5th Grade -- Silhouette Self-Portraits

We began this project by viewing many different examples of silhouettes.  We discussed what a silhouette was and how it has been an important part of art for hundreds of years.  Kara Walker is a current artist who uses silhouettes in her artwork.  The students created lists or webs to help generate things that described them as an individual.  We were focusing more on those qualities and not our outside appearance for this self-portrait.  With the use of the projector, I was able to trace out the students' silhouettes onto 18" x 24" white drawing paper.  From there the students filled up their silhouettes with ideas that described them.  We tried to draw only visual images and to avoid writing with words.  The students then used permanent markers to go over their pencil lines.  This helped add contrast to their silhouette.  They cleaned out the remaining pencil with erasers, cut out their silhouette, and then glued it to black paper.