Tigers with artistic style

Arts & Activities, Sept, 2003 by Maureen Holt

It was time to teach my sixth-grade students about style and its meaning. I wanted to combine two lessons to pique the students' interests more than usual. To help promote school spirit and a sense of pride, each student was to design our school mascot--a tiger--using the style of a famous artist.

After an introductory lesson on the styles of several artists, students were provided with a list from which to choose. The artists ranged from Andrew Wyeth to Edvard Munch. Students listed their top three choices and to my surprise, only two students chose the same artist--the students' interests were as varied as the styles.

The students were instructed to create versions of the school mascot in the style of their artist. There were many photos, prints and slides about the artists for reference. Many versions of how to draw tigers were also provided.

Each student developed a sketch of how they would create the tiger and listed what materials they would need. By the next art period, supplies were ready and the students could get to work. After sketches were approved, the students transferred their ideas to a final copy. For some students this meant sketching on paper to be painted later, for others it involved cutting and assembling, and for others, use of the computer.

Each student worked diligently with their supplies and after three 45-minute class periods, our tigers were ready for display. The art work was accompanied by a short biography about each artist. The biography was written by recalling the information read while researching the artist.

The project was very successful and one I will repeat in the future. The student work displayed received lots of positive comments from school personnel as well as parents and the students had a proud example of our school mascot.

Students will ...

* choose various art materials or computer programs to create a finished picture in the style of a famous artist.

* manipulate those materials to revise and clarify intended outcomes of the project.

* understand how different artists used different techniques to accomplish the same objectives.

* synthesize information to compose a short informational biography about the artist.

MATERIALS

* Introductory materials on several artists to include slides, prints, books, etc.

* Different drawings and versions of your school mascot to inspire ideas

* Sketch paper

* Computer drawing program of your choice

* Colored papers, pencils, markers, glue, scissors, etc.

* Word-processing program to type short biographies

Maureen Holt teaches art at Dahlgren School in Dahlgren, Virginia.