Submitted by: Dawn
Stienecker, Parker Intermediate, Aldine ISD, Texas
Unit: Illustration – Byzantine Art
Lesson: The Boy of a Thousand Faces; Diptych Self-portrait with writing
Grade Level: Grades 2 thru 6 (read book to determine for higher
grades)
Middle School adaptation from Lotti Petricone (below)
Click images to see larger views
This lesson features a glue relief
self portrait and personal portrait image covered with aluminum foil
on the outside cover. On the inside are special messages about the
"artist" and his or her special image. See
note from Dawn. Printmaking idea below.
You may want to revise the hands-on lesson for lower grades.
Materials for entire project:
Overhead and
transparencies, individual mirrors, mat board (2 per child - donated
scraps cut to size 8 1/2 x 11 or 9 x 12 - Corrugated cardboard cut to size
could also be used) and glue bottles -- Gel Pens and black paper to be glued on the interior of Diptychs --Aluminum
foil, glue, India ink, brushes, steel wool - nail and hammer (for making
holes - or electric drill for teacher to use) - One inch rings for joining
(or some type of cord).
Part 1
Materials
and Resources:
Portfolios
textbook, Selznik’s book, The Boy of a Thousand Faces,
Overhead and
transparencies, individual mirrors, mat board (donated scraps cut to
size,) and glue bottles
Focus:
(Warm up) What is an
illustrator?
Students will discuss
Alonzo’s desire to take pictures of himself as his favorite horror
movie characters. How do the illustrations help readers understand the
story? (review from LMC presentation)
Objective:
- Students
will learn about illustration as a form of artistic expression
- Students
will learn about facial proportions
Guided
Group:
Students will take
turns reading the guidelines for facial proportions from the art text, Portfolios.
As each guideline is
discussed, an overhead transparency will be projected to demonstrate the
procedure.
Independent
Practice:
Students will draw
their face according to proportion guidelines directly onto the mat board.
They will be making direct observations of their own facial
characteristics with mirrors at their tables.
Upon completion of the drawing, they will use glue to go over the
lines making a relief image that will be covered in faux metal (foil.)
Closure:
Students will recap
what an illustrator does. Is
it important for an illustrator to have the ability to draw realistically?
Should all illustrations be realistic?
Does a picture or portrait show everything there is to know about
someone?
Students should begin
thinking about how to create an image of their selves that reflects how
they want to be seen.
Evaluation:
Did students follow
the guidelines of proportion? Did
they attempt to show their individual features through observation?
PART
2
Resources
and Materials:
PowerPoint
presentation of Kahlo’s self-portraits, Self-Portrait on
the Borderline Between Mexico and the United States, Diego on my Mind,
an early, very classical self portrait, one with her and her
pets, and the one with her uni-brow as a bird.
Frida Kahlo Prints
Frida Kahlo Books
Frida Kahlo DVD's
A second mat board
(cut to the same size,) mirrors, and glue bottles
Focus:
(Warm up) Review
facial proportions together.
Did the portraits
created previously tell much about the students as individuals? What are
some of the ways that they would like to be seen?
Objective:
- Students
will learn about Frida Kahlo’s self portraits
- Students
will create a self portrait that reveals something about their self
and how they want to be seen
- Students
will apply facial proportions learned in prior lesson
Guided
Group:
Students will look at
Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits. Then demonstration will be given on how to
proceed.
Students will begin
by investigating what they can tell about Kahlo from her early,
traditional portrait – About how old is she?
What can they tell about her social class? Ethnicity?
When they run out of
things they can site, move on to another portrait that tells more about
her – for example, what does the image of her with her pets tell about
her? What are the symbols
that begin to appear in her work?
Independent
Practice:
Encourage students to
consider the things that make them unique individuals.
They may consider their cultural heritage as Kahlo did in Self-Portrait
on the Borderline Between Mexico and the United States. They should think about their interests.
As they begin sketching composition ideas for the second self
portrait, are they actually creating an image of themselves as they want
to be seen by others?
Upon completion,
students will again go over the lines that outline their face and features
with glue.
Closure:
Ask students to share
and discuss how the second self portrait tells something about their self.
Does one portrait seem more realistic than the other? Why or Why
not? Does one tell more of a
story because of its inclusion or exclusion of imagery?
Evaluation:
Did students come up
with original symbols to express their individual interests?
Did they apply some aspect of facial proportions?
PART 3
Resources
and materials: PowerPoint
presentation of how art and text developed from cave paintings including
images of the caves of Lascaux, The Code of Hammurabi, Egyptian
hieroglyphs, Illuminated manuscripts, and Stuart Davis paintings.
Gel Pens and black
paper to be glued on the interior of Diptychs. (alternate - use black
poster board cut to size - slightly smaller than outside cardboard)
Focus:
WARM UP:
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words.
What does this mean?
Students will look at
examples of artwork that demonstrate the development of writing through
images.
Objective:
- Students
will learn about early forms of art as a vehicle for communication
- Students
will write about their self portraits for the interior if the diptych
Guided
Group:
Students will discuss
how they may want to appear may be different than their actual appearance.
Using student portraits, a verbal example of what the portraits
indicate will be discussed. For
example, most of the first portraits will indicate that the individual is
young and has the world ahead of them. They may look smart, mischievous, serious, happy, etc.
The second portrait should reveal more personal information –
that they like cats or sports, that they want to be glamorous or even the
kind of music they like.
Independent
Practice:
Students will write about what their first self-portrait indicates
about them. They will then write about what the second one tells
about them. These writings will be fixed to the interior of the
diptych on the corresponding sides.
Closure:
Which self-portrait
do the students prefer? Ask
students to share their in- progress portraits and writing for feedback.
Evaluation:
Did students write
about what was contained in their imagery? Did they edit and revise?
Did the writing reveal how they saw themselves and how they wanted
to be seen? Did they connect
with Alanzo in The Boy of a Thousand
Faces?
PART 4
Resources
and Materials: Presentation of
Byzantine Diptychs. (These
are the only links I saved from this unit – I think they were a little
challenging to find)
http://www.culture.gr/2/21/218/218ci/00/l9-30.html
http://www.metmuseum.org/
http://www.reeddesign.co.uk/
http://www.louvre.fr/anglais/
Aluminum foil, glue,
India ink, brushes, steel wool
Focus:
WARM UP:
Define diptych.
Students will look at
examples of Byzantine diptychs. They
will describe the materials that were used and the content of the imagery.
They will discuss what they were used for and whom they were made
for, and speculate about literacy and religious art.
Objective:
- Students
will analyze Byzantine diptychs
- Students
will discuss their use
- Students
will discuss the use of the diptych for combining their self portrait
Guided
Group:
Instruction and
demonstration of the procedure for fixing foil to create the outer leaves
of the diptych will be given. They
will also be shown how to glue the written work inside of the diptych.
Independent
Practice:
Students will
independently cover their diptychs with foil that will be smoothed down
over the relief lines of their portraits.
This will then be coated with an ink finish.
Closure:
Does the diptych
provide an interesting way of illustrating the special-ness of each
individual in the class? What
other ways can they think of to create a double self-portrait?
Do they feel like the words on the inside are important?
Evaluation:
Did students apply
the foil to their portraits neatly? Did
they use the ink carefully? Was
the glue applied thickly enough for
the image to come through? Was
the written material put inside the diptych with the corresponding image?
Part
5
Assembly:
After it dries
(overnight) students will use steel wool to bring out the relief lines.
To assemble diptychs,
students can drive a nail through both pieces of the diptych.
Make sure they understand they need to be back to back, so the
diptych will open properly. Place 1” rings through the holes, and the diptych will
function as a standing piece or can close like a book.
NOTE
FROM DAWN:
This unit was made in conjunction
with a visit from the author/illustrator, Brain Selznik. The most
obvious connection probably would have been to teach mask-making or stamp
design. But this was not for me...
I tied in history of the development of writing/art from the cave
paintings and Diptychs. Had to go ahead and throw in some Frida
Kahlo too.
As I learned more about his illustrative work, I realized he had awesome
potential for teaching art. The cover of The Boy of a Thousand Faces
is an excellent example of Chiaroscuro.
He is also illustrating a series that uses foreshortening on the cover of
each book - a device used to emphasize the key element of each book. (See the book, Frindle)
Printmaking
Extension:
You may want to
include a printmaking aspect of this lesson. Before covering the glue
portrait with foil, a relief print can be made by rolling ink over the
image - laying paper over it and rubbing paper with the back of a wooden
spoon. Another option would be to make a crayon relief print rubbing.
Metallic crayons on dark paper make nice prints. If you want to make
relief lines raise up even more, string or yarn may be glued to the
drawing lines.
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Teacher:
Lotte
Petricone
Felix Festa Middle School
West Nyack, NY.
Activity/Unit: Portrait
Diptychs
Grade: 7
(suitable grades 5 - 7) Note:
this lesson could be expanded to include some cardboard relief
with the glue relief |
Click images to see larger views
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Rationale
for Teaching Lesson:
Students
will learn about the art of self-portraits, and how information is
communicated through images, and create a Portrait Diptych.
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Lesson
Objectives:
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1.
Students will understand what a self-portrait is, and why artists
create them.
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2.
Students will learn about facial proportions, while creating a
drawing from observation for the Portrait Diptych.
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3.
Students will create a second “self-portrait” that communicates
something more about them using symbolism.
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4.
Students will write text about themselves to accompany the images on
the Portrait Diptych.
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5.
Students will learn about Frida Kahlo, the connection between art
and text, and Byzantine Diptychs.
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New
York State Learning Standards:
Standard
1: Students will actively
engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in
the arts and participate in various roles in the arts.
Standard
2: Students will be
knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and resources
available for participation in the arts in various roles.
Standard
3:
Students will respond critically to a variety of works in the arts,
connecting the individual to other works and to respond to other
aspects of human endeavor and thought.
Standard
4:
Students will develop and understanding of the personal and cultural
force that shape artistic communication and how the arts in turn
shape the diverse cultures of past and present society. |
How
the Standards are addressed in this lesson:
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#1
Students will produce a “Portrait Diptych” using a variety of
art materials. They will understand and use a variety of sources to
communicate who they are through a 2 self-portraits that form a
diptych.
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#2
Students will develop skills in drawing, make a relief portrait,
make a diptych, and use art and text together. Students will be
aware that there are different kinds of personal self portraits. One
portrait will be realistic while the second will be more symbolic.
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#3
Students will reflect on their portraits in writing, which will
become part of the art.
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#4
Students will create a work of art that reflects their understanding
of the Byzantine Diptychs, as well as the work of Frida Kahlo, and
artists who used art and text together.
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Lesson
Procedures:
Lesson
Segments:
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Resources below
Materials:
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1.
Reading/discussion of self-portraits from observation. (1
class)
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PP
of self-portraits from observation.
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2.
Intro to the project. Contour drawing exercises. Facial
proportion exercises. (2 classes)
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Exemplars,
PP about facial proportions, drawing paper.
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3.
Using mirrors, draw a self-portrait. Go over lines with
Elmer’s glue. (3 classes)
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8
x 10 Cardboard, mirrors, Elmer’s glue.
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4.
Create / go over Rubric. (1 class)
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Xeroxes
of rubric
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5.
Discuss the self-portraits of using symbolism and
observation. (1 class)
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PP
of self-portraits using symbolism.
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6.
Using mirrors and symbolism, students create a second drawing
that reveals something about how they want to be seen. Go over lines
with glue. (3 classes)
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8
x 10 Cardboard, mirrors, Elmer’s glue
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7.
Using PP, discuss the connection between art and text.
Students write about what the first self-portrait means to them,
then about the second. For
HW, type using parchment paper supplied by teacher. (1-2 classes)
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PP
of Art/Text connections. Parchment paper.
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8.
Discuss Byzantine Diptychs. Cover portraits with foil, then
glue black paper on the back and paint ink over the foil. Mount
writing (1-2 classes)
(Note discussion of Byzantine Diptychs can come before OR after the
art making - have students make connections to their own art - their
personal "shrines").
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PP
of Byzantine Diptychs. Aluminum foil, 7 ½ x 9 ½ black paper cut to
size, waterproof India ink, glue sticks.
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9.
Go over the art with steel wool to reveal the images.
Assemble into diptych using raffia or ribbon. Grade using rubric. (1 class)
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Steel
Wool, raffia or ribbon, extra rubrics.
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Segment
1: OBJ - SWBAT state what a self-portrait is.
Do
Now: Write down what to remember when talking about art.
Teacher
Input: Discussion of self-portraits from observation.
Teaching
Style:
Guided Practice– Using open-ended questions, discuss the
self portraits of Degas, van Gogh, Miro, and Beckman.
Ind Practice –
Closing:
What is a self-portrait? What
can we learn about the artist by looking at the self-portraits?
Assessment
Method: Verbal
Modifications:
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Segment
2: OBJ - SWBAT state the guidelines for facial proportions and begin
a drawing for the self-portrait.
Do
Now: 1. If not finished in previous class – finish VennDiagram. 2.
Describe what you think it means to “draw what you see, not what
you think you see”.
Teacher
Input:
Class
1. Demo of contour drawings.
Class
2. Use PP presentation to introduce facial proportions.
Teaching
Style:
Guided Practice–
Class
1. Finish Venn Diagram, intro to project.
Introduce drawing from observation – demo blind contour
drawings of hands first. On paper, begin a quick contour drawing of
the face.
Class
2. Go over guidelines for facial proportions with students, using
PP. Review what a self-portrait is.
Ind Practice –
Class
1: Blind contour drawings of hands, then face.
Class
2: Facial Proportion PP exercise.
Closing:
1. Go over how blind contour helps drawing from observation.
2.
State the guidelines we covered for facial proportion. Finish facial proportion next class.
Assessment
Method: Verbal
Modifications:
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Segment
3: OBJ - SWBAT draw a self-portrait from observation.
Do
Now: Define Proportions
What
do you need to remember when drawing your self-portrait from
observation? (Think about proportion and contour drawing!)
Teacher
Input: Review of proportion and contour drawing, brief warm-up by
doing a contour drawing, and begin self-portrait.
Teaching
Style:
Guided Practice– Review yesterday’s lesson on proportion
and contour drawing. Warm-up
for drawing by doing 2 contour drawings of hands. Begin
self-portraits from observations using mirrors.
Ind Practice – Begin self-portraits from observations using
mirrors. When they are finished, students will go over the lines
with Elmer’s glue.
Closing:
What is difficult about the self-portrait?
What changed from doing contour drawings of the hand?
Assessment
Method: Verbal Modifications:
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Segment
4: OBJ – SWBAT state the criteria from the rubric.
Do Now: What might be important when you create this work of art?
Teacher
Input: Using exemplar, with students create the criteria for the
rubric.
Teaching
Style:
Guided Practice– Use exemplar and existing rubric, and go
over the criteria.
Ind Practice – Students continue to make the drawing.
Closing:
State the criteria for the project.
Assessment
Method: Verbal
Modifications:
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Segment
5: OBJ - SWBAT state how a self-portrait can incorporate symbolism.
Do
Now: Define symbolism.
Teacher
Input: Discussion of self-portraits using symbolism by Kahlo,
Alvarez, and van Gogh.
Teaching
Style:
Guided Practice– Using open-ended questions, discuss the
self-portraits, focusing on what more we can learn about the artist
besides the physical attributes.
Ind Practice –
Closing:
What is the difference between these self-portraits and the ones we
looked at in the beginning of this project?
What more do we learn about the artists?
Assessment
Method: Verbal
Modifications:
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Segment
6: OBJ - SWBAT create a self-portrait that reveals something about
their self.
Do
Now: Write down what we can learn about you from your self-portrait
you already created.
Teacher
Input:
Teaching
Style: Brief discussion about the portraits and how to create one
that reveals something about their self and how they want to be
seen.
Guided Practice– Discuss the portraits created previously:
Do the portraits you created tell much about you as individuals?
What are some ways you would like to be seen? Discuss the
upcoming self-portraits – drawing from observation, but adding
symbolism which tells something more about you. Review facial
proportions.
Ind Practice – Students begin self-portraits from
observation which reveals something about their self and how they
want to be seen, applying facial proportions from previous lesson.
When the drawing id done, they will go over the lines with
glue.
Closing:
How are you telling something about your self in this portrait?
How is it different from what you previously made?
Assessment
Method: Verbal
Modifications:
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Segment
7: OBJ - SWBAT understand the development of writing through images
and early forms of art as a means of communication.
Do
Now: It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words.
What does this mean?
Teacher
Input: Discussion of examples of artwork that demonstrate the
development of writing through images, learning about early forms of
art as a vehicle of communication.
Introduce writing assignment – writing a statement about
the two portraits.
Teaching
Style:
Guided Practice– Using PP, discuss art from the caves at
Lascaux, Egyptian hieroglyphics, illuminated manuscripts, Henri
Matisse, Stuart Davis, and Barbara Kruger.
Ind Practice – Write a statement about the two portraits:
What does the first self-portrait indicate about you?
What does the second tell about who you are?
HW:
Finish the writing and type. The
final draft will be printed on parchment paper supplied by teacher.
Closing:
Which self-portrait do you prefer? What does it say about you? -
Sharing of in-progress portraits and writing…
Assessment
Method: Verbal
Modifications:
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Segment
8: OBJ - SWBAT look at and discuss Byzantine diptychs.
Do Now: Define “diptych”.
Teacher
Input: Look at two Byzantine diptychs, describing the materials used
and the content of the imagery – what they are used and made for.
Teaching
Style:
Guided
Practice– After discuss, demo how to fix the foil on the
portraits, glue the black paper onto the insides, and brush ink over
the foil.
Ind
Practice – Fix the foil and glue black paper onto the insides of
the diptych, then brush ink over the foil.
HW:
Finish statement about the portraits to be printed on parchment
paper.
Closing:
What were the difficulties in using the foil and ink? Did the image
come through when you rubbed the foil?
Assessment
Method: Verbal
Modifications:
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Segment
9: OBJ - SWBAT finish the diptych by assembling it, and grade it
using the rubric.
Do
Now: Describe how you use the rubric to grade your work.
Teacher
Input: Demo of using steel wool to burnish the ink off, and assembly
of diptych. Review how
to grade the project using the rubric.
Teaching
Style:
Guided
Practice– Demo of using steel wool to burnish the ink off, and
assembly of diptych.
Ind
Practice – Students burnish the images and assembly the diptych,
then grade the work using the rubric.
Closing:
Assessment
Method: Verbal - Rubric - writing
Modifications:
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Writing
/ Reflection (sample question below)
Develop a
series of questions to address your objectives and national
standards. Check for understanding. Reflect on how the Work of Frida
Kahlo served as inspiration as well as the religious icons.
Students
write a reflection answering the questions.
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Assessment Rubric
Rubric for 7th
Portrait Diptychs
Name:
HR:
Period:
#1
Your Written Work Grade
Teacher’s Grade:
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Excellent
A
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Good
B
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Adequate
C
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Unsatisfactory
D
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The Do Nows have been
neatly completed every day with correct answers
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The
Do Nows have been completed every day with almost all correct
answers, but some parts are sloppy
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The
Do Nows have been completed almost every day with almost all correct
answers, but is pretty sloppy, though legible!
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The
Do Nows have NOT been completed almost every day and/or mostly
incorrect answers, or are completely illegible
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The artist has
completed 2 thoughtful, honest, clearly and typed reflection on each
of the portraits, with no spelling or grammar mistakes, and the
organizer was used
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The
artist has completed 2 somewhat thoughtful, typed written reflection
on the art project, but the writing could have been expanded
somewhat or there are some spelling/grammar mistakes
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The
artist has completed a written reflection, and/or it is not very
thoughtful, or not typed, with several spelling/grammar mistakes
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The
artist has not completed a written reflection, or it is clearly not
thoughtful, or not typed and not legible, with many spelling/grammar
mistakes
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#2 Your
Craftsmanship
Grade
Teacher’s
Grade:
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Excellent
A
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Good
B
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Adequate
C
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Unsatisfactory
D
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The
glue lines can be very clearly seen because enough glue is used.
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The glue lines can be seen in most places because there was
enough glue used
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The glue lines can be seen in some places but not in most
because there was not quite enough glue used
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The glue lines can’t be seen in enough places because
there was not enough glue used – so we can’t make out the image
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The
tin foil is carefully placed over the glue lines, and the edges are
glued down, and it has been rubbed carefully – there are no holes
anywhere!
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The tin foil is carefully placed over the glue lines, and
the edges are glued down, and it has been rubbed carefully – but
there are 1 or 2 small holes
that don’t distract us from the image
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The tin foil is placed over the glue lines, and the edges
are glued down in most places, and it has been rubbed – but
there are several holes that we see right away
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The tin foil is placed over the glue lines, and the edges
are not glued down in most places, and it has been rubbed so hard
that it is full of holes
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The
black paper is centered and has been glued down with absolutely no
glue smudges!
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The black paper is almost centered and/or has been glued
down with almost no glue smudges!
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The black paper is kind of crooked and/or has been glued
down with some glue smudges – but it will work
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The black paper is very crooked and dirty
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The
text has been centered and neatly mounted with no glue smudges!
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The text is almost centered and/or has been glued down with
almost no glue smudges!
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The text is kind of crooked and/or has been glued down with
some glue smudges – but it will work
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The text is very crooked and/or dirty
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The
final text has been typed according to the guidelines with
absolutely no mistakes
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The final text has been typed, the guidelines were not
followed exactly, BUT it works in the artwork!
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The final text guidelines were not followed at all, BUT it
can still work in the artwork
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The final text was not typed at all following the
guidelines, and we could not make it work for the diptych
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The
diptych has been tied together carefully and neatly with raffia
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The diptych has been tied sort of neatly and carefully, but
the artist had some difficulty, and we can see it
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The diptych has been tied, but it is a MESS!
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The diptych has not been tied at all
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#3
Your Concept Grade
Teacher’s Grade:
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Excellent
A
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Good
B
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Adequate
C
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Unsatisfactory
D
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The self-portrait from observation is very clearly a specific person
and communicates very clearly “who” the person is by using lots
of details
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The
self-portrait from observation is clearly a specific person and
communicates somewhat clearly “who” the person is by using some
details – but we may have a question
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The
self-portrait from observation seems to be a specific person and communicates a few things about
“who” the person is by using a few details – but we have
questions
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The
self-portrait from observation could be anyone and communicates
little about “who” the person is because there is very little
detail – and leaves us wondering
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There is a very clear mood in the portrait from observation, which we
can tell by the facial expression
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There
is a clear mood which we can tell by the facial expression, but we
have to work a little
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There
may be a mood intended to be expressed, but it is not too clear
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We
can’t figure out the mood
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The facial proportions are absolutely correct in the portrait from
observation
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The
facial proportions are almost correct – but may be a tiny bit off
in one place
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The
facial proportions are not correct – but it is clear the artist
worked very hard, and it is only off in a few places
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The
facial proportions are not correct in many places at all!
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The symbolic self-portrait communicates very clearly “who” the
inner self of the person is, by using symbolic visual clues.
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The
symbolic self-portrait communicates something about “who” the
inner self of the person is, by using a
few symbolic visual clues but we have a question
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The
symbolic self-portrait communicates little about “who” the inner
self of the person is, because there is little use of symbolic
visual clues- leaving us with questions
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The
symbolic self-portrait communicates very little about “who” the
inner self of the person is, because there are no clear symbolic
visual clues -leaving us with lots of questions
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Reflection: Answer the questions below:
1.
Describe how you felt about this project – did you enjoy it, why
or why not?
2.
If you could change one thing about your work on this project, what
would it be?
Resources
Frida Kahlo - The Frame (print available
from Shorewood Prints)
Frida Kahlo.com
Frida
Kahlo - Artchive
Frida Kahlo:
Contemporay Thoughts - site by Daniela Falina
Frida
Kahlo Online
Frida Kahlo Fans
Life and Times of Frida Kahlo- This is the PBS presentation
Byzantine
Art - More
from the Met Byzantine
Art - National Gallery
Some icon
images
Many images of Byzantine diptychs
can be found in a Google image search - also look up triptychs.
