An inherited project from the previous art teacher that I try deeply to enrich and align with IB... And yet it still feels too simple and easy for my 8th grade Art II kiddos... I really think the only reason they don't complain about it is because they get to use acrylic paint in class for the first time.
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An assignment that's all my own!!! Or maybe not, I doubt I'm the first or the last art teacher to assign something similar to this.
In Unit 3 for my ART II students, we go over Human Form; specifically how it can be used to tell a story (see the POP-ART Self Portrait here). In this assignment, scholars will draw themselves as an "alter ego" a la Daria end credits.
First: What even is Daria? For those who didn't watch MTV in the late 90s, Daria was an MTV show that ran from 1997-2002 that focused on the life of teenage cynicist Daria and her jaded point of view on contemporary high school life. A real millennial show if there ever was one. Daria, herself, was originally a side character on the original Beavis and Butthead, created by Mike Judd...aka, the creator of King of the Hill. He didn't personally work on the Daria spinoff, just gave his approval for it to go into production.
An assignment I half stole borrowed from Pinterest in a panic, trying to find something to fill in the gap for an assignment on color and value that the kids had done (mistakenly!!) last year. The only source I could find was in a language that uses the Cyrillic alphabet, so I have no idea about the origins.
Kids pick out a sneaker of choice (they were VERY excited about this), render part of it with only graphite pencils, and then use markers to color in the rest:
The assignment every one of my scholars dreads (I would have too, if I had to do a self-portrait in 8th grade), and yet the one they usually end up most proud of. This is one of the rare assignments where I allow my students to trace (if desired), but depending on your philosophy or skill level, you do not have to follow this.
Below is the teacher example I made, featuring my late hamster, Gogurt (yes, I brought her to work with me a few times). This project combines the previous two in this unit (Comic Strip and Celebrity Half-Portrait), and is meant to help students see that there are many ways the human body can tell a story.
Another assignment passed down from the art teacher before me.
The emphasis for students in this assignment is COLOR, value, texture, and shape. They select a colorful background/backdrop/environment from an animated (preferred) television show or movie they like (minimal characters/figures unless they want a challenge) and replicate it using pointillism in the medium of oil pastels. Concept Art is also very acceptable.
In my experience, unless there's proper preparation (in IB education, we call them Formatives), this is a very frustrating assignment for students. Especially if they are impatient or are not good with menial tasks. It's a lesson in patience and finding one's zen. Below, you'll find examples of past students' work as well as the training/pre-work that I recommend in order to have a successful result.
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| One of the best ones done last semester (Fall 2023). Look at that optical mixing!! |
An assignment passed down from the art teacher who came before me (she resigned half-way through the year I was hired, those 8th graders were rough), which was adapted from an art assignment she found online. I do not know her source, but after some digging, I believe it can be located here. I, myself, have made my own alternations to the assignment, namely going over the element of art, Space, in much more detail before starting.
The idea is for kids to understand depth and how to render it on a 2D surface.
An inherited project from the previous art teacher that I try deeply to enrich and align with IB... And yet it still feels too simple and ...
