ARTISTS WITH AN ATTITUDE.

Elementary

Art history doesn't have to be dull. I have my students sculpt a papier-mache bust of their favorite artist, and in the process, they study the artists' lives and style of art painlessly.

First the students researched and chose artists using the Internet. They recorded the following information on their artists: time period, styles, training, what the artist looked like, and titles of artworks.

We began by blowing up mylar balloons and attaching them to a coffee can with masking tape. Then we used two layers of newspaper strips dipped in wheat paste to cover the balloon and the can. I stressed smoothing the strips numerous times throughout this process.

We let the newspaper dry overnight then discussed how to make facial characteristics with tagboard, cardboard, and mache goop. Most students made the nose, ears, and lips from tag board and taped them on. Others used Styrofoam pieces which they carved and then glued on.

We continued to papier-mache over the entire head and features with layers of white paper towels dipped in wheat paste. I reminded students to make sure everything was smooth, unless they wanted to emphasize certain wrinkles. We let them dry overnight before painting them.

Students mixed their own flesh tones with tempera. We made eyes by cutting Styrofoam balls in half, making a pupil with paint, and then gluing them in place when the paint was dry. Next, we stapled and glued costumes, accessories, and hair made from cloth scraps and cotton batting. The students colored the hair by crushing chalk and sprinkling and spreading it on the cotton and then glued it in place.

It was amazing how hard the students worked to "unearth" the information they needed to start the artists' busts. The students really remembered what their artists were all about ... and did it painlessly.

ClipCard submitted by by Karen Skophammer, an art instructor for Manson Northwest Webster School in Barnum and Manson, Iowa.