Bottle Portraits
7th Grade, 6-7 Weeks
This unit presents students with the challenge of taking a recycled bottle and transforming it using recycled paper, tape, and paper mache to the likeness of a famous person or fictional character. This project also requires that students research their selections and write a short biography about their choice to accompany their sculpture.
Relationship to Life
Students in the 7th grade will be working on research and biography projects, both in their social studies and English classes. This project encourages students to enhance their research and biography writing skills, and allows learn about someone that interests them. Students will learn the significance outside research plays in order to inform the creation of an artwork, as well as the importance of using recycled materials to make artwork.
Children in this stage are concerned with the end product of the art-making process. Children rarely make art for art’s sake- there is a point to production. The children that decide to continue are on the way to creating “adult” art by exploring new media and subjects and by improving basic skills and moving forward. They are encouraged to express their emotional relationship with their work, and thus work from this stage is more expressive than earlier work. Experimentation is an important part of this stage because students are able to explore what media and subject matter they like to work with. At this time, students also begin to work expressively, moving away from strict realistic interpretations of life. Details are studied in depth. Light, value, texture and motion begin to become common aspects of art works.
Problem/Activity Statement
Students are presented with the challenge of creating a 3-D portrait of a famous person or fictional character using recycled bottles, paper, tape, and paper mache. Students will learn the importance of preparatory work and planning, as well as the need to make decisions and be willing to accept changes made to their work.
Goals
Students should:
Understand: The relationship between purpose, meaning and principles of design in an object.
(MACF Standards: 2 and 6)
Ways a final product relates to a variety of time images and objects produced in other historical periods.
(MCAF Standards: 5 and 8)
Know: The art making processes necessary to design and create their object.
(MCAF Standard: 4)
Be Able to: apply knowledge of other disciplines in learning in and about the arts
(MCAF Standard 10)
Produce/construct an object that enables personal voices.
(MCAF Standard: 1)
Invent either a functional and/or expressive personal response.
(MCAF Standard: 3)
Objectives
Identify and use ideas of one’s self to communicate another’s identity through art making.
Use a variety of tools and techniques to apply the formal qualities of art.
Analyze and apply thematic compositional approaches used to create a likeness of someone using physical characteristics and personal interests.
Demonstrate an understanding of ways artists plan and execute accurate likenesses.
Instructional Concepts
“Are the appearances of individuality and personality, when they speak to us from the world of art, more truthful than the human images we see on billboards, television and computer screens?” –Rebel, Ernst. Self Portraits
“The figure has been the inspiration of both heroic and sublime artistic creations for thousands of years. The figure continues to inspire and is the subject of choice for many contemporary sculptors worldwide. Perfectly constructed, possessing power and grace, it offers dramatic movements and an endless array of pose possibilities. Ideally suited, the figure features an abundance of volumes and contours, presenting the sculptor with infinite design and compositional options while boasting an unlimited range of emotional expressions.”-Rubino, Peter. Sculpting the Figure in Clay.
Line can be used to invent forms.
Color can be used for emphasis in a composition.
Texture can be used to create surface variety.
Forms can be identified by the use of surrounding objects in the environment.
Forms can be described in relation to parts of a while.
Balance can be achieved through the arrangement of line, shape, color, texture, space, or form within a composition.
Emphasis can be achieved through outlining.
Unity can be achieved through repetition of line, shape, color, texture, space, or form in a composition.
Space can be achieved through the variation of size, shape, and placement
Variety can be achieved through a change in tone or value.
Introducing children to art develops their visual awareness and provides a springboard for personal image making.
Form can be described in relation to parts of a whole.
Emphasis can be achieved through outlining
Narrative strategies help student artists develop their visual awareness and provide a springboard for personal image making.
Brainstorming helps students work through problems and eliminate challenges before working on their final projects.
Resources and Materials
Materials: Exemplars:
Recycled Bottle Teacher Exemplar
Recycled Paper Student Exemplars
Masking Tape
Papier Mache Paste
Phonebook pages
Tempura Paint
Mixed Media
Reference Images
Motivation
The teacher will have prepared at least one example of their own work to show the class, including a preliminary sketch, a finished bottle portrait and an in-process project. The teacher will also show other student work, and explain that students are encouraged to choose a person or character that applies to their interests.
Questions
Topic Questions:
Why do you think artists create likenesses of other people?
What purpose does a portrait serve?
Association Questions:
Have you ever had your portrait painted or photographed? How does it make you feel to be immortalized in a work of art?
Why might using recycled material add or depreciate the value of a work?
Visualization Questions:
How might the skills from drawing a portrait help to create a three-dimensional work?
What other objects might be included in the overall composition to establish and clarify an identity?
Transition questions:
What Elements and Principles of Design are most important to remember when creating a three-dimensional portrait?
Procedures
Demonstration
The teacher will first show students the finished teacher and student exemplars. The teacher will then demonstrate how to build up forms using a bottle as the basic structure, and paper and tape to add more volume. The teacher will continue the next lesson by showing them how to add layers of strips of paper to continue to add details. The teacher will then discuss requirements for the assignment- a self-supporting structure that portrays the likeness of a celebrity or fictional character that includes another object to establish and clarify identity. The teacher will allow students to draw their portraits first before instructing them to move on to constructing their final projects. When students’ structures have been completed, students may paint their portraits using tempera paint.
Vocabulary:
Portrait- An artistic representation of a person that shows the subject’s face. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, or mood of the person.
Distribution
Students will first be given sketch paper to plan their portraits. They will be instructed to look at visual references. When they finish with their sketches, students will choose a bottle that can adequately express the shape of the subject. The students must also acquire recycled paper to build forms, and tape will be distributed. Phone book pages and papier mache paste will be available for students who are ready to continue to build forms. When the basic structure has been completed, students will be provided with paint and brushes to mix accurate colors. Any outside objects needed as accessories should be brought in by the students.
Work period
Lesson 1
The teacher will introduce the unit as a whole, and then show teacher and students examples. The teacher will instruct students to look at visual references and to sketch ideas for their portraits.
Lesson 2
The teacher will demonstrate how to build forms using a bottle, crumpled paper and tape. The teacher will instruct students to select a bottle that is suitable for their portrait, and students will begin to build forms
Lesson 3
Students will finish building forms, and should start adding layers of papier mache to their structures.
Lesson 4
Students should continue and finish adding basic layers of papier mache to their structures. Students may add additional layers for accessories or clothing.
Lesson 5
By this lesson, students should be finished with the papier mache process, and should begin painting their bottle portraits. Students should paint base colors first and then add details last.
Lesson 6-7
During the next few lessons, students should continue painting and adding details such as hair, clothing, shoes, or additional accessories to complete their portraits. Students should remember that their portraits must stand on their own, and that portraits require at least one extra item other than clothing to help identify their subject.
Clean-up
At the end of each class, students must make sure their names are on their projects, and students should return their portraits to the appropriate shelf. Students should make sure that any paper scraps or extra paste be cleaned up, and that their workspace has been cleaned. Drawings should be handed in to the class folder at the end of each class.
Closure
The teacher will go over what should have been accomplished by the end of the class, and what will be expected of each student during their next meeting. The teacher will review where materials and projects should be put away, and the class will be dismissed.
Evaluation
Students will be evaluated based on their understanding of procedure and their ability to create a likeness. Students are expected to complete a preliminary drawing before moving on to their final foil project. The preliminary drawings should demonstrate ability in selecting characteristics that will define the identity of their subject. Final bottle portraits will be evaluated based on the student’s ability to construct a self-supporting structure with recycled materials and paper mache. Students will be evaluated on decisions made concerning texture and mark-making using paint and other materials to further emphasize identity. Creativity and execution are important components of this assignment.
Did the students…
Did the students create a preliminary sketch of a famous person or fictional character?
Did the students construct a self-supporting structure using recycled materials?
Did the students use paper mache properly in order to add details and complete the outer structures of their portraits?
Did the students use paint and other materials to enrich their portrait?
Relationship to Life
Students in the 7th grade will be working on research and biography projects, both in their social studies and English classes. This project encourages students to enhance their research and biography writing skills, and allows learn about someone that interests them. Students will learn the significance outside research plays in order to inform the creation of an artwork, as well as the importance of using recycled materials to make artwork.
Children in this stage are concerned with the end product of the art-making process. Children rarely make art for art’s sake- there is a point to production. The children that decide to continue are on the way to creating “adult” art by exploring new media and subjects and by improving basic skills and moving forward. They are encouraged to express their emotional relationship with their work, and thus work from this stage is more expressive than earlier work. Experimentation is an important part of this stage because students are able to explore what media and subject matter they like to work with. At this time, students also begin to work expressively, moving away from strict realistic interpretations of life. Details are studied in depth. Light, value, texture and motion begin to become common aspects of art works.
Problem/Activity Statement
Students are presented with the challenge of creating a 3-D portrait of a famous person or fictional character using recycled bottles, paper, tape, and paper mache. Students will learn the importance of preparatory work and planning, as well as the need to make decisions and be willing to accept changes made to their work.
Goals
Students should:
Understand: The relationship between purpose, meaning and principles of design in an object.
(MACF Standards: 2 and 6)
Ways a final product relates to a variety of time images and objects produced in other historical periods.
(MCAF Standards: 5 and 8)
Know: The art making processes necessary to design and create their object.
(MCAF Standard: 4)
Be Able to: apply knowledge of other disciplines in learning in and about the arts
(MCAF Standard 10)
Produce/construct an object that enables personal voices.
(MCAF Standard: 1)
Invent either a functional and/or expressive personal response.
(MCAF Standard: 3)
Objectives
Identify and use ideas of one’s self to communicate another’s identity through art making.
Use a variety of tools and techniques to apply the formal qualities of art.
Analyze and apply thematic compositional approaches used to create a likeness of someone using physical characteristics and personal interests.
Demonstrate an understanding of ways artists plan and execute accurate likenesses.
Instructional Concepts
“Are the appearances of individuality and personality, when they speak to us from the world of art, more truthful than the human images we see on billboards, television and computer screens?” –Rebel, Ernst. Self Portraits
“The figure has been the inspiration of both heroic and sublime artistic creations for thousands of years. The figure continues to inspire and is the subject of choice for many contemporary sculptors worldwide. Perfectly constructed, possessing power and grace, it offers dramatic movements and an endless array of pose possibilities. Ideally suited, the figure features an abundance of volumes and contours, presenting the sculptor with infinite design and compositional options while boasting an unlimited range of emotional expressions.”-Rubino, Peter. Sculpting the Figure in Clay.
Line can be used to invent forms.
Color can be used for emphasis in a composition.
Texture can be used to create surface variety.
Forms can be identified by the use of surrounding objects in the environment.
Forms can be described in relation to parts of a while.
Balance can be achieved through the arrangement of line, shape, color, texture, space, or form within a composition.
Emphasis can be achieved through outlining.
Unity can be achieved through repetition of line, shape, color, texture, space, or form in a composition.
Space can be achieved through the variation of size, shape, and placement
Variety can be achieved through a change in tone or value.
Introducing children to art develops their visual awareness and provides a springboard for personal image making.
Form can be described in relation to parts of a whole.
Emphasis can be achieved through outlining
Narrative strategies help student artists develop their visual awareness and provide a springboard for personal image making.
Brainstorming helps students work through problems and eliminate challenges before working on their final projects.
Resources and Materials
Materials: Exemplars:
Recycled Bottle Teacher Exemplar
Recycled Paper Student Exemplars
Masking Tape
Papier Mache Paste
Phonebook pages
Tempura Paint
Mixed Media
Reference Images
Motivation
The teacher will have prepared at least one example of their own work to show the class, including a preliminary sketch, a finished bottle portrait and an in-process project. The teacher will also show other student work, and explain that students are encouraged to choose a person or character that applies to their interests.
Questions
Topic Questions:
Why do you think artists create likenesses of other people?
What purpose does a portrait serve?
Association Questions:
Have you ever had your portrait painted or photographed? How does it make you feel to be immortalized in a work of art?
Why might using recycled material add or depreciate the value of a work?
Visualization Questions:
How might the skills from drawing a portrait help to create a three-dimensional work?
What other objects might be included in the overall composition to establish and clarify an identity?
Transition questions:
What Elements and Principles of Design are most important to remember when creating a three-dimensional portrait?
Procedures
Demonstration
The teacher will first show students the finished teacher and student exemplars. The teacher will then demonstrate how to build up forms using a bottle as the basic structure, and paper and tape to add more volume. The teacher will continue the next lesson by showing them how to add layers of strips of paper to continue to add details. The teacher will then discuss requirements for the assignment- a self-supporting structure that portrays the likeness of a celebrity or fictional character that includes another object to establish and clarify identity. The teacher will allow students to draw their portraits first before instructing them to move on to constructing their final projects. When students’ structures have been completed, students may paint their portraits using tempera paint.
Vocabulary:
Portrait- An artistic representation of a person that shows the subject’s face. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, or mood of the person.
Distribution
Students will first be given sketch paper to plan their portraits. They will be instructed to look at visual references. When they finish with their sketches, students will choose a bottle that can adequately express the shape of the subject. The students must also acquire recycled paper to build forms, and tape will be distributed. Phone book pages and papier mache paste will be available for students who are ready to continue to build forms. When the basic structure has been completed, students will be provided with paint and brushes to mix accurate colors. Any outside objects needed as accessories should be brought in by the students.
Work period
Lesson 1
The teacher will introduce the unit as a whole, and then show teacher and students examples. The teacher will instruct students to look at visual references and to sketch ideas for their portraits.
Lesson 2
The teacher will demonstrate how to build forms using a bottle, crumpled paper and tape. The teacher will instruct students to select a bottle that is suitable for their portrait, and students will begin to build forms
Lesson 3
Students will finish building forms, and should start adding layers of papier mache to their structures.
Lesson 4
Students should continue and finish adding basic layers of papier mache to their structures. Students may add additional layers for accessories or clothing.
Lesson 5
By this lesson, students should be finished with the papier mache process, and should begin painting their bottle portraits. Students should paint base colors first and then add details last.
Lesson 6-7
During the next few lessons, students should continue painting and adding details such as hair, clothing, shoes, or additional accessories to complete their portraits. Students should remember that their portraits must stand on their own, and that portraits require at least one extra item other than clothing to help identify their subject.
Clean-up
At the end of each class, students must make sure their names are on their projects, and students should return their portraits to the appropriate shelf. Students should make sure that any paper scraps or extra paste be cleaned up, and that their workspace has been cleaned. Drawings should be handed in to the class folder at the end of each class.
Closure
The teacher will go over what should have been accomplished by the end of the class, and what will be expected of each student during their next meeting. The teacher will review where materials and projects should be put away, and the class will be dismissed.
Evaluation
Students will be evaluated based on their understanding of procedure and their ability to create a likeness. Students are expected to complete a preliminary drawing before moving on to their final foil project. The preliminary drawings should demonstrate ability in selecting characteristics that will define the identity of their subject. Final bottle portraits will be evaluated based on the student’s ability to construct a self-supporting structure with recycled materials and paper mache. Students will be evaluated on decisions made concerning texture and mark-making using paint and other materials to further emphasize identity. Creativity and execution are important components of this assignment.
Did the students…
Did the students create a preliminary sketch of a famous person or fictional character?
Did the students construct a self-supporting structure using recycled materials?
Did the students use paper mache properly in order to add details and complete the outer structures of their portraits?
Did the students use paint and other materials to enrich their portrait?