WANTED: 5th Gr Cowboys & Cowgirls

Another lesson inspired by the fabulous blog Deep Space Sparkle.  It's a twist on the classic self-portrait lesson.  Students are asked to transform themselves into cowboys and cowgirls, what fun! The first day began with developing some background knowledge and appreciation for Western culture.  Students agreed that each portrait needed to have some key features to be considered a cowboy or cowgirl.  Here's the list they generated:

• Hat
• Bandana
• Vest
• Lasso
• Facial Hair
• Braids

Next, came the sketching.  I showed students how to make a face by estimating the size of their palm for scale.  From their we added a hat, neck, bandana, shoulders, and all the details of the face and clothing.  Students then used their sketch to transfer their self-portraits to a larger version.  Once complete, we "aged" the paper by using diluted brown paint to either spray or smear across the paper. Students really enjoyed this process.

The next few lessons was devoted to painting the face, followed by hat and hair, then clothing.  Students mixed their skin tones using tan, brown and white. I then provided them with various colors for their clothing.