Value POP-Art Sneaker

 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:

 

I prep them for this lesson by giving a quick crash-course on the Pop-Art Movement, making sure to specify that the reason for it was that artists at the time could not and did not relate to the artwork they were studying and looking at in school and museums--Much like many of my 8th graders have no connection to the classical paintings they're used to seeing in art and history. I also include examples of pop art, many of which they might have seen before either as is or as parodies in cartoons and other pop-culture stuff (it all comes full circle...)

My students were allowed to trace or transfer the sneakers onto their format (7x10 inches), but a few were happy to sketch it freehand. Once they have it sketched out, have them draw a 3x3 inch square in the middle of the shoe. Some variation can be given depending on the size of the shoe or format. Make sure some of the background is also included in the square. Then break out the graphite pencils!

 

 

 

Here is the demo/example I made for my kids. A lot of them have issues with the phrase "blocking out", so it really helps to show them rather than try to explain with words. 

 

 

What's crucial to this assignment is an understanding of graphite softness/hardness and tortillions. If your students don't have blending stubs, tissues and paper towels do in a pinch. You can also each them how to make their own! Make sure they match the value of their reference as closely as possible: you might need to brighten up the refs before printing, since everything printed comes out darker than on a backlit monitor.

 

I like to tell kids to list out the following:

1. What are your favorite colors?
2. What popular topics/media do you interact with the most?
3. What is a favorite aesthetic? (60s, cottagecore, goth, Lisa Frank, and so on)
4. What is something popular that affects or controls your life greatly (music, tv, social groups, etc)?

This helps them brainstorm ideas/thumbnail sketches. I always stress to them what my 10th grade English teacher told me: you need to get out all your bad ideas so the good ones have room to grow and develop in your mind. Otherwise, you're going to keep repeating the same slop in your head over and over.

 

Here is the finished (for now, I might go back and add color to the eyes/glasses) example I made in my second semester, after I saw my first semester students didn't quite understand what I meant by "Pop Art" (see below)

As much as I tried to emphasize to the students to not leave outlines on the graphite portion of the sneaker, they did not (could not?) comprehend what the hell I was talking about. Despite working on lineless value art the year before (these are ART II students)... How short memories are. 

I was pretty lenient since this project was birthed last minute, but I recommend telling them that you'll be taking points off if they leave lines on the black and white portion.

Before this assignment, I recommend that students do value studies/scales so they know the full power of their pencils...

Once the graphite/value portion is finished, they're allowed to use the markers. I was lucky enough to order some nice alcohol markers for them to use this year and they LOVE them. They now refuse to use the regular Crayola and Prang markers ToT. I have a feeling a lot of them rushed over the graphite portion in order to reach the part where they got to use the new markers.

The point is to show contrast between value studies (something which every art student goes through), which is traditional and classical art, and the bright, saturated (often eye-straining or obnoxious) colors that are not found within traditional, classical art--But rather in advertisements, music videos, YouTube thumbnails, and other media that they would be exposed to.

 

I suggest having the kids write down the name of the sneaker they want. I know, it's weird. But I guess it's a thing to know the names of shoes now. The most popular shoes were Jordans and Adiddas, followed by Vans. Make sure that the reference you print out is in black and white. What worked best for me was finding the sneaker in crazy colors and then lowering the saturation. If you have real time on your hands, you can play with the Levels and Curves in Photoshop (or my favorite Photoshop dupe: Photopea).

The background inside the box should be colorful! AND NOT A SOLID COLOR! Stripes, polka dots, whatever, it needs to pop and catch attention. It can even compete with the actual shoe to try and grab the audience attention.

Obviously, the colors/pattern on the shoe do not need to reflect real life or make sense. 

 

 

 

Thankfully, in my second semester, I put together a quick lesson on the origins and purpose of Pop Art, including various different examples, and these kids did MUCH BETTER on it:

 

You live and you learn.