Isn't this fantastic?!? I LOVE how it turned out. And I really love that some of my students who wouldn't consider themselves "natural artists" saw great success with this activity. The activity took a bit of time to complete, but the end result was so worth it. This is how we completed the activity:
1. I started by taking pictures of my students (close-ups of their faces).
2. At home that night I used a free program (www.paint.net) to convert the pictures to black and white drawings (I have photoshop elements, but this free program worked better). I printed the pictures on standard letter size paper.
3. The students took the black and white drawings and drew a 2cm x 2cm grid over the picture.
4. They then took a piece of construction paper (4 times the size) and made a 4cm x 4cm grid on the paper.
5. They then had to enlarge their original picture onto the larger construction paper. It is important to stress that they work square by square, row by row - it is NOT a free sketch.
6. Once the enlargements are complete (this took a few 1/2 hour classes), they must erase all the grid lines.
7. They then divide their pictures into 4 equal quadrants. Each quadrant is completed using different materials and techniques. The upper left quadrant is painted. The upper right is shaded with pencil. The lower left used stippling with a black sharpie marker, and the bottom right used crayons or pencil crayons.
8. Lastly, students were instructed to fill in the background for each quadrant using any design they wish.
9. After the pictures were mounted on colorful construction paper, I laminated them and hung them in the hallway outside my class. You wouldn't believe the reaction I got from other staff and students at the school!
Sticking with the face art theme, my three-year old proudly presented me with this picture when I picked her up from daycare today. "I made this for you, mommy. This is YOU!"
Hmmmmmm ....... I see horns - do you see the horns? I must admit though, I did FEEL like this by the end of the day today.
IS IT FRIDAY YET???
