The Sincerest Form of Flattery: Learning from the Masters
lesson objectives: observation & reproduction skills, painting techniques, brushwork & color mixing, art appreciation & exposure
![Picture](/uploads/2/3/6/7/23677318/3540757.jpg?335)
"Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery -
it's the sincerest form of learning."
~George Bernard Shaw
Essential Questions:
~Have you ever copied?
~Has anyone ever encouraged you to copy?
~When is copying okay to do? Not okay to do?
~Can you think of another activity (besides visual art) where people copy (or mimic)?
~Have you ever seen someone in a museum/gallery drawing a work of art?
~Why do they do that?
~What does "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" mean?
~What is a "lesser-known" artist? Does the make them not as good as a famous artist?
~What's happening in your painting?
~Where is this place?
~What is the weather there, in that moment?
~Are you part of the painting or are you an observer?
~What are the characters thinking?
~What is the year? Date? Time?
~How many of you have made a painting before?
~How is making a painting like building a house?
~What types of marks do different types of brushes make?
~How might you "make your painting your own"?
~If I wanted you to create an exact replica of your chosen artwork, what tool might I give you?
Enduring Understandings:
~Students will understand that "copying" is a form of practice that lays down muscle memory
and enhances observation skills.
~Students will practice copying (reproducing) a master work chosen randomly,
through both drawing and painting.
~Students will see how masters compose great artworks.
~Students will mix paint to match the masterwork - or consciously alter the color to "make it their own."
~Students will build a painting in layers (blueprint, foundation, framing, finish); not in a side-by-side way
like a paint-by-numbers activity.
~Students will understand and experiment with different marks made by varying brushes and brush work.
~Students will know the name of their chosen artwork and the artist who painted it.
Stories (Hook):
"Why Copying Inspires Creativity"
Di Mace
Inspiration and re-imagining
Over the course of history, many great ‘inventors’ or ‘thought-leaders’ were in essence, remixers. They used the basic ideas and techniques that they’d collected and learnt, to inspire the creation of their own interpretation.
Most artist’s first works are derivatives of another’s work and the tradition of copying the successful works of Old Masters to learn their secrets, is still carried on today by artists who wish to develop similar skills and sensitivities to form.
Hunter S. Thompson re-typed F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms in order to learn about the writing styles of the authors and to get the feel of writing a great novel.
...Think of it this way – we’re all using the same building materials; we just assemble them in different ways – some better than others. You need to play around and learn and you’ll get better until you get good enough to create your own re-imagined work.
Materials & Tools:
full color reproductions of masterworks sketch journals pencil/eraser 12" x 18" heavy white paper (cut to format) or heavy weight canvas paper (if budget allows) acrylic paint colored pencils variety of brushes paint markers tabletop easels |
Vocabulary:
master masterwork/masterpiece reproduce format blueprint foundation framing finish brushwork marks format lesser-known artist scaling proportion under-drawing under-painting |
Process:
~Pass out paintings randomly.
~Demonstrate and discus what format is: square, horizontal rectangle, vertical rectangle.
~Model breaking a painting down into basic lines and shapes.
~Draw a practice sketch in sketch journal.
~Once practice is complete in sketch journals, give students canvas paper cut to format.
~Review the four building steps:
1- blueprint (under-drawing): pencil
2 - foundation (under-painting): acrylic paint
3 - framing (more refined colors): acrylic paint
4 - finish (final details): colored pencils, paint markers, pastels
~Guide students through each step.
Resources:
Is Lichtenstein a Great Modern Artist or a Copycat?
Alastair Sooke (BBC)
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130717-pop-artist-or-copy-cat
James Aponovich: the Evolution of a Painting
http://www.aponovich52.blogspot.com/
Learning Targets:
Students will spend time with a famous painting and do a close reading of it.
Students will know the name and artist of their famous painting.
Students will break a painting down into shapes and lines.
Students will apply the laws of proportion and scaling in re-creating their master painting.
Students will mix paint to closely match the master painting.
Students will practice different types of brushwork.
Students will build a painting with an understanding of layering each step.
Reflections:
I deal the paintings out face down and have the students turn them over all together. I give them a few minutes to look at their master work, then I group by painting/artist type by asking questions like: If you have a landscape (portrait, still life, genre, interior, seascape, cityscape, abstract, etc) raise your hand and share your painting.
This is a very involved process, students need many reminders of the steps. I model and demonstrate each week. As the work progresses, some will finish faster. I always have another self-directed task ready for those fast workers.
Gallery:
~Pass out paintings randomly.
~Demonstrate and discus what format is: square, horizontal rectangle, vertical rectangle.
~Model breaking a painting down into basic lines and shapes.
~Draw a practice sketch in sketch journal.
~Once practice is complete in sketch journals, give students canvas paper cut to format.
~Review the four building steps:
1- blueprint (under-drawing): pencil
2 - foundation (under-painting): acrylic paint
3 - framing (more refined colors): acrylic paint
4 - finish (final details): colored pencils, paint markers, pastels
~Guide students through each step.
Resources:
Is Lichtenstein a Great Modern Artist or a Copycat?
Alastair Sooke (BBC)
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130717-pop-artist-or-copy-cat
James Aponovich: the Evolution of a Painting
http://www.aponovich52.blogspot.com/
Learning Targets:
Students will spend time with a famous painting and do a close reading of it.
Students will know the name and artist of their famous painting.
Students will break a painting down into shapes and lines.
Students will apply the laws of proportion and scaling in re-creating their master painting.
Students will mix paint to closely match the master painting.
Students will practice different types of brushwork.
Students will build a painting with an understanding of layering each step.
Reflections:
I deal the paintings out face down and have the students turn them over all together. I give them a few minutes to look at their master work, then I group by painting/artist type by asking questions like: If you have a landscape (portrait, still life, genre, interior, seascape, cityscape, abstract, etc) raise your hand and share your painting.
This is a very involved process, students need many reminders of the steps. I model and demonstrate each week. As the work progresses, some will finish faster. I always have another self-directed task ready for those fast workers.
Gallery: