In this article, the author describes how students can create a stunning as well as economical mosaic utilizing fall's brilliantly colored leaves, preserved at their peak in color. Start by choosing a beautiful fall day to take students on a nature walk to collect a variety of leaves in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Focus on collecting a…

The author personally started making narrative collaged necklaces about 10 years ago, after being inspired by an artist friend. She would take mini images from magazines and collage them together onto laminate tile samples from a hardware store. She then adds colorful brads and stickers, and then paint and oil pastel over them, finally sealing…

In this article, the author describes how her studio art students created their Pop art-style self-portraits. Students were each given a printout of a black-and-white picture of themselves that the author had taken with her digital camera. With this picture, students took tracing paper and traced a basic outline of their face, hair, and neck. They…

In this article, the author describes an art lesson that was inspired by Andy Warhol's mass-produced portraits. Warhol began his career as a graphic artist and illustrator. His artwork was a response to the redundancy of the advertising images put in front of the American public. Celebrities and famous people in magazines and newspapers were seen…

Art teachers are constantly seeking innovative ideas, approaches and media to incorporate into fresh and inspiring lessons. In this article, the author describes how her class created relief or mosaic-like self-portraits by gluing or attaching multiples of any chosen objects or materials onto a surface.

In an attempt to incorporate sculptural elements into her ceramics program, the author decided to try direct plaster casting of the face to make a plaster mold for clay. In this article, the author shares an innovative ceramics lesson that teaches students in making plaster casts and casting the face in clay. This project gives students the…

There are many wonderful experiences and resources from which to create innovative and dynamic works of art. It is important to remember that students don't always have these skills and experiences. It is up to the teacher to provide in-depth prompts to inspire their students to master their technique, as well as the unique storytelling skills a…

While planning a print-making unit for her ninth-grade class, the author was looking for a way to extend a project beyond the usual boundaries to incorporate each student's personality. She also wanted to add a three-dimensional element. Her original project involved creating a linoleum block print of each student's face. In this article, the…

At-risk students who have struggled to find success in school are often not easily motivated, but they are drawn to nontraditional or offbeat art and any opportunity that offers them the chance to speak their mind. Using a somewhat obscure and ancient art form called micrography, the author describes how he uses this art form in his class to…

The majority of student and professional artists have faced the challenge of creating a self-portrait. It is probably the most universal task set for artists throughout the ages. The lesson described in this article serves as an alternative to the traditional self-portrait and as a means of achieving a likeness in a nonthreatening way. Students…

In this article, the author describes the design for her advanced oil-painting class. In this class, high-school students created a self-portrait painting and learned a glazing technique. The author also describes the students' evaluation of the class.

In this article, the author describes a self-portrait project she developed for her students. The project emphasizes personality and pattern as the main objectives through a series of steps that include drawing exercises, observation skills, stream-of-color, intense patterning and texturizing, and colored pencil techniques. By drawing down the…

Because people's vision of themselves and others is always changing, students wondered how pictures might show the effect of time and history on identity. They wondered how they might show two self-portraits in the same picture. This article describes a lesson on reconstructive self-portrait using a contrapuntal format. (Contains 5 resources and 3…

Inspired by an extraordinary "Textiles in the Museum" workshop at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the author was motivated to plan an engaging fiber lesson for her Studio in Creative Crafts course. In this article, she describes how her students made self-portrait tapestries that were inspired by Coptic weavings. The multiple tasks required to…

Art instructors are ever mindful of the need to introduce and encourage the possibilities of careers in the art field. The longer the author has been teaching art, the more aware she has become of the many wonderful art-related jobs and careers that exist. Fashion design, marketing and retail are three areas in which many students--male and…