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to Home PageOutline: Students have limited experience with clay including rolling a slab, but they have not yet had practice joining two pieces of clay to each other.
Begin by looking at a variety of art prints including landscapes, still life, and portraits. Discuss the difference between each subject matter. Have students work in groups to separate prints into the three (or more) categories. Discuss the characteristics of a portrait.
Look at a variety of family portraits. Discuss the historical aspect of portraiture as a form of documentation. Look for different ways the artists have included texture in their portrait compositions. Are the people lined up in a row? Do any of their faces overlap? Are all the faces the same size? What features help establish the identity of each family member (i.e. do they have long hair, short hair, curly hair, a mustache, glasses, etc.)
Materials:
Clay - white (Willow) and red (Red Rock Red) that have similar shrinkage percentages; Clay canvases; Clay rollers; Water containers; Forks and tools for scoring clay and adding texture
Instructional Objectives:
Procedure: Begin by making a clay face for each member of the family. Students may chose to use white or red for the face. They will use the contrasting color clay for the background. The easiest way to make the face is by rolling a slab and cutting the shape from the slab. Add features. Remind students that they will need to include texture in their portraits. Once the faces are complete put away all the materials used for the white clay. Set faces aside and roll a slab for the background. Encourage students to keep the white faces as clean as possible so there is good contrast between the faces and background. If students have chosen to use the red clay for the faces and white for the background they will need to thoroughly wash their hands before using the white clay. Working on the faces one week and the background the next helps keep the clay clean. Demonstrate the proper technique for joining two pieces of clay together. Add a patterned border to finish the composition. Let the clay dry and fire.
Week 1 Introduce "portraits" with print
activity. Demonstrate making clay faces. Student will begin
clay faces. Week 2 Students finish clay faces and attach
faces to background. Add border. Let dry and bisque fire.
These may be glazed or left natural.
Standards addressed:
Communication: Students learn the terms "portrait, self portrait, and family portrait" in relation to visual images. Students are able to distinguish portraits from other subjects in art (i.e. landscapes, still life, etc.). Students compare/contrast different styles of portraiture.
Perception: Students learn how value can help distinguish one shape from another as they work with two clay bodies of differing values. Students learn to create texture and use it as a defining element in clay (i.e. it will define hair as a different area than the face).
Application/Creation: Students learn rudimentary techniques for joining two separate pieces of clay. They will understand new terms (score and slip) and how they apply to the technique.
Heritage: Students will discuss differences between a variety of portraits from diverse cultures and a number of different time periods. They will discuss how the images help inform us about the time in which a work of art was created.
Aesthetics/Art Criticism: Students will discuss how the various elements of art make an artwork successful, using art prints/portraits as a visual tool.
