"Student Silhouette Designs" - art project - Brief Article

Arts & Activities, May, 2003 by Stephanie Stamm

by Bill Brittain, September 2001

I had been searching for a fun way to introduce the elements and principles to my seventh-grade art classes and your September 2001 issue with this lesson in it was perfect! Every student was successful and they were thrilled at how neat their silhouettes turned out. I displayed them in the halls, and teachers and parents had fun guessing who each silhouette was.

I followed the project as outlined, but what I did was have the students draw nine different patterns or textures that they invented on a thumbnail sketch paper. Then, we discussed color combinations and they colored their four favorite patterns, deciding what color scheme they liked best. They then divided their silhouette into sections and lightly drew each of the four patterns several times inside their head. Lastly, they chose up to four colors of magic marker or colored pencil to fill in their design patterns. As you can see, each one is totally unique and beautifully done. (Thanks so much for the opportunity to brag a bit about my art students!)

Stephanie Stamm, Boyertown Junior High West, Boyertown, Pa.