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Art Layers of Learning
Art Layers of Learning
Art Layers of Learning
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Art Beginnings
What Is Art?
Michelle Copher and Karen Loutzenhiser
All the Titles in the Art Beginnings Series
What Is Art?
Art Supplies
Principles of Design
Prehistoric Art
Art & Early Civilizations
Ancient Art Around the World
Greek Art
Roman Art
Student Journal
Art Sketchbook
Printable Pack
You received a Printable Pack of student worksheets when you
purchased this unit. It was sent on your receipt and is available from your
account at Layers of Learning.
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What Is Art? s
Michelle Copher and Karen Loutzenhiser
2
What is Art?
Hopefully, as you learn more about art, you will
Family School Levels
recognize and more fully enjoy the art you see around you,
come to understand the purposes of art, and learn to talk The colored smilies in this unit
about it in more meaningful ways. help you choose the correct
levels of books and activities
for your child.
Step 1: Library List ☻= Ages 6-9
Choose books from your library that go with this topic. Here’s a list
☻= Ages 10-13
of some favorites, but also a list of search terms so you can
☻= Ages 14-18
utilize what your library offers. Read the books with your kids
and/or assign them some to read independently. It is from On The Web
these books your kids will learn most of the facts they need
from this unit. For videos, web pages,
games, and more to add to
Search for: introduction to art, purposes of art this unit, visit the Resources
page:
☻☻☻The Usborne Introduction to Art by Rosie Dickens & layers-of-learning.com/
Mari Griffith. Read “What is Art?,” “Looking at Paintings,” resources/
“Fact and Fiction,”Familiar Faces,” “Setting the Scene,”
You will find a link to video
“The Art of Illusion” on pages 6-16. play lists, web links, and more.
☻☻☻How To Draw All The Things for Kids by Alli Koch.
This is a basic how-to-draw book that can get kids started
sketching confidently. How-to-draw books are a worthwhile
Bookworms
purchase for your homeschool library.
If you’re looking for a family
☻Museum ABC by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. read-aloud we’d like to
This alphabet book shows four different works of art from suggest this one.
various periods for each letter of the alphabet. A beautiful
introduction to how artists portray items differently.
☻Simon at the Art Museum by Christina Soontornvat.
Young Simon just wants cheesecake in the museum cafe,
but then he begins to watch the people as they are sad,
happy, and arguing over art. He begins to understand the
ways that art speaks to people.
☻What Is Art? by Janell Smalls. A picture book look at
many different kinds of art and what makes art, art.
☻What Adults Don’t Know About Art by The School of Life.
This book starts with the question “Why is art important?”
Instead of answering the question, it explains why all of the
usual answers aren’t very good, then proceeds to answer
“Why is some art important to you?” instead. A thoughtful
book for young people who hate art and art museums.
Masterpiece by Elise Broach
☻☻World Art: The Essential Illustrated History by Dr. Mike is the story of a little beetle
O’Mahony. Read the introduction to art on pages 9-15. named Marvin who has
a knack for art and gets
☻☻The Art Book by DK. This can be read aloud to the caught up in an art heist. It’s
group. Read the introduction on pages 10-13. the first book in a five-book
series.
☻Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative
3
Art Beginnings
Mind by Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire.
Teaching Tip This book takes a deeper look at the psychology and
Here is a checklist with four neuroscience of creative people.
simple art expectations for
any project: ☻Art History from KhanAcademy.org. Use these videos
as lectures for your high schooler. Have your student take
Checklist notes from the videos. During this unit, study “Looking at Art”
and complete the lessons under “Why Art Matters.” You’ll
For Your Artwork be completing many of the other lessons in future units.
Art Warm-Ups This unit includes printables. See the introduction for
instructions on retrieving your Printable Pack.
You may want to begin each
art lesson with an art-warm-
up. Much like handwriting
practice, when we routinely The Drive to Create
practice sketching, it builds
our confidence and abilities.
Here are some ideas for ☻☻☻EXPLORATION: The First Art
quick art warm-ups to use at For this activity you will need:
the beginning of each art
• “The First Art” printable from the Printable Pack
lesson:
• Pencil or pen
• How-to-draw books or
websites Every single society we know of in the entire history of the
• Grid drawings planet has created some type of art. Creating artwork
• Monthly, holiday, or seems to be ingrained in us naturally somehow. Let’s look
seasonal sketches at an early example of art. There are hundreds of caves
• Self-portraits around the world that are covered with images made by
• Squiggle game artists from the Stone Age. We don’t know who the very first
• 2-minute timed sketch
artist was or which of these early art displays was created
You’ll find more art warm-up first, but it is interesting to look at the various cave art
ideas within the sidebars of around the world and imagine the artists who made them.
each arts unit.
Chauvet Cave, in southern France, was named for the
man who discovered it in 1994 and is just one of the many
examples of early art. The cave’s walls are covered with
hundreds of pictures of animals, plants, and people. Some
of the pictures are painted on, some are drawn with
charcoal, and still others are scratched into the surface of
the rock walls.
4
What is Art?
Memorization Station
Art: something visual we
create using both skill and
imagination
Creativity: The use of
imagination or original
ideas, especially as you
create art, invent things, or
innovate
Fabulous Fact
Some of the paintings are so deep within caves that we
can imagine the artists creating them by torchlight. We People have been creating
art throughout the history of
have to ask - why did these early artists go to so much
the world in all kinds of forms.
trouble to create art? The truth is, we don’t know why. They Creating art is one of the
might have been passing time during a hunt, participating defining characteristics of the
in a ritual, or hoping for good fortune in their hunting. We human species. Visual arts,
can only guess their reasons. Imagine watching one of dance, music, writing, and
these cave paintings being created and getting to ask the all kinds of other creations
artist why he or she went to so much trouble to make it. are the byproducts of human
creativity.
1. On “The First Art” printable, write some possible reasons
you think early art might have been created.
2. Then, think about why we create art today and write
what you think motivates people to make it.
3. Add the page to the Art section of your Layers of
Learning Notebook.
5
Art Beginnings
1. Spread the building toys out on a table or another hard
Writer’s Workshop
surface. Think of anything inventive you could create
Brainstorm and write a list of and just start building. You may make a tower, a castle,
things you can do to get your a vehicle, a bridge, a building - you can build anything.
creative juices flowing when
you feel stuck. 2. As you build, talk about why people tend to be builders.
When we see something that is out of order, we tend
to want to put it in order. If I were to place a packet
of seeds, some soil, a trowel, a cup of water, and a
flowerpot in front of you and walk away, most likely you
want to prepare the pot, plant the seeds, and water
Art Warm-Up them. Similarly, if I set a palette of paints, brushes, a
Look at yourself closely in the canvas, and an easel in front of you, chances are, you
mirror. Focus on the shape would feel a desire to paint a picture.
of your face, your specific
3. Have a discussion and talk about each of these
facial features, and also
your expression. Using pencil, questions:
lightly sketch yourself. You a. What makes you feel creative?
can choose to do a full-body
sketch or just your head b. What do you think the purposes of creativity are?
and shoulders. Make sure to
include details like the exact c. What would you build with the Legos or blocks if
clothing you are wearing. there were no limit to what you could create?
Once you are happy with
your pencil version, use
crayons, colored pencils, or ☻☻☻EXPLORATION: Ordinary to Extraordinary
colorful pens to add color For this activity you will need:
to your self-portrait. You can
decide whether or not to • A plain, white mug
color the background of your • Pencil
portrait as well. • Acrylic paints, brushes, and a water cup
When you are finished, add • Cotton swab
your name and age to the • Rubbing alcohol
self-portrait you created. • An oven and a baking
sheet
Many artists are
motivated to create
something extraordinary
from the ordinary objects
around them. Try making
your own ordinary item -
At the beginning of each a plain, white mug - into
school year, create a self- something more special.
portrait and write your name
and age in your handwriting. 1. Decide on a design that suits you. Use a pencil to lightly
Add it to your homeschool sketch your design directly on the mug.
portfolio each time you
complete your portrait and 2. Paint your design using acrylic paints and a variety of
then watch how you and brushes. It works best if you apply the paint in several
your portrait change year thin layers, letting it dry completely between each one.
after year. Along the way, if you make any mistakes, you can use
a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to wipe away
6
What is Art?
any paint or smudges you want to remove. When you’re
finished painting, let the mug air-dry for 24 hours. Writer’s Workshop
Write a short answer response
3. Place your mug on a baking sheet and bake it in an to this question:
oven at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes to set the paint.
What is the difference
4. After it cools, you can use your extraordinary mug. between copying something
Make sure to hand wash it instead of putting it in the and creating something? Are
dishwasher. both okay? When and why?
7
Art Beginnings
Memorization Station
Subject: The main idea that
is represented in a piece of
art
A few common subjects are
• Portraits of people
• Landscape scenes
• The natural world
• Wildlife
• Historical events
• Spiritual, religious, or
mythological stories
• Everyday scenes
Deep Thoughts
Scott Adams, an American ☻☻☻EXPLORATION: Subject
artist and cartoonist, said, For this activity you will need:
“Creativity is allowing • “What Do Artists Draw?” from the Printable Pack
yourself to make mistakes. • Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
Art is knowing which ones • Art Sketchbook
to keep.” • Scissors
What do you think he meant • Glue
by this?
The subject of a piece of
artwork is the main idea
that is represented in the
piece. Often, artists choose
Famous Folks their subjects based on their
Wassily Kandinsky is a Russian thoughts and experiences.
painter who was one of the
1. Use the “What Do Artists
most famous abstract artists
of all time.
Draw?” printable to help
you come up with some
ideas you could use to
create art. Brainstorm some
things you see, feel, remember, and imagine. Draw or
write a list of each of those in the corresponding box.
2. Cut out the squares of the printable and add them into
your Art Sketchbook. Whenever you need an idea, you
can turn to this list and start creating.
8
The First Art
Why do you think early artists Why do you think artists create art
created art? today?
Layers of Learning
What Do Artists Draw?
Some of the things artists draw are what they see, feel, remember,
and imagine. What subjects could you create art about?
I see... I feel...
I remember... I imagine...
Layers of Learning