I introduced this one as a follow-up to the graffiti projects they already did. I wanted them to do something personal, instead of copying the example in the video, so I told them to make their names very visible.
The key vocabulary that needed to be demonstrated was the difference between block letters and bubble letters. They’d done bubble letters in graffiti, now I needed them to understand and apply the difference… they needed to use straight lines; either free-hand or with a ruler.
The artists introduced was Roy Lichtenstein and the artwork inspiration was a version of his “WOW” painting. I contemplated suggesting they do this as an introduction to pointillism, but I knew they would completely mangle markers and crayons in the process, so I opted for using oil pastels on black construction paper to get the living-colour contrasts.
Thanks to Ms. Bialy’s Youtube Chanel, I found a really fun video to inspire the students with: “Let’s make POP art like Roy Lichtenstein!”
Before the video, my student helpers handed out the black construction paper (14″ x 17″) and some small bowls of oil pastels I had randomly prepared beforehand. They were instructed to share missing colours with classmates. They initiated the conversation on the learning benefits of making mistakes; that each work is unique when it comes from the heart; that no one work is better than any other. There is always a comment or question about the previously undefined “inappropriate content”. I don’t say any more than ” you already know what isn’t appropriate, so we needn’t discuss it further.” I’ve seen other teachers fumble over this topic and how it devolves into giggles and distraction on all that is inappropriate… which becomes exactly what they want to draw. So, I steer their attentions and attention to what is appropriate instead.
Unlike the instruction to obscure their names in the graffiti projects, I instructed them to make their names as clear as possible, while filling the page with wold and wonderful designs and screaming colours!
Here are the results: