Need some relief? Try these plaster portraits

Arts & Activities, May, 2004 by Christina Zanni

Portraits are always a challenge. My second-graders already experienced creating portraits by drawing on paper. We needed something fun! So, I decided to try a new approach, with students working on relief sculptures together the first art session and separately the second.

During the first session, various artists and their work were examined and discussed. Students were asked to find similarities and differences in portraits by Matisse, Renoir and da Vinci. They were then given a choice of creating a self-portrait, a portrait of someone they know, or a portrait of a classmate.

Portraits as a form of sculpture were not only discussed, but also demonstrated. Students were shown how to apply plaster gauze on a balloon. They were also asked to work in pairs, with each pair given one balloon. Foil noses were taped to the balloons on both sides.

Pie pans and pre-cut gauze were given to each pair of students. To make sure the balloons would hold their shape when dry, two layers of plaster gauze was applied. Balloons were then left to dry until the second art session.

The second session dealt with mixing tints of a color and discussing features, details and accessories. Students were given a portion of an egg carton filled halfway with white tempera paint. Orange or brown tempera was added to their white to achieve peach or tan.

The hardened balloons were then cut, with each student receiving half. Names were written on the inside of the balloon shapes. Students painted the entire half of their balloon with their tint. The tempera dried relatively quickly.

Painted balloons were glued to 8" x 8" pieces of colored poster board. Necks and ears were painted directly on the poster board with the tint mixture.

While the paint was drying, students worked on features and details. Eyes and shirts were cut from colored construction paper and glued. Fine-line black markers for eyelashes, brows and tints of pink tempera paint for cheeks and lips were added. Yarn hair, pipe-cleaner glasses, plastic-bead necklaces, ribbons and flower accessories completed the portraits.

Finished portraits were displayed in the hall much to the delight of the students, parents and visitors.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will ...

* create a portrait as a relief sculpture.

* mix paints to obtain a tint.

* know and apply visual materials, techniques and processes.

* participate in cooperative learning.

MATERIALS

* 5-inch round balloons

* Plaster gauze

* Pie pans

* Glue

* Construction paper and poster board in various colors

* Fine-line black markers

* Tempera paint and paintbrushes

* Egg cartons

* Pencils

* Scissors

* Yarn, pipe cleaners, plastic beads

* Silk flowers

Christina Zanni teaches art at Cherokee Elementary School in Clinton Township, Michigan.