Encouraging Creativity -- Painting
Creativity in the art classroom can be defined as the student (or group of students) thinking of new ideas, approaching something in a way that is original to them, and/or looking at new possibilities to solving problems as they work on projects.
Unit Overview:
Elementary
Overarching Understandings and Key Concepts:
- This unit focuses on the enduring idea of “creativity.”
- Discussions and projects will center on encouraging creativity through painting, assemblage, and clay.
- The unit will conclude with an Art Carnival.
Elementary
Overarching Understandings and Key Concepts:
- Everyone has creative potential
- Creativity is an essential life skill
- Artists develop and use their creative abilities
- What makes a person creative?
- How can you develop your creativity?
- Why is it important to develop and use creativity?
- Explain what creativity is
- Recognize that all people have creative potential
- Identify how people are creative
- Recognize that creativity is an essential life skill
- Demonstrate aspects of creativity in their artwork
- Students will share their perspective of what creativity is through class discussion
- Students will evaluate artists’ works and discuss and explain in their own words how “creativity” is shown in the artworks
- Students will create artwork that displays components of creativity: the work is original to them, they have looked at new possibilities to solve problems, they have explored new ways of doing things
- Students will evaluate their work and explain in their own words how creativity is shown.
Painting
D’Amico (1953) believed painting to be “one of the best media for stimulating creative response” and one that “encourages spontaneity and originality” (p. 27).
D’Amico, V. (1953). Creative teaching in art. Scranton, PA: International Textbook company.
Overview:
In this lesson students will explore, experiment, and experience painting spontaneously. They will investigate conditions, attitudes, and behaviors that support creativity.
Enduring Ideas:
Students will:
D’Amico, V. (1953). Creative teaching in art. Scranton, PA: International Textbook company.
Overview:
In this lesson students will explore, experiment, and experience painting spontaneously. They will investigate conditions, attitudes, and behaviors that support creativity.
Enduring Ideas:
- Everyone has creative potential
- Artists can develop their creative abilities
- Creating: Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
- Creating: Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work
- Responding: Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.
- What makes a person creative?
- How can you develop your creativity?
Students will:
- Explain what creativity is
- Recognize that all people have creative potential
- Identify how people are creative
- Demonstrate aspects of creativity in their artwork
Outdoor Painting
Tools and Materials:Artwork of various artists, sharpies to represent detail, watercolor, clipboards, paper, water, cups for water, brushes, sponges
Introduction:
(Meet on the playground. Have supplies set out for students. When students arrive have them sit in a circle for discussion and instructions.)
Explain that during the lesson they will be exploring creativity. Ask the following questions and discuss.
Introduction:
(Meet on the playground. Have supplies set out for students. When students arrive have them sit in a circle for discussion and instructions.)
Explain that during the lesson they will be exploring creativity. Ask the following questions and discuss.
- What makes a person creative?
- They think of new ideas
- They approach things in ways that are original to them
- They are inventive and resourceful
- They look at new possibilities to solving problems as they work on projects
- How can you develop your creativity?
- Do not worry what other people think about your work
- Do not be afraid—of rejection, of being different, of not doing it right, or of getting a bad grade
- Examine different ways of doing things
- If you don’t have what you need, think about what else you can use
- Try doing things a new way
- Take time to think about it; pray about it
- Talk about your ideas with someone else; get a second opinion
- Practice and look at things you are interested in, study them
- View artwork by Vincent Van Gogh Starry Night, Kelly Tracht: Pink Cadillac Regatta, Willie Daniels: Florida Landscape. Students critique the paintings and discuss the unique characteristics of each one. Ask students how each artist demonstrates creativity in their work.
- Explain to students: Today we will be painting outside on the playground. You can paint color, shapes, patterns, lines, or texture. You can paint what you feel, what you see, what you hear, what you imagine, what you know. Don’t worry what other people think. There is no one way to paint. There are lots of ways to paint. And there is your way to paint. If you don’t like the way it looks, try something different. Just paint.
- Students create watercolor paintings.
- Eight minutes before class ends, students will wash out their brushes and water cups and return supplies to the designated place.
- Students will write their name on an Exit card and answer the following question: Where did you get your ideas for your painting today?
- Formative: Assessment is done through teacher observation of student’s participation during group discussions, during painting, and during informal interviews. Learners should be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of what creativity means and if they consider themselves creative.
- Summative: Individual artwork will be reviewed for thinking of new ideas, for approaching something in a way that is original to them, and for looking at new possibilities to solve problems that occur as they work.
Painting Feelings
Tools and Materials:Display artwork from the week before to provide inspiration, pencils, erasers, sharpies to represent detail, tempera, easels, paper, water, cups for water, brushes, and sponges
Introduction:
Students will meet in the classroom. Review questions from previous week:
Tell students:
Introduction:
Students will meet in the classroom. Review questions from previous week:
- What makes a person creative?
- They think of new ideas
- They approach things in ways that are original to them
- They are inventive and resourceful
- They look at new possibilities to solving problems as they work on projects
- How can you develop your creativity?
- Do not worry what other people think about your work
- Do not be afraid—of rejection, of being different, of not doing it right, or of getting a bad grade
- Examine different ways of doing things
- If you don’t have what you need, think about what else you can use
- Try doing things a new way
- Take time to think about it; pray about it
- Talk about your ideas with someone else; get a second opinion
- Practice and look at things you are interested in, study them
Tell students:
- Today we will be painting feeling pictures. The paintings can be about the way you feel inside, the way you feel now, a feeling that you can remember, the way you feel about a certain place or experience.
- Don’t worry about what the person beside you is painting.
- Maybe in the past you have wanted to paint things you see, but feel that you can’t draw them so that they look real. Don’t let that trouble you. Painting is not copying. It is a selection, an interpretation, and an organization of what you put in your picture.
- Students create tempera paintings
- Eight minutes before class ends, students clean up
- Students will write their name on an Exit card and answer the following question: What title would you give this painting? Why?
- Formative: Assessment is done through teacher observation of student’s participation during group discussions, during painting, and during informal interviews. Learners should be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of what creativity means and if they consider themselves creative.
- Summative: Individual artwork will be reviewed for thinking of new ideas, for approaching something in a way that is original to them, and for looking at new possibilities to solve problems that occur as they work.