Artist of the week

5th grader, Jhalon Snowden, is Hudson K-8's artist of the week. Jhalon (pictured above) is rendering an impressive likeness of a work of art originally painted by Marianne von Werefkin in 1908 entitled Washerwomen. The painting is featured in unit 1 lesson 3 of the Scott Foresman textbook on geometric and organic shapes, one of the elements of art.

Werefkin was well educated according to western standards. She created her first expressionist works in 1907. In these she followed Paul Gauguin's and Louis Anquetin's style of "surface painting", while also showing the influence of Edvard Munch. In 1909, the Neue Künstlervereinigung München (New Association of Artists in Munich, NKVM) was founded. It became a forum of exhibitions and programming. It is befitting that Jhalon is receiving early recognition for her artistic talent Just as Von Werefkin's artistic talents were recognized early as a young girl and encouraged.

Portrait Drawing 101

Portraiture can be a hard subject to teach because students at the secondary level are obsessed with realism and can get discouraged easily. This lesson on drawing portraits  can help show students that they can create representational portraits that look like the person they want to capture. Below is a video of an example of the type of drawing technique that will be taught in my class:

 

Students will learn about proportion in relation to facial features. The student will learn the process of developing the proper technique to capture accurate proportions through tutorials given at the beginning and periodically throughout class. Students will recieve detailed instruction on the purpose and use of drawing tools as well as shading and various other drawing techniques in order to add depth and space to their finished products. In the video below are my students in the process of developing their rendering skills in the classroom:

In addition, students will be presented with a demonstration on using professional rendering techniques to utilize for drawings and paintings. This should be a hands-on demonstration so that students can see each step of the process. I will present the concept of facial proportions and students may spend a couple class periods drawing facial features in their proper locations.

Students will work while the teacher walks around and monitors progress. Students will have 10 days to complete the assignment.

Resources

How to Draw a Manga Face
Fundamentals Of Pencil Portrait Drawing Mastery
Archive for the ‘Drawing Comics & Super Heroes’ Category