Self Portraits

There are lots of cool ways to make self portraits with kids.  Often detaching the goal of realism helps kids feel more comfortable experimenting with shapes, colors, techniques, etc.  Here are a few different ideas to try:  (A lot of these are mine instead of the kids', for privacy)

Scratch art portraits

See how to make your own scratch art paper here!

Masks using fabric scraps, pipe cleaners, beads, and paper cone cups

It is VERY important to bring in good fabric scissors or else this will be a very frustrating project for the kids- most kids art room scissors are much too dull to cut effectively.  MAKE SURE TO PUT AWAY PIPE CLEANERS BEFORE YOU BRING OUT THE GOOD SCISSORS.  One snip can ruin a good pair!

These were so fun I'm putting in a bunch.  These are simpy tempera paint on black construction paper.

I think they look so cool!!

We tried to leave black space between paint sections to keep the colors looking vibrant.  

As I've mentioned before, adding in some element of an unusual or unfamiliar art supply can really inspire kids.  Here, I had them choose one word from a magnetic poetry set that they felt described them.  Then they drew the feelings that word game them and glued on the piece.

Last but not least, one of my favorites- Andy Warhol-inspired portraits!

Oh my. 

The kids LOVED these.  Take a picture of each child making a silly face.  Then print out 4 side-by-side copies of it in black and white on plain printer paper.  Then color over them with colored pencils!

The frame here is made out of scraps of discarded art.  We did this a lot, and it helped us remember to get as many uses out of a single sheet of paper as we could!  (We also read The Lorax at the beginning of each week to help us remember to conserve and recycle resources!)

Dinosaur tar pits

When I was working at the Ann Arbor Art Center, each week of Art Camp had a different theme.  Some of them really made me stretch my ideas, and often led us down really fun paths.  For example, dinosaur tar pits!

The idea started with making tar GAK and grew from there.  First, we made our own salt dough and made little circles of stones on pieces of cardboard we colored to look like the ground, like this:

by the end of camp I think my kids had the recipe for salt dough memorized!

Next, we made gak (recipe here) and added black paint to it to look like tar.  We put little paper cups (paint cups, though the bottom of a cut paper cup would work fine) in the middle of the circle of stones, as we were worried the stones wouldn't hold the gak in enough.  Then we added gak and as a surprise, when the kids weren't looking, we added dinosaurs to each tar pit.

Perspective shots helped :)

We also added little blobs of salt dough and bits of raffia to make bushes.

I love the bubbles in the tar!

After a few days, the tar dried to a nice sheen.  It stays pliable if put in a plastic baggie though.

Fun!

Make your own scratch art paper

Scratch art paper is really expensive and is super easy to make.  Color a piece of paper heavily with crayon so there are no white spots left.  (Also, don't use black crayon.)  Paint over the whole thing with black paint- I've had good luck with acrylic, using a sponge brush.  Try to use as little as you can while still covering the color completely.  Let it dry (usually an hour or less) and then use a pointy-ish-but-not-too-pointy tool to scratch a drawing on the paper.  I've had luck using the back of a wooden matchstick, the not-pointy end of a wooden skewer, or a pen cap.

Most kids will want to go nuts and scratch off the whole thing.  It's a good idea to make one along with them to use as an initial sacrifice, so they can make an actual design on their own.

  Try this one out first- some papers and paints work better than others, so make sure you've got a good combo before making kids color till their hands go numb.

Super fun!