Kenneth Sanders 10th Grade Art Lesson Plan: June 13, 2017

Unit: Unit 6: Sculpture

Lesson Title/Topic: Lesson 6-5: Alebrije (Oaxacan) Sculpture

Lesson I can create a sculpture of an animal in Alebrije style, painting its body with a pattern that is representative of its natural
Objective(s): skin/fur/feathers/scales.

Lesson Goal(s): The student has sculpted an armature of an animal out of aluminum foil.
The student has paper mached their aluminum armature.
The student has painted their sculpture with a pattern that is representative of its natural skin/fur/feathers/scales.

Essential Question: How can pattern, rhythm, and movement give energy and life to an artwork?

Lesson Alebrije - brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures.
Vocabulary: Oaxacan - sculptures of ingenious animals, plants, or objects, painted with fantastical, abstracted colors and patterns.
Armature - a metal framework on which a sculpture is molded with clay or similar material.
Paper Mache - a substance made of paper or paper pulp mixed with glue and other materials or of layers of paper glued
and pressed together, molded when moist to form various articles, and becoming hard and strong when dry.
Form - the visible shape or configuration of something.
Pattern - an underlying structure that organizes surfaces or structures in a consistent, regular manner by repeating a unit
of shape or form.
Texture - the visual feel of 2D art or physical touch of 3D art.
Rhythm - a combination of elements repeated in a pattern, but with variations and movement.

LESSON 6-5 DAY 1

Materials DAY 1: - Aluminum Foil - Masking Tape - Newspaper - Animal/Nature Magaznines

- Mixing Bowls - Styrofoam Plates - Pipe Cleaners - Water - Glue

Procedures 1. Bell Ringer: Have the animal magazines at students seats. Have the students take the first 5 minutes of class to go
DAY 1: through the magazines to find an animal that appeals to them or is there favorite and that they would like to create an art
sculpture of. After 5 minutes, go around the room and ask students why they chose their animal?
2. Direct Instruction: Show students the Lesson 6-5 Powerpoint. Ask students how the animals in the slides were
abstracted from animals in real life? How did the abstraction exemplify the features of the animal? How did the
abstraction make the animals seem more fantastical?
3. Modeling: Explain to students that they will begin their sculpture by making an armature or skeleton of their animal.
Pass out the aluminum foil, and masking tape. Show students how to break off pieces of aluminum foil in square sized
sections (start with 8-10 square-sized sections). Model making the head of an animal by balling up the foil, and
 increasing the head size by adding more foil around the original piece to shape the nose or snout. Model how to make the
backbone by wrapping foil around the head and twisting the excess (like a lollipop wrapper). Model how to add legs and
a tail by rolling the foil log style, and wrapping it around the backbone line a pipe cleaner. Model how to use masking
tape to make add ears or any other body part not attached to the backbone. Have students add additional foil to the
backbone, arms, legs, and tail to bulk the size of their skeleton to the animals natural size. Students may use masking
tape to secure their armature as foil can sometimes weaken and fall apart. When students have finished with their
armatures, pass out the styrofoam plates, glue, water, mixing bowls and newspaper. Show students how to mix glue and
water to make paper mache paste. Have students rip of the newspaper into strips and model how to dip the newspaper
strip in the paste and wrap the animal armature like a mummy.
4. Independent Practice: Students will complete the first half of the lesson by covering their armatures with paper
mache. Instruct students if there were any final details they wanted to add to their animals, they may use the paper mache
to do so. When students finish wrapping their animal armatures, have them put their names on the bottom of their
styrofoam plates, and set their animals on the plates to dry.
5. Conclusion: Have students brainstorm, before the second half of the lesson, ways in which they could paint their
animals. Ask students to think of their favorite colors and patterns and how they can apply these colors and patterns to
their sculpture.

Accommodations Students that finish early: may assist classmates in mixing paste, ripping newspaper and wrapping their classmates
DAY 1: armatures.
Students that are struggling: may use pipe cleaners and masking tape to make their armatures instead of the foil.

LESSON 6-5 DAY 2

Materials DAY 2: - Acrylic Paint - Brushes - Napkins - Sandpaper - Paper Plates - Water Rinse Cups

Procedures 1. Bell Ringer: Have the students animals placed around the room and ask students to find their own animal sculptures.
DAY 2: After students are seated and have found their sculpture, go around the room and ask students what feature on their
animal would be most prominent to make a pattern with (skin, scales, feathers, shell, quills, etc.).
2. Direct Instruction: Review the lesson 6-5 powerpoint. Ask students about the colors the Alebrije artists used to color
their sculptures. Have students compare the sculptures where the color usage was consistent versus the sculptures where
the color usage was varied.
3. Modeling: Review using and mixing paints, brushes, rinse cups, and napkins. Model painting a base color for each
body part (head, body, arms, legs, tail, wings, fins, etc., they may be painted the same or a variety of colors) before
adding the skin pattern on top of the base color. Model painting the facial features or any remaining features/details on
top of the skin pattern layer.
4. Independent Practice: Students will paint the base color layer, the pattern layer, and the facial features and details
layer of their sculptures.
5. Conclusion: Ask students how the patterns on each body part add energy and rhythm to their sculpture. How does
the energy of sculptures painted a variety of color and patterns differ from animals that use a single color and pattern.
Ask students to compare their animal, colors, and patterns to their own personalities and styles.
Accommodations Students that finish early: may paint an additional picture on paper of another animal in Alebrije style.
DAY 2: Students that are struggling: may paint their base layer as their pattern layer.

Assessment The student is able to present their work to the class (or explain to the teacher) the animal they have chosen, why they
chose that animal, and their reason/method of chosing the colors, pattern and texture of their animal.

Priority SC State Standards National Standards

Standard(s): VAH2-4.2: Identify specific artworks as belonging to VA:Pr6.1.IIa:Make, explain, and justify connections between
a particular culture or historical period and explain the artists or artwork and social, cultural, and political history.
characteristics that led him or her to make that
identification.

Supporting SC State Standards National Standards

Standard(s): VAH2-1.3: Communicate ideas through the effective
use of a variety of materials, techniques, and processes
in works of visual art.
VAH2-3.2: Analyze and describe the relationships
among subject matter, symbols, and themes in
communicating intended meaning in his or her
artworks and the works of others.
VAH2-4.1: Describe ways that the subject matter,
symbols, ideas, and technologies in various artworks
are related to history and culture.
VAH2-4.5: Apply a knowledge of art history, various
cultures, and technologies in the creation of original
works of visual artworks.
VAH2-5.4: Maintain a portfolio of his or her
artworks.
VA:Cr1.1.Ia: Use multiple approaches to begin creative
endeavors.
VA:Cr1.2.IIa: Choose from a range of materials and methods
of traditional and contemporary artistic practices to plan works
of art and design.
VA:Cr3.1.Ia: Apply relevant criteria from traditional and
contemporary cultural contexts to examine, reflect on, and plan
revisions for works of art and design in progress.
VA:Pr4.1.IIa:Analyze, select, and critique personal artwork for
a collection or portfolio presentation.
VA:Cn11.1.IIa: Compare uses of art in a variety of societal,
cultural, and historical contexts and make connections to uses of
art in contemporary and local contexts.

Rubric The student has sculpted an armature of an animal out of aluminum foil (40pts).
The student has paper mached their aluminum armature (20pts).
The student has painted their sculpture with a pattern that is representative of its natural skin(40).

Resources Lesson 6-5 Powerpoint