People at work
Art Making Activities
Activity 1: Stenciling (Stage 3 students)
First look at the artwork by Robert Dickerson of a business man walking. The task is to create a figure that looks a bit like the man in the artwork but you could change the look of the hat, bag or clothes if you wish. To create a stencil you have to cut shapes out of cardboard paper with an art knife, place this over a piece of paper and then use a stiff bristle brush to fill in the cut out shapes with paint colour. You can also use the pieces that have been cut out (if they are well cut) and dab paint around the shapes on the paper that you are printing onto. Why not try to repeat the printing and have many men (or women) walking in a line across the page. You could also try alternating the negative and positive mask stencils. Tip: it is best to use a dry brush and you can try to leave some of the paper background showing through your dabs of paint. Tip 2: when using an art knife you need to use a mat to protect the table and be careful when cutting- never cut towards yourself!
Activity 2: To create mixed media/collage (Stage 2 students)
Look through magazines to find photographs of people at work and then cut out the images you want to use (big and small). Try to sort these out so that you have a collection of maybe 3 or 4 different types of work/careers. If, for example, you have florists/flower sellers, business men, and nurses in your collection you could assemble these on a new piece of drawing paper into different 3 areas on your page and then glue them in place. Use colouring pencil to draw things/objects that these people use in the work like a medicine bottle (nurse), a computer (business man), or bunches of flowers (florist). Try to fill as much of the paper as possible with your drawings and you can even overlap your cut out pictures with your drawings.
Activity 3: 3D modelling with play doh, modelling clay or plasticine (ES1, Stage 1 or 2 students)
Look at the picture of the woman peeling potatoes. Have you seen your parents cooking in the kitchen? Maybe you have favourite things you like to cook? You could use modelling clay, play doh or plasticine to create things you would see in the kitchen- try making some colourful food items, or making some lovely pots and pans, or create a beautiful cake with your doh. You could join together with other people in your class to create a variety of foods and kitchen objects- discuss what each of you want to make first.
