First Grade . . . Mona Lisa portraits!

Self-Portrait by Anaya

Self Portrait by Cristo

Self-Portrait by Sadie

Self-Portrait by Asha

As an introduction into the rich world of art history, first graders learned about the "Mona Lisa," painted by Leonardo da Vinci. To create our self-portraits, we drew our faces, shoulders and arms just like in the famous portrait by da Vinci, and colored them in with a color palette that best represents each of us.

In the "Mona Lisa," the subject of the painting is the portrait. The background is the area behind the subject, represented as a soft landscape that seems to be very far away.

To make the distinction between the subject and the background in our pictures, we created two separate works of art. The subject of our pictures is a portrait drawn with bright colors and fine details. The background was created as a landscape with watercolors in softer, more muted tones.



Here is how we did our project...

On one piece of drawing paper, we drew our portraits. To personalize them, we chose colors for our hair and eyes that best represent us. Then we added interesting details to the picture to tell a story about who we are in the portrait. Once these were complete, the portraits were cut out of the white paper they were drawn on.

On a separate piece of paper, we painted our backgrounds. Using watercolors, we created a soft and colorful scene, letting the colors flow and blend together. These watercolors backgrounds could all stand alone as beautiful works of art!

To see all of our Mona Lisa masterpieces, visit our home page on Artsonia.com and scroll through the list of exhibits to the first grade portraits.   http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=114839

Background by Martin

Complete Portrait by Martin

Background by Jackson

Complete Portrait by Jackson

Note to families...
This art blog will be updated regularly with new posts sharing our daily activities in the art room and news about upcoming art exhibits. To respect the privacy of our students, names will always be limited to first name only and identifiable photos will never be accompanied with a name. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to write in the comment box below or send me an email at blevine@ranneyschool.org. I would love to hear from you!
    In my class, students are given the chance to explore different materials and fun new techniques as they develop their signature style. Some young artists love to draw with a pencil, some like to paint on canvas or create images in a digital format, while others prefer working with clay and molding three-dimensional forms. In my classroom, we use a variety of materials allowing all artists to experiment and figure out which type of art they like the best. At Ranney School, we place a strong emphasis on originality and celebrate artistic differences, always nurturing and encouraging the imagination of every student.
     Remember to check out our display of finished artwork and student portfolios in the Ranney home page of Artsonia.com.  http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=114839