Students will be able to:
- blow paint with a straw to create a self-portrait;
- use colour to express feelings;
- explain their process;
- express opinions about the artworks;
- demonstrate technical accomplishment and creativity.
MIND BLOWING ART – Expressive Colour, Shape
Steps
Step One
- Use a pencil to sketch your head, neck and shoulders.
- Draw the details of your face to show the expression you want your portrait to have.
- happy
- sad
- angry
- confused
- etc.
Step Two
- Outline your drawing with a black fine line marker.
- Use crayons to colour your portrait.
Step Three
- Place a piece of white paper (scrap or recycled) on top of your portrait.
- Trace the head only.
- Cut out the shape.
- Place it on top of your drawing so it covers the head.
- Roll a small piece of masking tape into a loop with the sticky side facing out.
- Place it on the back of the shape to help hold it in place.
Step Four
- Cover your table with newspaper.
- Use paint and straws to blow the paint onto the drawing.
- Make sure you blow not suck the paint.
- spoon a small amount of paint onto the cover paper where you want the hair to be
- point the straw in the direction you want the paint to go
- blow the paint with one big breath
- keep blowing and adding more paint until you are satisfied with how it looks
- remember to choose colours that express your feelings
Step Five
- Carefully remove the paper shape from your drawing.
- Allow the paint to dry overnight.
Learning Goals
Extensions
Have students:
- look for other things around the classroom they could use as tools to paint with;
- experiment with the tools to create new paintings;
- compare the new paintings with their self-portraits;
- discuss their paintings with a partner answering questions such as;
- How are the tools alike?
- What do the tools do differently?
- How are the marks different from each other? Why?
- What tools did you like working with? Why? - share their ideas with the whole class.
Prepare
- Set up a painting centre containing, paper, drinking straws; washable paint; scissors; black fine line markers; newspapers; plastic spoons; pencils; and masking tape.
- Download and display the Colour Wheel poster available on this website.
- Gather and make available a variety of books about colours and feelings, for example, The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of Feelings, by Anna Llenas; The Color Book, by Sophie Benini; The Day the Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywalt; Colors of Love (Crayola), by Tina Gallo and Tony Neal; My Many Colored Days, by Dr. Seuss, Steve Johnson, and Lou Fancher; In My Heart: A Book of Feelings (Growing Hearts), by Jo Witek, and Christine Roussey; The Feelings Book, by Toff Parr; The Very Lonely Firefly, by Eric Carl; and Hilly Discovers Her Feelings, by Meytel Raz-Nave and Shany Golan.
- Download and print images of a children showing a variety of emotions from the Internet.
Joy
Excited
Angry
Serious
Tired
Friendly
Curious
Happy
Introduction
- Conduct a read-aloud with a book such as The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of Feelings, by Anna Llenas focusing on how colours can represent feelings.
- Introduce the colour wheel to the students and ask questions such as,
- What colour are you when you are excited?
- What colour are you when you are angry?
- How could you use colour to show you are super excited and happy? - Display the colour wheel and the downloaded pictures.
- ask students to choose a picture and to say what emotion they see in it
- ask them to place the picture near the colour they think represents the emotion, and then say why - Introduce the challenge.
Activities
The Challenge
- Blow paint with a straw to create a self-portrait.
- Use colour to show your feelings.
- Explain how you made your self-portrait.
- Express opinions about the artworks.
- Demonstrate technical accomplishment and creativity.
The Process
- Make sure everyone understands the challenge.
- Establish success criteria with your students, for example,
I know I am successful when I have:
- created a self-portrait
- blown paint with a straw
- cut out an organic shape
- used colour to show my feelings
- explained how I made my self-portrait
- kept my work in good condition - Guide students through the steps outlined in this lesson plan.
- Observe students as they work.
- Provide individual assistance and encouragement.
Sharing
- Once all the pictures are complete display them for a group discussion.
- During the discussion include references to:
- colours - How do the colours make you feel?
- expression - Why did you choose that expression? How do the colours contribute to the feelings you wanted to express?
- technique – How did you create that effect with the paint? How does the way the paint is applied contribute to the emotions expressed in the picture?
Assessment
- Observe students as they work – thoughtful focus, discriminating, seeking more information, elaborating, experimenting.
- Observe students as they discuss their painting – speaks with a clear voice, looks at audience while speaking, points to areas in the painting, provides accurate information, answers questions from the audience effectively.
- Observe students as they listen – looks at presenter, asks effective questions, supports ideas with evidence found in the artwork.
- Use a checklist to track progress. (Download - Portrait_tracking.pdf)
- Have students in grade 1 use the self-assessment form to evaluate their work. (Downloads - Portrait_self-assessment.pdf)
