Fashion and the Figure Curriculum Unit Sketch

Fashion and the Figure

1.Rationale: This unit will teach students how to feel comfortable with different modes of drawing. They will have the chance to experiment with several different mediums and styles before their final project. They will also gain the ability to be more comfortable with making mistakes and not seeing their work as too precious. Students will be able to gain better knowledge of the human body and more aware of themselves as individuals as they pay more attention to clothing choices.

2.Students: This unit is aimed at students in late junior high/early high school

3.Unit Objectives: This unit will help students to become more aware of social constructs that have to do with clothing. We will have discussions about things such as stereotypes, context, and symbols to help students better access these ideas. Students will be able to recognize the value of different painting styles. Students will be able to create a larger scale piece of art.

4.Artists to possibly explore: Fidalis Buehler, James Christansen, Jack Taylor (illustration), Edgar Degas, Cayce Zavagalia, Mariana Santos, David Walker, Jennifer Nehrbass, Picasso, Anna Mendieta, Linda Stojak, Kerry James Marshall, David Downton, Tanya LIng, Elizabeth Peyton, Adrian Tomime. We will also discuss clothing from different time periods.

 

5.Essential Questions: What impact does clothing have on how we perceive others and ourselves? What kind of impact does our culture and time in history have on our clothes? How are these artists handling the human figure? What does this artwork convey about the figure?

6.Utah Art Learning Standards:

- Standard 7–8.V.CR.2: Document early stages of the creative process visually and/or verbally in traditional or new media.

-Standard 7–8.V.CR.5: Demonstrate persistence in developing skills with various materials, methods, and approaches in creating works of art or design.

-Standard 7–8.V.CR.6: Demonstrate willingness to experiment, innovate, and take risks to pursue ideas, forms, and meanings that emerge in the process of art-making or designing.

- Standard 7–8.V.CR.11: Reflect on and explain important information about personal artwork in an artist statement or another format, and apply relevant criteria to examine, reflect on, and plan revisions for a work of art or design in progress.

- Standard 7–8.V.R.2: Explain how a person’s aesthetic choices are influenced by culture and environment.

- Standard L1.V.CR.1: Use multiple approaches to begin creative endeavors.

- Standard L1.V.CR.2: Shape an artistic investigation of an aspect of present-day life using traditional or contemporary practices of art or design

7.Instructional Plan:

-Painting on large sheets of paper with large brushes only. This way students will be forced to try new things and they can’t become finicky with the work.

-Talking about color theory and trips/tricks of paint mixing they learned.

-Cut down these images into new paintings. This will help students see the work as less precious.
-Gesture drawings with charcoal or pastels.

-Looking at bones and/or anatomy.

-Creating textured collages to draw on top of.  

-Draw from other artists such as fashion artists or old masters.
-Show artists and their various techniques and discuss them as a class.

-Visit a museum and talk about various techniques.

Sample questions for discussion within the museum or later:

-What is your first thought when you see these clothes?

-How does this painting express an idea? How does the

figure

-How does clothing give us power?

-Is this a good painting?

-What is beauty in the human figure?

-Who cares? Why?

-Discussion about clothing and short lesson on historical clothing.
-Gesture or loose drawings with a variety of materials (ink, paint, chalk, pastels, crayon, watercolors,etc). Students will be required to rotate through different materials and try new techniques. They will be encouraged to fail and try layering images or other such techniques.

-Rotating pieces with other students so that the layer underneath is from a different student.
-More careful look at clothing choices. Explain the larger project and students will be given the chance to do research or practice skills to prepare.

- Demo if students want one.

8.Culminating Project: Students will create a large painting or pastel drawing of a person they know (themselves, a friend, a family member, etc.) and pay special attention to the clothing on the person. The clothing can be from any time period and in any style. The students will write a short paragraph on why they choose the clothing they did. They must also put some thought into the background.

9. Possible Problems and Solutions:

-Students who are stuck and can’t decide who/what to paint or can’t choose a style will be assigned to do a self portrait of themselves in their favorite clothing or dream clothing and be told to write about why it is their favorite clothing. They will answer the question ‘what does your clothing say about you?’.

-Students who feel discouraged by the idea of painting a realistic figure can paint a figure in the style of an artist such as Picasso, Fidalis Buhler or some such artist. As long as they are looking to a real person and not an imaginary person or someone from the internet this will still fulfill the assignment.

10.Assessment: Students will be graded on fulfilling the large culminating project. They will also be given participation points every day. There will be a write up after at least one of the discussion days to help students formalize their thoughts and give everyone a chance to share new ideas.

*Dr Graham: I emailed you a better formatted copy of this, but my blog and I were fighting each other on the formatting.