fortune into
sketchbook and make three idea sketches based on the one fortune. Sketches
will be discussed with teacher and the better idea will be developed into
an 18" x 24" (46 x 61 cm) piece for student portfolio. Medium is teacher or
student choice (Colored Pencils, Acrylic Paint, Watercolor Paint
, etc.) This is
also difficult in that some students have a very hard time creating three
ideas based on one simple sentence. Some will also complain about not
liking their fortune.......tough cookie!
lesson #3
Chinese take-out box. Students will review perspective drawing
techniques by using Chinese take-out box and direct observation. Student
will select three to five personal items of "good fortune".
Using these personal items the student will create a composition using
these items of "good fortune" and the Chinese take-out box.
Sketch will be discussed with teacher. Final drawing or painting medium to
be determined by teacher or student.
Submitted by Leokadia Stanik
Exploring
Compositional Schemes
I have begun to include
this lesson, in different forms, at the beginning of the year for Art
2 Art 3 and AP, and depending on the students and their previous
experience, in the advanced classes. I find that I spend a lot of
time in the beginning classes developing skills and observation. Because
of that, I can't seem to fit more than basic compositional
schemes and guidelines. (i.e.: the golden section, avoid dividing
down the center in either direction, avoid bulls-eye placement.... etc.)
I originally selected
compositional schemes for this lesson from the book "Celebrate Your Creative Self
" by Mary Todd Beam. I have added additional dos and
don'ts. My students use "Living with Art
" by Rita
Gilbert as their textbook. The presentation, discussions, slides and
production of the work take about 1 ½ -2 weeks. All work is posted in the
hall showcase with labels of the compositional scheme. The display has
become a teaching tool for all the art teachers in the department (there
are 7 of us).
Lesson overview:
- Working from a group
of samples of each of the different compositional schemes, students
are introduced to each scheme. They include: High Horizon Vertical,
high Horizon Horizontal, Low Horizon Vertical, Low Horizon Horizontal,
The ‘S” and “ Z” and “L”, The Grid, Circular, Cruciform,
Strata/ Vertical Stripe, Triangular/ Angular etc…
- The students are
introduced to the concepts of each and discussion is encouraged.
·
Students are then shown compositional schemes in slides of famous works of
art. Slides are shown to them grouped by scheme. There is much discussion
not only about the schemes, but also about creating shallow versus deep
space. Work from contemporary art magazine and
the high school poster collection is also used.
- Finally, students are
assigned 5 different schemes. They are to demonstrate these in
colored pencil on small pieces of drawing board. (The sizes and
shapes vary… 5x7 (12.7 x 17.7 cm), 4x6 (10 x 15 cm) and students cut their own pieces of board.
They use
Black Art Board and white
Bristol Board or other paper appropriate
for colored pencils without too much tooth.) Final work is mounted on
white or black tag board and are posted.
- During the
presentation/ assessment phase, students guess each other's
compositional scheme, participate in a group critique and finally take
a comprehensive quiz. The students are expected to add these terms to
their verbal and visual vocabulary.
The subject matter must
be different for each scheme. The assigned subject
matter has changed each year. Some have included: organic materials,
school issues, landscape, portrait, and favorite possessions, social
ethical or moral statement. Colored pencil layering
techniques are reviewed as needed.
Submitted by
Jennifer Ievolo
CINDY SHERMAN: CONCEALING AND
QUESTIONING IDENTITY
Objectives: Students
will observe the photographic work of Cindy Sherman and become
familiar with her style and process. Each student
will create a self-portrait that either conceals his or her identity
or resembles a film still. The complexity of idea
and style will vary based on student readiness and level of
experience.
Materials:
Slides/books
/reproductions of examples
Hand out sheets on Cindy Sherman and Process
Students supplied variety of props/costumes, etc.
Photo Paper
Filters
Motivation: Video segment on Cindy
Sherman's work and mysterious personal nature will be viewed and
discussed. Students will brainstorm ideas about
concealing identity, and the questions that can be raised when
discussing issues of identity, self, and gender. (NOTE: This video is out of print and hard to find. There are many books
available, however. You can also use the online slide show.]
Advanced level students will discuss and
analyze the visual appearance of a "film still", and
brainstorm ways to "set a scene" for their image.
Procedure:
a- Teacher
will facilitate observation and discussion about Cindy Sherman and the
nature of her work.
b- Students will write a proposal outlining their
intention and process to plan for their photo.
c- Methods and techniques of self-portrait
photography will be reviewed and discussed.
d- Based on their level of experience, students
will shoot their self-portrait using one of the methods and techniques of Cindy Sherman.
e- Advanced level students will be encouraged to
approach the assignment as a "film still"
f- Beginning students will be encouraged to create
a portrait in which their identity is concealed in some way.
g- After shooting their roll, students will process
their film and develop a contact sheet.
h- Students will review their images and with the
guidance to the teacher, select the strongest for printing.
i- Students will print with the use of filters to
enhance contrast in the image.
j- Advanced students will have the option of
creating a SERIES of their film still images.
k- After the completion of the assignment, students
will write a narrative describing their process, idea, and photographic composition.
Vocabulary: Cindy
Sherman
Film Still
Identity
Self Portrait
Closure: Students will participate in critique, during which the images
will be analyzed and discussed, along with the artist narratives. Students will discuss what they observe directly, as well as
what may lay beneath the surface
Note: Cindy Sherman video clip came from the EGG:
The Arts Show
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/egg/218/sherman/
Jennifer taped it from Trio.
Who am I: Exploring Indentity - online lesson:
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/lessons/whoami/b.html
Submitted by
Laurie Poole
Identity Boxes
This is an Art I or Art II lesson based on the
knowledge of Lucas Samaras
, Women
with out Borders, and Joseph Cornell
. Students are asked to look at
these artists who have made sculptural boxes. Reflect on what each
artists is saying in their work.
Students are then asked to define and list objects
personal objects that express their identity. Students
bring from home certain objects that they use in their work.
Art Department supplies small wood boxes.
Students may use more than one if needed. Art
Department supplies paint and Hot Glue Sticks and Glue Gun
.
Identity
Box Sculpture Assessment
Artist
Name________________________ Date:_______________
Title:______________________________
Did you bring personal items
that identity you? Yes or No
List them:
Content:
Personal items contained in
work 1 2 3 4 5
Title is reflected in artwork? 1 2 3 4 5
Signs & symbols about YOU? 1 2 3 4 5
Meaning obvious to viewer? 1 2 3 4 5
Have you revealed & concealed? 1 2 3 4 5
Composition:
Organized color scheme 1 2 3 4 5
Planned placement of objects? 1 2 3 4 5
Outside is well composed (unified?) 1 2 3 4 5
Inside is well composed (unified?) 1 2 3 4 5
Top, bottom, inside & outside work 1 2 3 4 5
together?
Execution:
Painting is clean & neat
(all over?) 1 2 3 4 5
Base & identity objects are secure? 1 2 3 4 5
Skill in craftsmanship 1 2 3 4 5
Finished art is your BEST & QUALITY 1 2 3 4 5
What is successful about your
IDENTITY BOX?
What would you change about
the work?
Artists
write artists statements to enhance the understanding of their work,
to express verbally what they have expressed visually, to explain
their work to viewers, & for gallery, museum and university
purposes. Write a good artist statement on the BACK. Do not begin with I and do not write about assessment matters. EXPLAIN your IDENTITY BOX in a brief create essay! (This is as a separate grade!)
Submitted
by Carolyn Patton
Distorted Grid Figure
Study
I spend a good deal of time working with my Art
II students to help them master drawing the human form and face.
This is an assignment my students enjoy. Once the distorted
figure is drawn, the project can be developed in several different
ways.
Select a head or figure study that you have drawn previously. If you have no drawing that you wish to work with, begin by creating
a new drawing. On the original work establish a grid. To
do this fold the image in half horizontally, then in half again
horizontally. While folded, fold it in half vertically, then
in half again vertically. This will establish a grid. On
a new sheet of paper that is either wider or taller but not the
same, fold the same grid as you did on your original piece. It
will have the same number of squares as the original piece but they
will be shaped differently. Begin your new work, drawing what
you see in the first square on the original piece, in the first
square of the new piece, stretching it to fit. Continue this
process until you have the whole distorted figure reproduced. Your drawing may be shaded as a value study, or painted in your
favorite medium. Specific palettes - using only warm colors or
cool, primary or secondary or monochromatic, make an painting
assignment and add to the distorted feel of the figure.
Submitted by Denise Phalan
Art History - Updated for 21st Century
Last year I worked with the Drama teacher (as
we often do) and the Art III students painted an exemplar -- a copy
of an art work that was produced during the timeline of the the play that was being performed. The time period
was American Art from 1650 to 1780. These exemplars were
then exhibited in the lobby outside the auditorium for the
duration of the play and beyond. The students had to research the
painting chosen, the artist, etc and make a presentation along
with replicating the painting...as closely as they could...down to
the size, medium, brushstrokes...
THEN, I had them "update" the
painting to the 21st century (style, feeling, ambiance,
etc).......if it was a landscape....they had to do a
"modern" painting of that exact place....how did it
change? was it now a city? a dump? still "the same
landscape"? If it were a portrait, then they had to update in
style, color, dress...etc the portrait. It worked out
fabulously! Several of the updated versions earned gold keys on the regional level in Scholastics...
New assignment: I am going to have the students
produce an exemplar prior to 1850 or 1800, and not limit them to
America. I would keep them far away from the Impressionists and
advent of high camera usage... but I would have them do
the same process of researching the painting and the artist,
putting them in context, and producing them true to size, medium,
style and then updating them to the 21st century.
I feel that this gives them an art history
lesson, makes the artist "alive and human" to them,
helps them focus on another's point of view (why did they make
THESE choices of color, value, lighting, objects, placement, etc),
and gives them a challenge to take someone else's choices and
make a good painting that is totally theirs, from it. Really,
I got fabulous pieces from them and will do it again this year.
We stretch canvas, use masonite, cardboard... whatever it takes
to replicate the size. Some I can provide, others the kids
purchased stretchers and some painted really, on cardboard primed
with gesso.... I feel that art III and AP Studio can use
this assignment.
Bill Root - Carborundum
Prints Lesson Plan
Cindy
Hiers - Inside Outside Drawing Lesson idea
Connie
Jimenez - Reflection/Refraction Colored Pencil (Image)
Louise
Housman - Two Abstraction Lessons
Margaret
Kunkel - Pasta Drawing
Melinda
Zacher - Self Portrait Sculpture
Susan
Camin - Non- Objective Composition (image)
Suzette
Milam - Rhythm and Reflective Objects (image)
Video Clip 
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