Warhol Self-Portraits

This project is a great way to introduce Andy Warhol and Pop Art while incorporating technology into a self-portrait. I do this as part of a larger Pop Art unit with my 3rd grade students. The key part of preparing for this project is that during a previous project I pull all the students aside one by one to get a portrait digital photo of them. I print out a page with four pictures of each student for them to use.

The first day, I begin the lesson by introducing Andy Warhol and his work. Students love talking about examples of Pop Art and the Campbell's Soup painting. Next I have students paint the backgrounds of their self-portraits. I give them a white paper and have them fold it into quarters. Each table is set up with two vivid colors of tempera paint. They choose four colors for their backgrounds and I rotate all the colors through the tables. The first day students only get about half of the painting done, so it carries on to day two. The second day they finish up painting and begin coloring over their photos, using colored pencils. It's a good idea to have them define a few areas of their picture to color and do the same areas of each but different colors for each picture. Sounds more confusing than it is! Day three and four they finish up the coloring, cut out the four images(being careful to do each one exactly the same), and glue them on to the painted background. I find it helpful to have them line up the bottom of the image with the bottom of the painted area.

Level: 3rd grade

Length of time: 3-4 45 minute class periods

Vocabulary: Self-Portrait, Andy Warhol, Pop Art

Matisse Collage

This is a collage project that I do with 2nd grade students. It is one of my favorites! I begin by introducing the French painter Henri Matisse to the students. We read a short book about him, discuss some of his work and focus on his later cut paper collages, paying close attention to the shapes and colors he used. This project typically takes three class periods. The first day we read the book, discuss Matisse's art, and create a border on our papers. The second day we fill in inside the boarder with colored paper for our backgrounds and begin cutting and gluing the larger geometric and organic shapes. The third day students finish with the large shapes and add layers of shapes to complete their compositions.

Level: 2nd grade

Length of time: 3-4 class periods(45 minute class periods)

Vocabulary: Shape, Geometric, Organic, Henri Matisse