YAM: 3rd Grade Picasso

Third grade teachers really jumped on board for my YAM activities.  They created a two week unit in their classroom about art!  Last week, they spent time studying different styles and mediums of art.  This week they're talking about Picasso!  They made some really awesome packets for students to use in the classroom and they've really impressed me!  So, my connecting Picasso project is to make slab Picasso faces! (Pinterest influence found here.)

Here are my two examples that I made during my demonstrations.

One third grade teacher asked if they could come down and do the clay Picasso project with the students (during their free period..gasp! ;) )

Last week I started this mini Picasso unit off by having the students draw a quick, 20 minute self-portrait using oil pastels.  I had them cut them up and glue them down all "wonky" onto black construction paper.  I didn't really give them much information to go off of...this was a sort of "filler" project I did while I had no voice and had a substitute.

My example is on the left here...

Because they are covering Picasso so in depth in the classroom, I'm not really doing a full unit on Picasso.  I also cheated a little bit.  I'm not making the students roll out their own slabs for this.  I recently bought this really nice mini slab roller.  I've used it during the after school program because it's quicker, but I haven't used it in class before.

I argued with myself quite a bit as to whether or not to use it, but I decided to use it only because I wanted to give the students two days with the wet clay.  I've been waiting to have a full kiln to fire (for the rest of the Egyptian artifacts).  Both classes will be finished with these by Friday, so that means they will be dry enough to fire by Monday...  I ended up rolling out 5 slabs for each class.  It was enough for everyone to cut out what they needed to start.  I kept all of the extra rolled out slabs stacked in between canvas so we can use it next time instead of wasting it.

I pulled out the texture rollers so that they could give their faces some interesting texture.  We also poked some holes so that we can later add some pipe cleaner curls for hair.  I concentrated on making sure the students knew how to score and slip really well, especially since they didn't roll out their own slabs.

The first step we took was to cut out an interesting, organic shape for the head.  Then, we made a long snake coil and made a profile line of a face down the center, like Picasso usually has in his artwork.  Then I asked them to start cutting out different shapes to make the eyes, nose, mouth, etc.