Lesson Title:
Expressive Qualities of Line:
A Change in our Emotions // Jill Kostishion
Grade/Class: 9-12, Art Elective
Time Allotment: 8 Days/50 Minutes
Enduring Idea: Change (Growing Changes: Emotional)
I want my students to understand that emotions can be shown through
expressive qualities of line and they can best reveal their understanding by
creating a painting that reflects a self-composed poem.
Overview:
Lesson Summary:
The students will learn about the formal elements and their design
through a PowerPoint describing the concept of “line.” The students will take a
look at implied versus actual lines, line quality and character, line used as value,
contour lines and outlines, and using a variety of lines in their artwork. In the
PowerPoint, the students will be introduced to Andy Warhol and his expressive
use of line. After that, students will get into groups of four or five students.
Within their groups, the students will create team word webs brainstorming
ideas of how lines can be used to express different emotions in artworks or to
evoke different moods.
In their journals, the students will think about the different ideas that were
brainstormed in their word webs. Then, the students will be given just five
minutes to formulate a short poem that is meaningful to them. After that, the
students will illustrate the emotions or mood from their poems to create
expressive images.
Artists, Artworks, or Artifacts:
 Andy Warhol, “Skull”
 Andy Warhol, “Moonwalk”
 Andy Warhol, “Detail of Renaissance Paintings”
 A World of Art, by Henry Sayre, chapter 4
 Vincent Van Gogh, “Starry Night”
 Michael D. Edens
Key concept(s):



Artists use a variety of lines in artworks to create a specific mood.
Art is a tool to visually portray the emotions that we have towards a topic
or situation.
Artworks and their moods are dictated by different line qualities.
Essential Question(s):
1. How can art be used as a tool to express emotions towards a topic or situation?
2. Why do many artists elect to use a variety of lines in their artworks?
3. Why do certain line qualities produce specific moods?
Pennsylvania Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities:
9.1. Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre and
Visual Arts
C. Integrate and apply advanced vocabulary to the arts forms.
E. Delineate a unifying theme through the production of a work of art that
reflects skills in media processes and techniques.
H. Incorporate the effective and safe use of materials, equipment and tools
into the production of works in the arts at work and performance spaces.
9.3. Critical Response
A. Explain and apply the critical examination processes of works in the
arts and humanities.
G. Analyze works in the arts by referencing the judgments advanced by
arts critics as well as one’s own analysis and critique.
9.4. Aesthetic Response
A. Evaluate an individual’s philosophical statement on a work in the arts
and its relationship to one’s own life based on knowledge and experience.
D. Analyze and interpret a philosophical position identified in works in
the arts and humanities.
Pennsylvania Academic Standards for English Language Arts:
1.4 Writing
1.4.11-12.F Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of
composition.
1.4.11-12.H Write with a sharp distinct focus identifying topic, task, and
audience.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
This lesson can directly be connected with English and Language Arts
classrooms. The poetry in this lesson enhances students’ creative writing skills
and encourages rich vocabulary and figurative language.
Objectives:
The students will…
Knowledge:
 The students will discover the different expressive qualities of line
through a PowerPoint presentation.
 The students will identify various line quality techniques through the
examination of Andy Warhol’s artworks.
Skills:
 The students will develop a short poem based on emotion or mood.
 The students will create an expressive image through the use of acrylic
paints and wood.
 The students will analyze peer’s artworks through a whole class critique.
Dispositions:
 The students will utilize classroom materials with care and maintain a
clean, friendly environment.
 The students will collaborate with peers in a respectable manner during
discussion and group word-webbing.
Assessment:
Pre-assessment: The students will engage in a team word-webbing activity that
brainstorms the different qualities of line and the various possibilities of
expression through lines. This will allow the teacher to discover if students
comprehend the information from the PowerPoint that was displayed to them
moments earlier. If students are struggling with the concept of line, the teacher
will know to go back and review the PowerPoint presentation.
Measurement of student achievement: The students will self-assess themselves
through a 1-4 rating skill and checklist. The teacher will write his or her
comments underneath the student evaluation. Based on the student and
teacher’s combined thoughts, a final score will be stated at the bottom.
Instructional Procedures:
Motivation/Engagement:
Day 1: The students will first be presented with information about the different
qualities of line (implied versus actual, line quality and character, line used as
value, contour lines and outlines, and using a variety of lines) in a PowerPoint
presentation. Then, the students will look at the work of pop-artist Andy Warhol
and see examples of how he uses expressive line quality in his works. After that,
the students will break up into groups of four or five students. Each group will
be given a giant piece of chart paper. As a group, the students will create team
word-webs, brainstorming all of the different ways that lines can be used to
portray expression and evoke different moods in art.
Development:
Day 2: The students will be asked to take out their reflective journals. The word
webs that the students created in groups the previous day will be hanging
around the room. The teacher will ask students to close their eyes and to think of
a strong emotion. Then, the students will be given just five minutes to jot down
a short poem describing the emotion in some way. This is meant to be a quick
exercise so students are forced to hurry-up and write down online the essential
information relating to the emotion that they are thinking about. After that,
students will engage in a short review of the expressive qualities of line from the
previous day. Then, the students will be asked to create at least four thumbnail
sketches that depict the poem that they just wrote. After that, the students will
each be given a 12” x 15” piece of plywood. They will be instructed to paint the
wood with primer.
Days 3-6: The students will choose one of their thumbnail sketches to paint onto
their plywood with acrylic paint. These will be work days. The students will be
encouraged to think about the way that they want to use lines to evoke a certain
mood in their paintings. The students will be reminded to write their poem in
some way in the back of their pieces so that viewers can refer to the back of the
artwork to read the poem.
Day 7: This will be the final work day. The students will be reminded that their
line quality should be expressive in some way and that their painting, at this
point, should not be extremely tight. At the end of the period, the students will
write a brief artist statement explaining how what they depicted matches the
poem that they wrote.
Culmination/Close:
Day 8: The students will each display their artworks somewhere around the
room. The class will engage in a whole-class critique and discussion about the
plywood paintings. The students will again be asked, how can the expressive use of
line be used to evoke a specific emotion in an artwork?
Preparation:
Teacher research and preparation:
 Research information about the expressive qualities of line.
 Research contextual information about artists/artworks.
 Read chapter 4 of A World of Art, by Henry Sayre
 Create a PowerPoint presentation about the qualities of line and Andy
Warhol.
 Create grading worksheet.
Instructional resources:
 A World of Art by Henry Sayre
 http://www.warhol.org/
 http://www.udel.edu/artfoundations/drawing/linequality.html
 http://char.txa.cornell.edu/language/element/element.htm
 http://www.arthistoryguide.com/The_Starry_Night.aspx
 http://www.mde-art.com/art-blog/category/expressionism-art/
Student Supplies:
 Giant chart paper for team word-webs
 12” x 15” plywood pieces
 Primer
 Acrylic paints and paintbrushes
 Sketchbooks and journals
Accommodations:
Hearing Impairment: Students with hearing impairments will sit closest to the
teacher in the front of the room. The teacher will not turn his or her back to the
student so that the student can read lips at all times.
Visual Impairment: Students who are visually impaired will be given a printed
out handout of the PowerPoint presentation that has extra-large text. These
students will sit closest to the front board and projector.
Changes to be made (post-teaching):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Student Evaluation:
Rate yourself (1-4) based upon how well you feel you did.
4 = Excellent
3 = Respectable
2 = Satisfactory
1 = Pitiable
__________ I participated in the team word-web activity.
__________ I was respectful to the teacher and my peers during the
PowerPoint presentation.
__________ I thought of a specific emotion and wrote a poem about
this emotion.
__________ I created at least four thumbnail sketches.
__________ I put primer on my piece of plywood.
__________ I completed a painting using expressive line quality.
__________ I participated in the class critique and discussion.
Total __________/ 28 points
Teacher Comments:
Final Score: