Image of three colorful, detailed pieces of student art

Images courtesy of Allison Garrison.

STANDARDS

Core Art Standards: VA2, VA5, VA8

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Mapping the Mind

Use what you’ve learned to explore your visual voice in your sketchbook

Use what you’ve learned to explore your visual voice in your sketchbook

Abstract Impressions

Project Prompt:

  • Create a mind map that represents you.
  • Experiment with a variety of artistic techniques and media to share your visual voice.


Parameters:

  • In your sketchbook, develop a representation of yourself. It can be your name, a self-portrait, or a symbolic image.
  • Surround it with illustrations of five to seven topics related to you. These might be about your family, your cultural heritage, or what you do for fun.
  • Add notes or sketches to each topic to develop your ideas.
  • Expand your mind map into a detailed illustration that represents who you are.
  • Play with several artistic techniques and media to find your visual voice.


Experiment at Home:

Don’t have a sketchbook? No problem! You can use any type of paper. You can even use family photos or images cut from magazines to create a mind map collage.


Before you begin, check out these examples by Allison Garrison’s students at Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas!


Poetic Portraits


Students from Khadesia Latimer’s elementary art class created foldable self-portraits and wrote poems that explore their individual voices. Click through to see helpful tips and inspiring examples before you create your own expressive self-portrait and poem

Download the full lesson plan here.

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