6th Grade: Pop Art Portraits

This was my "grand finale" for the 6th graders about to move on to middle school.  I began this one by showing a powerpoint on 3 different portrait artists- Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Chicago artist Ed Paschke.  We looked at their work, and learned about each artist's background info.  I had students compare and contrast each artist and we discussed how each artist might have influenced the other.  I also went into detail about Cubism, Pop Art, and Contemporary Art.  At the end of class I took a picture of each student in a pose of their choosing (I directed them somewhat for interesting angles).  I used the "photo into a sketch" application on http://www.dumpr.net/ and printed out each students' portrait.  The next class, students outlined the most important lines on their portrait with a sharpie, then transferred it onto a blank sheet of paper (9x12) again with a sharpie by tracing their lines against a window.  The last couple days, I had them practice watercolor techniques, practice painting their first print out so they could experiment with color mixing, and then finally they painted their final drawing.  As a capstone, I had students write a 1 page reflection on their experiences in elementary school and what they are looking forward to in the future.  These turned out really neat and they were very proud of their finished pieces!