BOOKS READ:

The Colors of Us, by Karen Katz

Let's Talk About Race, by Julius Lester

Just Like Me, Children's Press Anthology of 14 artists self-portraits and reflections

Skin Again, by bell hooks

500 Artists' Self-Portraits, Taschen Press Anthology

Honoring Our Ancestors, Children's Press Anthology

SELF-PORTRAIT COLLAGES  (Lesson Plan for K-5th gade), pacing is created for one hour art sessions.
by Claudia Goodman-Hough

ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF ART AND DESIGN:
Line-outline, lines in textures and patterns
Shape/form-faces, body parts (eyes, nose, ears, mouth, clothes)
Color-skin, eyes, hair, clothes, background, objects chosen to describe self
Texture-Combed lines used to define hair texture, brush texture,
Composition-Where we choose to put things and why.
Emphasis-What we want people to look at first
Balance, Harmony and/or Discord.
Pattern-repeating design


ART VOCABULARY:
•Colors and color mixing- first the focus is on mixing primary colors two at a time to create secondary colors then the focus is on skin tones. Inspired by The Colors of Us, we choose words to describe our skin colors-cinnamon, coffee toffee, honey, pizza crust, etc.
•Textures-visual texture, actual texture and types of textures: Smooth, rough, bumpy, irregular, or regular.
•Proportions (facial and body)
•Context- self in relation to other images chosen for the collage to help tell their story
•Relationship-themselves and the world around them
•Pattern-their clothes, the background, the decorations on board around their work
•Foreground and background

PROJECT : COLLAGE SELF-PORTRAIT
•Make a collage self-portrait using painted and found paper
•Include visual clues and images that includes information about who we are, what we like to do, to eat, and other things about our selves.
•Notice and articulate the variety of the many shades of brown.
•Understand the difference between shades and tints and the many colors to make the many variations of brown.

WEEK 1:
•Read The Colors of Us, compare, contrast and describe the colors of our skin, the color and texture of our hair, the color of our eyes. Put our hands next to each other’s then notice and describe the differences and similarities.
•OUR SKIN-
We mix our own shade of brown to match our skin tone and test it on our hand, using primary colors, brown multicultural paint (K-2), white and black tempera paint.
Once they mix a color they are satisfied with, they paint a large sheet of paper which will be used in their self-portrait collage. (Students can swap scraps to use for their features).

WEEK 2:
Look at collages by Romare Bearden and read Let’s Talk About Race.
•OUR HAIR-
Brainstorm names for their hair colors. They can be actual colors, made up colors, or of food. Notice the color and texture of our hair. Mixing colors, try to match our hair color, by painting a swatch to hold up next to their hair.  Once they create their hair color, they paint a large piece of paper and run combs or dry brushes through the paint to create line texture.

•EYES, CLOTHES, ETC-
Magazines, colored and decorative paper, fabric scraps, wrapping paper

WEEK 3:
•Look at examples of Faith Ringgold’s quilts and paintings by Jacob Lawrence.
•Who we are, what we like to do, what we like to eat, and other things that help to ‘define who we are and what makes us special’.

•How many heads tall are we? Using a strip of paper to measure from the top of the head to the chin. Have students estimate how many heads tall they are. Measure each student and make a class graph of how many heads tall they are.

•Discuss shapes and proportions of the face- where the eyes are, (in the middle of their face and usually 5 eye widths across the face from ear to ear) in relation to their nose, mouth and ears- (top of ears start where the eyebrows are and the bottom of their ears are on line with the nostrils are), where their hairline is, how long their neck is, etc.

•Discuss composition- foreground and background and how where we place an image determines where our eyes go while looking at the picture. Show examples of artwork, self-portraits by different artists.

•Placement of self on the paper, collage features, then arrange chosen images that tell the story of who they are, what they like around them. Before gluing images down, point out how the placement of the images affects the composition of their work (balance, harmony, discord). Try placing images in different places on the paper to see how placement affects their work.

SOME OF THE ARTISTS LOOKED AT:
Romare Bearden
Faith Ringgold
Dean Meyers
Jacob Lawrence (Although his work is not collage, his use of shapes lends itself to collage work)
Eric Carle, Leo Lionni

ASSESSMENT AND CHECK-IN:
Share observations of our similarities and differences.
Explain the process of mixing their skin and hair colors and textures
Choices made and what prompted their decisions. What they felt was successful and what they might want to change.

INSPIRATION AND PEDAGOGY RESOURCES

The Redwood Heights Students and Families

MOCHA Arts Integration Teacher Trainings
Alameda County Arts Alliance, Arts Learning Coaches
Teaching for Understanding
VTS-Visual Thinking Strategies
Lois Hetland
Louise Music
Todd Elkin
Evan Hastings
Arzu Mistry
Jayessha Dutta
TAO-Teaching Artists Organized
CCA-Teaching Artist Institute- Jennifer Stuart
Mary Hurley
Cynthia Bagby
Nancy Fisher
Wayne Abrahams
Rebecca Weissman
Linda Rogers
Rashida Turner
Karen Fan
Cynthia Lee
Theresa Sanders
Lynley Kendricks
Madhuri Ream
Cathy Mahoney
Kathleen Nardina
Chelsea Smiley
Shirley Lindley
Dr. Fran Rappaport
Sherry Ketzel
Velma Diaz
Pamela Consear

With support from the RHS Parent Organizations
City of Oakland Cultural Funding Program, Art in the Schools
California Arts Council, Artists in Schools