by Sara Behling
Copyright © 1997. All Rights Reserved.
Dakota Ridge High School

| Materials | Strategy and Objectives | Instructional Sequence |
| Resources | Assessments and Standards |

MATERIALS:

Digital Equipment Used (use current technology):
Macintosh 7600
Adobe Photoshop 3.0
Photo CD, Digital Camera, 35mm Camera, Flatbed scanner
Zip Drive
Hewlett Packard 880Cse Printer (or compatible ink jet printer)

Photography Equipment Used:
Pinhole Camera
Darkroom and printing supplies
Photo paper, Dektol, Stop Bath, Fix

Art Supplies:
Papers-
Newsprint
White Drawing Paper
Lenox Drawing Paper 90 lb.
300 lb. Water Color Paper
2B & 4H Pencils-erasers
Plastic grid-Acetate with 1/2" grid
Oil Pastels
Colored Pencils

STRATEGY AND OBJECTIVES:
Where do ideas come from? How do you get students thinking about ideas? How do you encourage them to make meaningful choices when choosing what to draw? The art instructor usually sets up a still life which students then draw from. Using a computer to develop a personal visual resource for the students accomplishes much more. The students are able to utilize computer skills, add to this knowledge base, and be in control of idea development. Problem solving strategies come into play as students work through endless options in a graphics program.

The problem used to be getting students to come up with more than two ideas. Now, using the computer as an idea-generation tool means that the student struggles to stop the process and make a final selection from the countless possibilities from his or her electronic creative sketch book.

The learning goal in this series of processes is for the student to develop an interesting concept within their self portrait and use the concept as a personal visual resource. The student then blows up the computer manipulated self portrait using the grid method into a much larger oil pastel or colored pencil drawing. Mirrors are often used to enhance the three dimensional aspect of the face, hair, and clothes and to avoid the 'flatness' which may accompany drawing from a two dimensional surface.

The objectives of this series of exercises are:

• To introduce students to the computer as an expressive tool which will be added to their repertoire of visual skills.
• To introduce the computer as a 'speedy sketch book' capable of endless idea development.
• Introduction of selection, fill and filter tools in Photoshop.
• To develop brainstorming and problem solving skills.
• To develop unique and personally meaningful images through a creative process.
• To apply both the Elements of Art & The Principles of Design and the Guidelines of Composition.
• To develop correct observation skills in drawing.
• To develop a working knowledge of color theory through the mixing of primary colors to achieve secondary and tertiary colors.
• To meet Colorado's Jefferson County Visual Arts Content Standards.

Instructional Sequence:
The students became familiar with the computer equipment (using a tutorial and watching demonstrations), and the basic tools in Photoshop. The students were photographed using a digital camera and the images imported and saved each image to a student disk. If access to a digital camera isn't possible, a 35mm camera can be used and the film taken to a photo lab which has the capability of developing the negatives, and digitizing the images to photo cd. Advanced Drawing students built their own 360° Pinhole cameras, set up situations for self portraits and photographed each other. The pinhole prints had the distorted look of a fish eye lens. These prints were then scanned using a flatbed scanner, and inverted (negative made positive) in Photoshop. The images were manipulated and saved onto a student disk. The students altered/manipulated the image using a variety of the tools available in Photoshop (giving consideration to the Elements of Art and the Principles of Design, as well as the Guidelines of Composition). Once the manipulation was complete, the image was saved to the student disk and printed in color using a Hewlett Packard Color Ink Jet printer. These self portraits were matted and displayed within the school.

A second copy of each student image was printed, which the students covered with an acetate sheet with a half inch grid. Using 18" x 24" 90 lb. white drawing paper, students then lightly drew a matching grid. Using a 4H pencil, the basic forms were outlined within each box of the grid. Secondary detail was added followed by tertiary detail. Demonstrations of the following oil pastel techniques were given:

• Hatching, Crosshatching, Side strokes, Weighted line
• Blending colors: smudge with oil bars
• Break up of continual tone with a pencil
• Single-edged razor scrape away
• Dusting
• Scumbling
• Paint mediums mixed with palette knife
• Fixatives

RESOURCES:

Videos:
The Mind's Eye: A computer Animation Odyssey, by Miramar Productions
The Art of Photo Composition. Kodak Video Programs
The History of the Computer: A PBS Production
The Secret Life of the Word Processor: Discovery Channel
The Guidelines of Composition, by Kodak

Tutorial:
Technology. A Creative Tool. by Sara Behling

Magazines:
RollingStone-portraits of rock stars on display
Annie Leibovitz: Portraits

Books:
Olympic Portraits. by Annie Leibovitz
Chuck Close. by John Guare

Slides:
Vincent Van Gogh Self-Portraits in chronological order

ASSESSMENTS AND STANDARDS:

1. Student critique of each end process. (Jefferson County Standard 5.2,5.3)


2. Written self-evaluation. (5.2,5.3) Teacher Evaluation


3. Alignment with Colorado/JeffCo Art Standards:

Standard 1: The exploration and application of materials, techniques and processes are essential art skills. Student experiences with materials, techniques, and technology, in combination with concepts and ideas, result in works of art. The safe and responsible use of materials and tools is essential for environmental and personal safety.

The students will: demonstrate an understanding of the use of materials, techniques and processes through introduction/mastery of a variety of image manipulation tools in Photoshop, understand printing options, apply drawing & carving techniques via the grid method and weighted line.

Benchmarks: Grades 9-12

1. Interpret visual images, themes, and ideas in works of art. Addressed through use of portrait as theme, as used by Annie Leibovitz and Chuck Close.
2. Know and use an expanded vocabulary. Vocabulary introduced through history of the portrait, oil pastel techniques, and tools in the digital process. Integration of Language Arts Standards and vocabulary.
3. Use varied techniques to gather, record, organize and integrate relevant sources of visual images, themes & ideas. Brainstorming, idea development utilized on the computer.
4. Create original works of art which reflect personal views, ideas and experiences to communicate an intended meaning. The finished works of art from this unit: Matted manipulated self portrait (color). The work is critiqued in a class situation (Standard 5.2), and the final work is displayed in the school, and possibly entered into competitions. Finally, the work is placed in the student's portfolio. Seniors have the opportunity to develop a digital portfolio on CD using a writeable CD. Seniors applying for acceptance into art programs may have their work featured on the Dakota Ridge Home Page with a brief biography.

Top
Back to Lesson Plans