I'm Feeling Blue

  • How would you describe the person in this picture?
  • What is he doing?
  • What do you think the person is "screaming" about?
  • An emotion is a feeling. What emotion do you think the person is experiencing?
This painting is by an artist named Edvard Munch. It is called The Scream. The person in the painting looks like he is afraid.

The Bible tells us that God has emotions. He loves, He gets angry, and sometimes He is sad. Since we are created in His image we have emotions too. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is "a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance." It is good to understand our emotions and to be able to recognize them.

Objectives:

In this lesson you will:
  • use observation, investigation, and experimentation in making art
  • understand and recognize how artwork can express emotions and feelings​

Materials:

playdough, emotions chart, construction paper, tempera paint, brushes, scissors, white yarn or string, glue, black sharpies

Process:

Get a piece of play dough.
​Look at this chart:
How would your face look if you were cold?
Use playdough to make a face that looks cold.
How would your face look if you were sleepy?
Use playdough to make a face that look sleepy.
Go through the pictures and create faces with playdough that show emotions.
Look at this picture:
  • How would you describe the person in this picture?
  • What is he doing?
  • Do you think the man is rich? Poor? Why?
  • Why do you think the artist used the color blue?
This painting is by artist Pablo Picasso. It is called The Old Guitarist. When Picasso was in his early twenties he was very sad. He painted many pieces of art that expressed his sadness and this is one of the pieces. One way he showed his sadness was by using the color blue. Have you ever heard people say they were feeling blue when they were sad? Did you know that color can show your emotions or feelings in a picture? What color or colors would you use to show the following:
  • Happy (yellow)
  • Angry (red)
  • Jealous (green)
During this lesson you will make a stringed instrument that shows an emotion. Here are pictures of stringed instruments: 
  • Choose one of the stringed instruments and draw it so that it fills your paper (remember to draw light until it's right)
  • Paint your instrument using tints and shades of a color that represents an emotion or feeling you have. For example, you may use blue if you are sad, red if you are angry, green if you are jealous, yellow if you are happy. Tints are made by adding the color you chose to white, shades are made by adding black to the color.
  • After your painting is dry, use black sharpies to add details 
  • Glue on white yarn for the strings
  • Display artwork and discuss why you made color choices

Standards:

  • VA:Cr1.2
  • VA:Cr2.1
  • VA:Cr2.2
  • VA:Cr3.1
  • VA:Re7.2
  • VA:Cn11.1