Grade Level: High School Art, Painting and Pastels
Overview: For this project you will you a 2”x2” viewfinder to crop an image from a magazine down to nearly total abstraction. You will use your knowledge of the Elements & Principles of Art to choose your abstract composition. The project will be blown up to 24”x24”, and it will be divided into 4 sections (equal in space, but not square). These sections will be filled in with different mediums for you to explore: Acrylic, Tempera Blocks, Oil Pastels, & Hard Pastels.
Elements: Line, Shape, Color, Value, Form, Texture, Space
Principles: Balance, Contrast, Emphasis, Movement, Pattern, Rhythm, Unity
Steps:
- Create a 2”x2” Viewfinder
- Use viewfinder and look through magazines to find a composition you would like to paint on a larger format (24”x24”)
- Draw the contour lines lightly with pencil onto the large paper
- You will divide your paper into 4 roughly equal sections (not 4 squares) and each section will be filled in using one of four mediums. They will be done in this order:
- Acrylic
- Tempera Block
- Oil Pastel
- Hard Pastel
Objectives:
The student will be able to…
- Select a square composition from an image in a magazine that represents some of the elements and principles of art.
- Draw to scale a large contour line drawing of the image using a pencil.
- Divide the composition into four equal areas that are not square and provide balance.
- Apply color using four mediums: acrylic, tempera blocks, oil pastels, and hard pastels.
- Illustrate proper blending and texture techniques to achieve the appropriate desired outcomes.
ODE State Standards:
- Standard 1: Personal Choice and Vision
- Standard 2: Critical and Creative Thinking
- Benchmark C
- Indicator 1PR, 2PR, 2RE, 3RE
Instruction:
- Show Georgia O’Keefe examples
- American Artist first on the scene in 1916
- Made large-format paintings of flowers, close up as seen through a magnifying lens
- Show examples of the elements & principles of art in her work
- Be inspired by Georgia O’Keefe’s technique by cropping an image from a magazine down to abstraction.
- Keeping in mind, composition, color, line, shape, texture, space, etc. (Elements & Principles of Art)
- We are using a Square format 24”x24” for our projects
- Cut out a viewfinder that is square (2”x2”) and look through magazines to find a composition you would like to paint on a larger format
- You will draw the contour lines lightly with pencil onto the large paper
- You will divide your paper into 4 roughly equal sections (not 4 squares) and each section will be filled in using one of four mediums.
- Acrylic
- Tempera
- Oil Pastel
- Work from dark tones to middle tones, and then add the light tones.
- Once pastels have been lightened it is not easy to get them back to the original dark tone.
- Show blending options
- Light Color to Blend: Start with initial color, sketchy, and slowly add in color in different directions. Blend with a light color to mix colors together.
- Heavy Color to Blend: is done after a heavy saturation of heavy colors then blended with paper towel.
- Baby Oil Blending: Use a paper towel or cue tip with a little baby oil to blend over top of the oil pastel that you put down on your paper.
- Texture: add a layer of color and burnish the oil pastel in so color is mixed. Add a second layer of color on top. Use a sharp tool to cross hatch into the color to show the layer of color below.
- Hard Pastel
- Work from dark tones to middle tones, and then add the light tones.
- Once pastels have been lightened it is not easy to get them back to the original dark tone.
- Peer Assessment: Finish the lesson with a peer critique. Have students trade projects and critique their peers artwork using the Peer Critique Worksheet.
