MADISON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
GRADE 8 Cycle Class
Drawing and Painting
Authored by: Kate Gebstaedt
Reviewed by: Lee Nittel,
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Adopted by the Board: January, 2013
Members of the Board of Education:
Lisa Ellis, President
Patrick Rowe, Vice-President
David Arthur
Kevin Blair
Shade Grahling
Linda Gilbert
Thomas Haralampoudis
James Novotny
Superintendent: Dr. Michael Rossi
Madison Public Schools
359 Woodland Road, Madison, NJ 07940
www.madisonpublicschools.org
I. OVERVIEW
Drawing and Painting is a semester-long art program that is designed to build upon the previous
Junior School cycles and provide a strong foundation for the more rigorous elective program offered
at Madison High School. Students are given assignments designed to stretch their technical skills in
both drawing and painting. As they explore the use of different media to complete these
assignments, students are encouraged to focus on the concept of “composition” in a work of art in a
conscious way. This concept forces student artists to approach their work with a particular point of
view. Eighth graders are expected to write about their artistic interpretation of each assignment after
completion, and group critiques are scheduled regularly to give students an opportunity to discuss
their own and each other’s work.
II. RATIONALE
Drawing and Painting is designed to provide a studio atmosphere for students who are already
familiar with the workings of the art room. Old concepts, such as shading, are reintroduced, but at a
more sophisticated level. New concepts, such as composition, are emphasized and fully explored.
Students are encouraged to start thinking of themselves as artists, not only as their technical prowess
grows, but also as they begin to put their own “spin” on each assignment. Thinking like an artist,
that is, experimenting, getting personal, and pushing limits is expected. Drawing and Painting marks
the start of a commitment to exploring the pleasures and passions of the serious study of art. In
order to embrace all student levels of commitment and talent, this course - first and foremost provides a setting in which there is ample room for adolescent self-expression.
III. STUDENT OUTCOMES (Linked to New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards)
1. Students will decide if graffiti is really art. (Standards 1.5)
2. Students will recognize the hallmarks of graffiti. (Standards 1.3, 1.5)
3. Students will consider their own names from the viewpoint of a graphic designer. (Standards 1.1,
1.3)
4. Students will make use of overlap to create visual interest in a work of art. (Standards 1.1, 1.3)
5. Students will master consistent light source and shading. (Standards 1.3, 1.4)
6. Students will become familiar with the paintings of Vermeer. (Standards 1.1, 1.3)
7. Students will know the meaning of the term Renaissance proportion. (Standards 1.3, 1.5)
8. Students will be able to draw faces using Renaissance proportion. (Standards 1.2, 1.4)
9. Students will master drawing the human eye, nose, and mouth. (Standards 1….1, 1.2, 1.3)
10. Students will use anatomical accuracy in drawing faces. (Standard 1.2)
11. Students will use exaggeration, distortion, and accessories to create masks. (Standards 1.1, 1.5)
12. Students will know the meaning of the term “composition” in a work of art. (Standards 1.1, 1.4,
1.5)
13. Students will be able to analyze famous artists’ compositions. (For example: Andrew Wyeth’s
“Christina’s World”). (Standards 1.1, 1.4, 1.5)
14. Students will know and use composition terms: overlap, zoom in, crop, focal point, balance.
(Standards 1.4, 1.5)
15. Students will be able to create multiple compositions based on the same still life set-up.
(Standards 1.1, 1.3)
116. Students will know how to mix colors with pastels. (Standards 1.1, 1.3)
17. Students will understand how white can be used to create the illusion of wet or shiny. (Standards
1.1, 1.3)
18. Students will use glue as a drawing medium. (Standards 1.3, 1.5)
19. Students will use a simplified grid process to enlarge drawings accurately. (Standards 1.1, 1.3)
20. Students will know Van Gogh’s life story. (Standards 1.5)
21. Students will recognize Van Gogh’s distinctive use of brushstroke and color. (Standards 1.3, 1.4,
1.5)
22. Students will emulate Van Gogh’s technique in a study of one of his paintings. (Standards 1.3, 1.4,
1.5)
IV. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS AND CONTENT
Unit 1: Graffiti Names (3 – 4 weeks)
Obj. 1: Using principles of graphic design, create a poster in graffiti style
QUESTION: How does the student artist use elements of graffiti to produce a
resembles graffiti and also reveals something personal about the artist?
poster that
Suggested Activities:
A. Graffiti analysis – View work of professionals on screen to define the hallmarks of
graffiti.
B. “Crime Art” discussion – Is graffiti really art?
C. Shading School – Students use charcoal on newsprint to draw large letter and shade
it to look 3-D; group critique to analyze consistency.
D. Analysis of the work of Vermeer, Master of Light.
E. Graffiti poster – Students use their own names for poster design, draw in a graffiti
style, and add pictorial element that reveals something personal about the artist.
Unit 2: Victorian Half-Face Mask (3 weeks)
Obj 1: Incorporate the use of Renaissance proportion into drawings of the face
QUESTION: Why does the use of Renaissance proportion make drawings of the face look more
realistic?
Suggested Activities:
A. Before and after face drawings
B. Finish the Face! Game
C. Face Flip books
Obj 2: Use Renaissance proportion and accurate drawings of facial features to create realisticlooking masks
QUESTION: How does Renaissance proportion and accurate drawings of facial features help to
create a specific mask persona?
Suggested Activities:
A. Eye School – how to draw the human eye
B. Nose School – how to draw the human nose
C. Mouth School – how to draw the human mouth
D. Victorian half-face mask
Unit 3: Pastel Painting (4 weeks)
Obj. 1: What does “composition” refer to in a work of art?
QUESTION: How does the student artist make use of “composition” consciously to produce
strong and bold art work with a particular point of view?
Suggested Activities:
A. Analysis of famous works: Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World” (Why does Wyeth
paint Christina from the back?)
B. Using composition tricks in drawing – Students draw same still life set-up three
times, on a large scale, using different composition techniques in each. (Black marker
on newsprint)
C. Picking the better composition – Students draw two thumbnail contour sketches of
the same still life set-up using two different compositions, then pick the stronger of
the two. (Pencil on manila)
Obj. 2: How do artists enlarge or redraw accurately?
QUESTION: How does the student artist use a grid to copy accurately and in proportion?
Suggested Activities:
A. Changing drawing scale – Students use a simplified grid to “blow up” original
thumbnail sketch and radically change its scale. (White colored pencil on black paper)
B. Contour drawing with glue and glitter – Students emphasize the composition by
covering all pencil lines with glue
Obj. 3: Draw with pastels in a painterly manner that demands a sophisticated use of the
medium.
QUESTION: How does the student artist use pastels as a medium that is more like paint than
chalk?
Suggested Activities:
A. Pastel Palettes – Students fill in a palette contour drawn on a neutral-toned paper
with splotches of “paint,” that is, mixtures or layers of differing combinations of raw
pastel color. Shading and reflections are added to each splotch to achieve a wet and 3D look.
B. Pastel Still Life – Students draw large contour drawing on black paper with glue and
use pastel for a source of color with a heavy emphasis on smudging and mixing,
striving to achieve a painterly technique..
C. Self-Portrait Studies – Students draw a study of a famous artist self-portrait to
stretch their pastel skills and apply them to the human face.
Unit 4: Painting Like Van Gogh (4 weeks)
Obj. 1: Recapture early childhood passion for painting
QUESTION: How does the student artist overcome adolescent painting inhibitions and
rediscover the pleasure of painting?
Suggested Activities:
A. Painting Apples, Pears, Pumpkins, or Potatoes – Students quickly sketch a large
contour of fruit or vegetable, and using just one large brush, a limited palette, and
double dipping into the paint, students produce a finished still life painting.
B. Tint and Shade Scales – Students create scales with one color plus white, then one
color plus black to gain control of the paint.
Obj. 2: Learn the life story of Vincent Van Gogh
QUESTION: What can students learn about the making of art from a seriously disturbed but
gifted painter?
Suggested Activities:
A. Read article about Van Gogh and discuss his life and work.
B. Cover bulletin board with wide array of Van Gogh reproductions, and “present” key
paintings to students.
C. Using a lottery system, have students choose a reproduction from which to paint a
study.
Obj. 3: Paint a study of a Van Gogh painting
QUESTION: How does the student artist use Van Gogh’s distinctive brushstokes and raw
emotional color choices to become a better painter?
Suggested Activities:
A. Use grid method to make a drawing of Van Gogh painting on canvas.
B. Copy Van Gogh’s palette and brush technique as accurately as possible.
V. STRATEGIES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Teacher demonstration
Guided practice
Posting of visual aides on bulletin board
Multi-media presentation
Reading short articles about artists
Individual projects
Class discussion
Group critique
Written self-evaluation
VI. EVALUATION
Students in Drawing and Painting are assessed through formal and informal measures. Frequent
informal assessment and feedback are provided on a daily basis by the teacher. The studio art
tradition of fostering a relaxed, yet creatively charged, environment is followed so that students
create art that is their own; that is, students are encouraged with each assignment to “find their own
way.” The following are areas to be assessed:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Knowledge of basic vocabulary
Utilization of art tools and supplies, or technique
Demonstration of willingness to clean up
Participation in class discussion
Display of original or creative thinking
Evidence of pride in craftsmanship
Methods of Evaluation and Assessment:
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•
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Observation
Individual critique
Participation in class activities
Group critique
Self-evaluation
VII. REQUIRED RESOURCES
Graffiti websites
How to Draw Lettering, Judy Tatchell, Usborne
Scholastic Art Magazine, Vincent Van Gogh: Working with Color
The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh to his Brother and Others, Constable
Van Gogh, Frank Milner, PRC Publishing Ltd.
Video: Who is the Artist? Cezanne, Van Gogh, Seurat
DVD: Vermeer, The Dutch Masters
DVD: Van Gogh, The Post Impressionists
DVD: Drawing with Pastels
DVD: Drawing with Pencil
VIII. SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
The Units and Objectives of Drawing and Painting are designed to help students build upon past
Junior School art cycles and prepare them for the art electives at Madison High School. They are
intended to provide a rich sampling of art media to adolescent artists. Both “Suggested Activities”
and the time allotted for each unit of study are flexible; additional activities may be added or
substituted, and activities may be stretched or condensed to accommodate classroom climate,
learning styles of individual students, and practical scheduling considerations.
Unit 1: Graffiti Names (4 weeks)
Unit 2: Victorian Half-Face Mask (4 weeks)
Unit 3: Pastel Painting (4 weeks)
Unit 4: Painting Like Van Gogh (4 weeks)