Elementary Art Projects
The rationale behind this project was to have students understand the difference between real and visual texture, which were Focused Instruction targets in the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Visual Arts curriculum. In class, we talked about how the works of Vincent van Gogh were especially good examples of having both real texture (actually feeling his textured impasto) and visual texture (photographs of his works clearly show texture in his landscapes and portraits).
Students worked with oil pastels on colored construction paper to create landscapes with visual texture. We focused on using short, colorful marks to help create visual texture in a similar manner to van Gogh. Below are some examples of the works that 3rd-5th grade students created.
The project spanned two weeks, with the second week beginning by having students reflect on their artwork from the first day. They were asked to complete a reflective worksheet in which they used a viewfinder to compare a section of their own artwork to a section of one of van Gogh's paintings. They replicated the texture that they saw with oil pastels and set a goal for their work that day. The link to the worksheet is also included below for reference.
Inquiry Questions:
Focused Instruction Standards (MPS):
4.1 I can identify textures and patterns in an artwork. (S1.1.1, S1.1.2)
4.2 I can construct an artwork using tactile texture. (S1.2.1)
- Vincent van Gogh-inspired Texture (oil pastel on colored construction paper):
The rationale behind this project was to have students understand the difference between real and visual texture, which were Focused Instruction targets in the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Visual Arts curriculum. In class, we talked about how the works of Vincent van Gogh were especially good examples of having both real texture (actually feeling his textured impasto) and visual texture (photographs of his works clearly show texture in his landscapes and portraits).
Students worked with oil pastels on colored construction paper to create landscapes with visual texture. We focused on using short, colorful marks to help create visual texture in a similar manner to van Gogh. Below are some examples of the works that 3rd-5th grade students created.
The project spanned two weeks, with the second week beginning by having students reflect on their artwork from the first day. They were asked to complete a reflective worksheet in which they used a viewfinder to compare a section of their own artwork to a section of one of van Gogh's paintings. They replicated the texture that they saw with oil pastels and set a goal for their work that day. The link to the worksheet is also included below for reference.
Inquiry Questions:
- How do artists show texture in their artworks?
- How can I create texture in my own artwork, based on the previous work of other artists?
- What is the difference between real and visual texture?
Focused Instruction Standards (MPS):
4.1 I can identify textures and patterns in an artwork. (S1.1.1, S1.1.2)
4.2 I can construct an artwork using tactile texture. (S1.2.1)
reflection_3-5.pdf |
reflection_k-2.pdf |
Hallway Display
Comic Book Project
I taught a modified version of my comic book project to K-5 graders at an elementary school. The lessons spanned approximately 6 weeks, and students went through the entire process of comic-making from initial brainstorming and character development to final, inked and colored comics. Students created original characters and stories, translated their stories into visuals with storyboard drafts, and then used their storyboards to create a high-quality final comic. Ballpoint pens were used to ink the comics and colored pencils to color them in. Halfway through the process, students shared their comics with each other and gave feedback - compliments and constructive criticism.