Many 4th graders needed more time this week to finish their Hundertwasser complementary color paintings, so I wanted to do something this week that kids could jump into at different times during class and still have success.
I came across Pnut's work earlier this month on pinterest and pinned a photo of a deck series that he had done for FTC skateboards.
I loved the simplicity of the shapes and composition. Economic and clean. Pared down shapes and colors. I thought his work would make for a perfect exploration of monochromatic color schemes.
I introduced his work to the classes via his website. I showed them the pics from his bio page and shared that he is a month older than me. It was so "nice" to hear from numerous students that Pnut looks so much younger then me! Darn you Pnut;)
We looked at some of his commercial work and a few of his paintings. I contrasted his work with the bold, many colored work of Hundertwasser. We talked about how Greg's work has a strong sense of unity because of his use of monochromatic or analogous color schemes. We also identified his use of contour lines to define the shapes in his work, both objects and background shapes. We also addressed his use of tints and shades of colors to add variety to his images.
I wanted students to use Pnut's work as inspiration, not to simply copy it, so I decided to give them a choice. They could use an instrument for their subject or they could use a music listening device instead. I projected images of an ipod, boombox, walkman, record player, and phonograph for the students to choose from.
Students started the project by shaping their board with scissors. They then did at least 2 skethces on the name side of their board. Once they had something they liked, they drew it out lightly on the front and traced it over with a black crayon to make the contours bold and strong.
I demonstrated how to make tints by adding more water to their tempera paint and how to make shades by adding black.
It has been interesting to see the variations in subject, color, and composition that the students have come up with.
So far, not much love for green. Same goes for the phonograph:)
Love this! Like to incorporate music into our art, but it's hard to think of new and unique ways to do it. May have to try it yet this year - if so I will link back to you on my blog! :)
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful -- love the soft colors!! Thank you for introducing me to an artist I didn't know about (yet again). One of the reasons I like checking your blog regularly is for your focus on contemporary, commercial artists. Exposure to this kind of art helps kids envision how the arts can be a "make a living" kind of life choice.
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