Incorporate a mask project to introduce students to Egyptian art.
Visual art helps students develop many skills. Among them are spatial intelligence, eye-hand coordination and creative problem solving. They also allow a teacher to impart lessons in art history and how different art movements came into being. These lessons allow students to understand how societal influences, technological advances and the life experience of artists influenced their work. Finally, these assignments help students become familiar with and master a variety of art media.
Drawing With Dali
The Surrealist movement in art began in Europe in 1924. The most famous of all the Surrealist painters was the Spanish painter Salvador Dali. Through this art activity, your students will learn about the Surrealist movement and also create several pieces of Surrealist work. To do this project, gather graphite and colored pencils, art paper and photocopies of Dali’s work. The students will do a series of three Surrealist drawings. In the first one, they’ll re-create Dali’s painting "Persistence of Memory." In the next two, they’ll make their own Surrealist-style drawings. By copying Dali’s work, your students will learn about how a great artist creates his work. In the two pieces they create, they’ll learn to incorporate what they learned from doing a copy of Dali's painting.
Egyptian Mask Making
One of the most recognizable symbols in Egyptian art is the funeral mask. If you would like to introduce an Egyptian art and history unit to your class, one fun way to do it is through an Egyptian mask-making project. To do this project, print off the mask pattern (see Resources) onto card stock. Ask your students to embellish the mask based upon what they’ve learned in this art history unit. They can use colored pencils or paint as well as add items like glitter, sequins or beads to the mask. To enhance the history aspect of this assignment, assign them a history report. Have them discuss the role of the funeral masks and the tombs or any other aspect of Egyptian life that would support the assignment.
Student Still Life
The still life is one of the staples of art. These drawings and paintings of items like fruit, books, flowers and other household objects offer much to the art student. Not only do they teach them about pictorial composition, they also gain an understanding of values and tones in art. Still lifes also provide a neutral palette upon which students can try their hands at different styles of art. This exercise will help students in all of these areas. To do this project, gather some reference photos of still life pictures. You want pictures done in several styles, such as Impressionism, Realism and Cubism, to name a few. After the students have been exposed to the still life, ask them to make one of their own in the artistic style of their choosing. They can use a variety of art media to complete this project, from pencils to oil paint, depending upon their level of skill.
