Description

Middle-schoolers in Milan, Italy learn about Keith Haring and make their own work inspired by his style.

Objective

-For students to learn about Keith Haring, his work and the historical context in which his work originated and was informed by.

-To challenge students to learn how to scale up their drawings, and to create designs that would be dynamic on a large scale and in a public atmosphere.

Materials

Sketchbooks
Colored Pencils
Magic Markers
Large paper for models
Acrylic paint
Paint brushes
Plastic tarps
Newspaper & tape to protect floor & walls
Buckets of water
Paint palettes
Sponges & paper towels

Procedure

STEP 1
Introduce Keith Haring, his art and his place in art history to the class. Show pictures of his artwork.

STEP 2
Ask students to make a list of the things they love or love to do in life.

STEP 3
Inspect all the possible walls around and inside the school thinking of where our mural could be done and the impact we want it to have on people.

STEP 4
Have the students draw, freehand and with no pictures in front of them something they remembered from K.H. artwork. Once the students establish their own style, ask them to now interpret some of the things previously listed in their loved things list maintaining K.H. simple, colorful and rounded style. Each student will have at least one of these drawings to go to the wall next to the others.

STEP 5
The subject each student has chosen is to be drawn first small in their sketchbook with colors, then a bit larger on an A4 paper and then on a larger paper (the model) 50 by 70cm (inches?). The models are then held up on the wall side by side to see if they have continuity. Discuss with the students about what drawings work best next to one another.

STEP 6
Here we start "the mural". First they had to draw with a pencil their shapes on a wall, freehand, then apply the solid color, last the black contour line. We had a happy, merry time, and once done we sighed with relief at the result!

Questions

What do we need to consider when we make a public work?

What happens when we expand the scale of drawing?

What are the considerations of working collaboratively?