I will typically assign this project after we discuss Baroque art and the portraits of Rembrandt. Great for showing the important conventions of the time period like tenebrism and drama! With my arts and humanities class, I give them the option to trace if they are less then comfortable free handing it. If they're not comfortable with creating a portrait of themselves, I'll also allow them to use a reference photo and create a portrait of someone else. 

​Objectives and Standards: Northern Baroque Art - After this lesson, students will be able to: describe the distinguishing characteristics of the artwork of Rembrandt van Rijn and create a work of art featuring important characteristics of the Renaissance. - Kentucky Academic Standards Visual and Performing Arts - Creating Anchor Standard 1, Responding Anchor Standard 7, 8, Connecting Anchor Standard 11.

Procedures:
1. Students will be presented with a variety of images relevant to the current lesson. This will include a painting from the Renaissance, the Italian Baroque period, and the Northern Baroque period. Students will also be asked to identify a Rembrandt painting. Students will write down their answers, and turn them in.
2. As a class we will review important characteristics of Baroque Art, viewing relevant artworks.
3. Students will be introduced to the art project where we will be creating a self-portrait using oil pastels in a Baroque style (depicting tenebrism and emotion).
4. Students will use their phones to take an expressive photograph of themselves (other students at their table can assist them if needed). If they do not have access to a phone, they can use our classroom set of ipads or if they are not comfortable taking a picture of themselves, they can use a mirror or find a similarly expressive picture to copy.
5. Using multimedia paper and oil pastels, student will create their own Baroque self-portrait from their photograph and knowledge of Baroque characteristics.

I've found this is a great project for teaching shades and tints, and get my students consider the value scale in everyday life and images!

Objectives & Standards: Students will be able to create a monochromatic composition using value and understanding tinting and shading. Students will be able to complete their design using appropriate materials (acrylic paint). (Intro to Media Art #3, 8, 9, & 10)

Procedures:
We first review ideas from our color theory lesson closer to the beginning of the year. Students will reflect on a work of art (Picasso’s The Old Guitarist) and consider how color affects the work of art. Would it be different if it were a different color? They will also reflect on two of the same images in different colors in groups, coming up with as many ideas as they can in the time allotted. We will list these similarities and differences on the board. I will explain the project outline to them, and show them some examples of what I am looking for in their final product. We will then create a value scale, and I will take the students through this step by step, so that they should have an 8 tone scale of the color mixed with white, and an 8 tone scale of the color mixed with black. Students will choose what image they want to create from photos taken on their cell phones. They will upload it to google classroom so that I can review and reference them. Once that is completed, I will give them mixed media paper and they can work on the final project. 
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