Zipping Along.

Action Figure Self-Portraits

This unit of study helps students become aware of themselves and others by creating a self-portrait action figure that reveals something about themselves--personality, when and where they live, and so forth. The students also learn how we can better understand history and time periods by looking at portraits.

After traveling to the Netherlands, I became interested in the work and life of Judith Leyster (Netherlands, 1609-1660). She's one of a few women artists in history who was not the daughter of an artist. The customary way for women to learn or study art back then was for a girl or woman to learn from her father. Instead, Leyster apprenticed with Frans Hals around the year 1629 and was in a guild of painters by 1635.

Judith Leyster's Portraits

Most Dutch artists usually specialized in one thing. Leyster, however, did portraits, still-lifes and flower paintings. She also painted pictures of the daily lives of women many decades before any other artists attempted this.

One of Leyster's self-portraits is rather unusual. It has the wonderful quality that allows a person to make a judgment about Leyster's life and personality. A good portrait should tell a story to the viewer. It should let you see something about the person, such as when he or she lived or what type of personality he or she had.

Students can also examine other self-portraits in history. By viewing other self-portraits and portraits, students can better understand history and time periods. Two good artists to study are van Gogh and Rembrandt. Rembrandt wears different costumes in his self-portraits and explores his different dreams and personality traits. Van Gogh's self-portraits chronicle his life stages.

Revealing an Interest

To begin the unit, I have students bring photographs of themselves from home. I ask them to choose a photo that shows more than just the face or bust. All of the students display the photos on the bulletin board.

Next, the students snap self-portraits with a Polaroid camera. The students are to think of a favorite hobby or sport that they like, and take a picture of themselves in that type of pose. They are to consider the body position and the facial expression when they are engaged in that activity. When each student has his or her snapshot in hand, they write a short description that explains their aesthetic choices. How do the self-portrait pictures capture their personalities?

Students can then swap photos with each other and do the above exercise with each photo and then display all of the photos with the photos from home.

Shaping the Features

Now we are ready to create some self-portraits. These self-portraits will organize lines, shapes, textures, and colors to show the personality and interests of the artist.

To begin the self-portraits, students choose colored construction paper for their faces and hair. They feel their head shape and draw that basic facial/head shape on the paper. They cut out the head and choose appropriate colored paper for their hair. They measure and cut out paper for their hair so that it fits on the head. They may add crayon to the hair for more texture and a truer color. Next, we feel our eyes and get the right shape. Students make eyes out of white paper and crayons. We discuss Where the eyes belong on the face--no eyes on foreheads!

Popout noses are made by using colored paper, folding a tab, and placing it on the faces. Lips are made out of colored paper and applied in the appropriate place.

With the heads complete, I ask the students to think once again of their favorite hobby or sport--something they enjoy doing and that tells something about their personalities. Going around the classroom each student (in two words or less) tells what they enjoy.

Next zippers are handed out to each student. "What are these for?" they want to know. "Imagine you are playing basketball, painting, or participating in gymnastics, how would your legs be positioned?" Pretend this zipper is your body from the waist down. Holding my zipper in the air I show the students that by unzipping the zipper part way, I can have "legs in action." The students lay their zippers on the table and try different positions such as doing the splits, walking, running, and jumping. The zippers are flexible and can be moved to virtually any position. The kids have great fun doing this.

When I hand out the 12 x 18" (31 x 46 cm) paper to the students we are able to position the heads on the paper, make an upper body from construction paper, and use the zipper as the lower body and legs. All of the parts are laid out together on the white paper without gluing them into place.

When the bodies and heads are finished, the students have to think about the background. In previous units we had studied foreground, middle-ground, and background, so the concept of background and subject going together was not new for them.

Once the backgrounds are planned, drawn, and colored, the self-portraits are glued to the background paper. We hung these up side-by-side with the Polaroid shots and the photos from home. This was truly a successful and fun art experience.

OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to describe, analyze, interpret and judge the works of art.

A. Describe: How does your portrait tell something about your appearance? What things in the portrait describe who you are, what you like, and what your personality is like?

B. Analyze: Is your self-portrait realistic or abstract? Why? How do the elements of art help to emphasize your personality and interest?

C. Interpret: Explain how a viewer could describe your interests and personality by looking at your self-portrait.

D. Judge: Tell whether your self-portrait succeeds: does it convey personality and other traits? Compare the photos and the self-portraits. Did the different types of self-portraits include the same type of information for the viewer?

E. Successfully complete a self-portrait that shows action.

F. Gain an awareness of individual differences by studying faces.

G. See and feel expressions and gestures.

H. Distinguish the size, shape and special relationship of facial features.

I. Develop the ability to see the figure as a whole and create a self-portrait from it.

NATIONAL STANDARD

Students use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories.

Karen Skophammer is an art instructor at Manson Northwest Webster School in Barnum, Iowa.