Art Educator
Lesson Plans
Middle School Lesson Plans
Final Artworks
In Process
Landscape
How does place influence who you are? In this lesson, students explore the first element in this question : place. In exploring the landscape, students explore drawing and painting materials to create a mixed media artwork. Materials will be presented in a choice-based, station format. Students will choose what materials they want to work, research the material by watching the accompanying instructional video on google classroom (teacher-made, see below), and exploring the material first in their sketchbook. Next, students use the material to make artworks based on the still lives provided at the center of every table. These pages will be saved in a portfolio as a record of material research. The second portion of the experience takes students en plein aire to draw landscapes around the school from life. After sketching, students select their art materials of choice to complete their artwork.
Material Exploration Videos
Final Artworks
Linocut
How does place influence who you are? After creating plein air landscapes in a material of their choice, students further develop ideas about their personal relationship to place by creating a self portrait linocut. Students develop symbols or background images that reference a place they feel personally connected to, then situate themselves in that place through self-portraiture. After planning their design in pencil and defining areas to cut, students transfer their image to a linoblock, cut, and print with a variety of colors. Students will curate an edition of five prints, communicating an intentional mood through color choices.
In Process
In Process
Ceramic Vessel
What does it mean to be malleable? In this lesson, students will learn basic techniques to work with clay, a malleable material. Students will develop an awareness that clay comes from the earth, and that people have worked with clay throughout time across the world for many different purposes. Students will discover what forms clay can make and notice that as clay hardens, its malleability decreases. The lesson begins with basic pinch and coil techniques, and culminates with large vessels, at least 8” tall, fully glazed with individual surface treatments.
Clay Studio
Why do people work with clay? In this lesson, students will explore how clay has been used throughout history by people all around the world. After hearing from ceramic artists about the purposes for their artworks, students will learn basic handbuilding techniques to make : 1) Pinch Pot , 2) Sculptural Creatures, 3) Masks. After learning techniques, students will reflect on what purpose a ceramic object can serve in their lives, and choose to make either a vessel, a creature, or a mask.
Final Artworks
Self-Portrait
What does power look like? In this lesson, students explore portraiture and the visual language of power. First, students examine historical portraiture and critique artistic choices made to give or take power to the subject. Next, students use photography to play with the visual language of power, leveraging pose and props as inspired by our anchor artist Kehinde Wiley. Then, students learn the techniques used in contour drawing and apply them to self-portrait sketches as well as sketches of an object they chose to represent their personal power. These form the basis, along with their photography, for a final painting. Finally, students learn about color mixing with watercolor and acrylic to paint a self portrait that represents their personal power.
Contour Studies
Quarter 1
Quarter 2
Sketchbook
Quarter 1
How can we show space on a piece of paper using only a pencil? How can we break down complex objects into simple shapes and forms? Do some people just know how to draw? In this lesson, students will discover that artists learn how to draw from repeated practice and experimentation. By working in their sketchbooks twice a week, students will develop their drawing fluency as well as learn academic vocabulary to describe drawing techniques, elements, and principles. Before beginning the series of drawing lessons, students are asked to draw a stool and ice cream cone without any support. After 12 drawing lessons, students will draw the same objects again and self-assess the areas in which they’ve developed. By drawing in our sketchbooks twice a week, students develop the critical studio habit of mind : engage and persist. This routine practice will translate to ongoing interest in drawing.
Quarter 2
How can you apply drawing skills to a still life you observe? In this lesson, students will draw sets of geometric forms from close observation. Students will generate their own vocabulary list of five or more words to accompany each drawing. Each day, students are expected to draw for the entire session, rendering their sketches to the highest level of detail (including shade, shadow, contouring, line weight). Students will be invited to include imaginative elements if they like.
High School Lesson Plans
Comics
How can artists capture stories about their lives? In this lesson, drawing and painting two students will explore comics as a mode of personal expression and storytelling. Students will begin by studying comic artists and graphic novelists to understand how comics leverage frames, text, and stylized images to communicate a narrative. Students will learn techniques and explore their personal style through a series of mini-lessons from Lynda Barry’s Making Comics and Ivan Brunetti. Once students get the “feel” for making comics, we will progress to creating a one-page-comic. Drawing inspiration from their own lives, specifically in the context of Albuquerque, students will sketch, ink, possibly paint/color and share their own comics. Finished comics will be copied into zine format; each student will receive a zine and one copy will be permanently a part of Albuquerque High’s special collection section of the library.
Teacher Example
Fairy Tale Shadowboxes
How do artists represent narratives? What significance might traditional fairy tales have for a contemporary audience? How might we remix fairy tales to reflect our personal interpretations? In this unit, DP1 students will create shadow boxes with at least three layers of cut paper to create depth and tell a narrative. Narratives will be derived from supported student research. After reading and reflecting on one or more fairy tales, students will visually articulate their interpretation of the narrative by quickly sketching a storyboard. Next, students will identify key plot elements (setting, characters, problem/solution) that must be combined to communicate the fairy tale in one scene to the viewer. Students will work individually or in groups no greater than 3 to develop at least three layers of cut paper that captures their interpretation of the fairy tale. All pieces must include a background, middle, and foreground with clear characters and setting. Students may create the visuals for the shadowbox by either drawing/painting their own elements. Students will assemble their shadow boxes using foam core to separate layers into a chipboard box. Students will plan and install their artworks in NHCC’s multipurpose room and attend the opening to celebrate their artworks.
High School Lesson Plans During Stay-At-Home Order
Defiant Gardens
“Defiant gardens are gardens
created in extreme or difficult environmental, social, political, economic, or cultural conditions. These gardens represent adaptation to challenging circumstances, but they can also be viewed from other dimensions as sites ofassertion and affirmation.”
- Kenneth Helphand
Contemporary artists who work with the environment such as Mark Dion, Kevin Johnson, and Christine Baeumler have been inspired by the history of defiant gardens. In this presentation, Drawing and Painting 1 and 2 students explore the intersection of gardening, art, and crisis. The experience is designed to encourage students to spend some time in nature and think about how the natural world might inform their art practice and support them emotionally while we stay at home.
Home Art Practice
This presentation offers a series of videos that capture contemporary artists working in their studios, describing their process. It can be challenging to transition art practice from a studio space to your home. However, all of these artists draw inspiration from the materials, space, and people around them.
As Drawing and Painting 3 and AP students watch these videos, they are asked to pay attention to how artists set up their creative spaces and draw inspiration for their artwork. These students are continuing their personal portfolio development through the end of the semester, but have to adapt to a new environment. Each artist in this presentation is accompanied a prompt to for students to apply to their own artwork, however the objectives are student-driven as students work to complete their individual portfolios.