M.C. Escher portraits.

M.C. Escher portraits. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I love teaching art at the middle-school level because I believethis is a critical time for students to experience success as visualartists. If they do not, they might give up on their participation inthe visual arts for a lifetime. If they do experience success and a sense of accomplishment, theycould choose an art-related career or experience life with creativecourage, insight and the joy of creative expression through the visualarts. I am also convinced that to experience this kind of success,students must develop great drawing skills. Some students possess aninnate ability to draw, but most do not and must therefore have goodinstruction. In my career as an art educator, I have had a passion for drawingand painting myself, which contributes to the ability to break downunderstanding for my students. When students enter my classroom, theyare continually challenged with drawing assignments from basic tocomplex. The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards Dr. Betty Edwards taught and did research at the California State University, Long Beach until she retired in the late '90s. While there, she founded the Center for the Educational Applications of Brain Hemisphere Research. (HarperCollins Publishers, Ltd., Revised and Expanded Paperback Edition;2001) has been a great resource and springboard for coming up with myown drawing lessons. I have always loved teaching a lesson on self-portraits to myeighth-grade students. Portraits raise the bar and, when they aresuccessful, convince the students that they really can draw. Each year we explore the basic concepts of portraiture portraiture,the art of representing the physical or psychological likeness of a real or imaginary individual. The principal portrait media are painting, drawing, sculpture, and photography. From earliest times the portrait has been considered a means to immortality. , but usedifferent media, sizes and styles. I like to interject in��ter��ject?tr.v. in��ter��ject��ed, in��ter��ject��ing, in��ter��jectsTo insert between other elements; interpose. See Synonyms at introduce. art history andstudy a particular artist, completing our portraits in the style orflavor of that artist. This year we focused on the work of 20th-centuryprintmaker Maurits Cornelis (M.C.) Escher. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MOTIVATION To initiate the lesson, students explored the work ofEscher in M. C Escher, The Graphic Work (Benedict-Taschen Publishing;1992) and through an Internet search for "M.C. Escher" forother material on the artist. Our particular focus was on Escher's1943 self portrait. The portrait is a close view where he appears to belooking out of a round portal. The students would mimic this idea intheir own portraits. We also took a close look at his tessellation In surface modeling and solid modeling, the method used to represent 3D objects as a collection of triangles or other polygons. All surfaces, both curved and straight, are turned into triangles either at the time they are first created or in real time when they are rendered. patterns because the assignment included creating an originaltessellation design in their compositions. PREPARATION I used my digital camera to produce a black-and-whiteenlarged three-quarter view image of each student (8.5" x 11")for their visual information. I use photos of the students because ofcopyright/originality issues. I want to avoid having a piecedisqualified dis��qual��i��fy?tr.v. dis��qual��i��fied, dis��qual��i��fy��ing, dis��qual��i��fies1. a. To render unqualified or unfit.b. To declare unqualified or ineligible.2. from an art exhibit because of a copyright issue. I findthat students give up on any ideas of being self-conscious as they focuson the drawing exercise. It is fine if the portrait is not an accuratelikeness. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PRESENTATION We use a cardboard template of an upside-down eggshape and trace lightly around to regulate the size of the portrait. Theoriginal egg shape will eventually need to be erased, so be sure to makeit light. This will ensure a large portrait and discourages the naturaltendency to draw too small. Students are encouraged to think aboutplacement of the portrait image and overall composition. Together, wemake some light general marks for facial proportion (eye level, width ofeyes, nose and mouth placement, etc.). Each day, I do a visual demonstration on my own self-portrait ofthe feature that we will draw that day (one day the eyes, the next daynose, mouth, etc.). I encourage the students to work slowly and to lookclosely at their own photo for unique characteristics. I emphasize shading techniques leaving whites, starting with thelightest values of gray and working toward middle and darkest values. Iinsist on a strong range of value from white to the deepest black. Thisencourages drawings with great visual impact. I always tell my studentsthat they are visual communicators and we must see a powerful image fromacross the room! When the students have successfully drawn the facial features Facial FeaturesSee also anatomy; beards; body, human; eyes.gnathismthe condition of having an upper jaw that protrudes beyond the plane of the face. — gnathic, adj. , weconcentrate on the individual shapes of jawline, face and hair contours.When drawing hair, I encourage students to see the light and shadowareas of hair contours, shading those first, then including lineartexture. In this particular lesson, when the students had successfullycompleted their portrait, they designed an interlocking interlocking/in��ter��lock��ing/ (-lok��ing) closely joined, as by hooks or dovetails; locking into one another. interlockingObstetrics A rare complication of vaginal delivery of twins; the 1st bird, fish orgeometric tessellation design to incorporate in the negative space. REFLECTION I am always amazed a��maze?v. a��mazed, a��maz��ing, a��maz��esv.tr.1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise.2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex.v.intr. as each student, no matter what hisor her previous experience, comes up with a successful portrait. Theseare not just the "naturally talented" students, but allstudents with varied experience levels. One of the students featured in this article, who was recognizedwith a first-place drawing award at a county art exhibition, expressedhis feelings about learning to draw by saying, "Thank you. I hadnever been exposed to drawing before ... I have discovered a newtalent." I think it is so rewarding to have high expectations and watch asthe "light bulb" of understanding goes on in the lives of ourstudents. It is especially rewarding to be a visual arts teacher becausein the visual arts we can make powerful connections to many educationaldisciplines. EXTENSIONS Students can write a letter to a friend A Letter to a Friend (written 1656; published posthumously in 1690) , by the 17th century philosopher and physician Sir Thomas Browne is a medical treatise full of case-histories and witty speculations upon the human condition. and attach it tothe self-portrait, explaining how their feelings or mood are portrayedvisually in the artwork. This should be supported by evidence in thework of art. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upper-middle and high-school students will ... * examine M.C. Escher's works of art to learn about theindividual who created them. * consider how first-person art forms aid the process ofself-discovery. * produce an Escher-style self-portrait. MATERIALS * Heavy drawing paper * Ebony drawing pencil * Magic rub or kneaded eraser Main article: EraserThe kneaded eraser (or putty rubber) is a tool for artists. It is usually made of a grey or white (though can be found in many different colors, ranging from green to blue and hot pink) pliable material that * Reference material NATIONAL STANDARDS Grade Levels: 8-12 Standard 1 Students recognize and use the visual arts as a form ofcommunication. Standard 2 Students know and apply elements of art The elements of art are a set of techniques which describe ways of presenting artwork. They are combined with the principles of art in the production of art. [1] , principles ofdesign and sensory and expressive features of visual arts. Standard 3 Students know and apply visual arts materials, tools,techniques and processes. Standard 4.2 Students create art based on personal interpretationof various historical and cultural contexts. A&A online Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for links toWeb sites related to this article WEB SITES * www.mcescher.com * www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/psearch?Request=S&Hname=eschers&imageset=1& Person=201590 Kim Yonker teaches art at Jenkins Middle School in ColoradoSprings, Colo.