Roy Lichtenstein Pop Portraits

Fifth Grade Art Lesson
5 class periods

Roy Lichtenstein Pop Portraits, Fifth Grade Art Lesson
 

About the Artist:
Roy Lichtenstein was born in New York in 1923.  He loved to draw, but art classes were not offerred at his school.  He kept practing art in his free time.  It was not until he went to college that he took his first art class.  He graduated with a Masters in fine arts from Ohio State University and later became a teacher for the college.

Artist Roy Lichtenstein
 

Roy was inspired by comic books.  He created his first piece of Pop Art in 1961.  It wasn't very well liked.  Many critics thought he was the worst artist to ever live.  Lichtenstein did not become discouraged.  He kept creating art for it was what he loved doing best.  Through his art work and love of what he did, his work began to become more and more popular.

Lichtenstein art pieces tend to have thick bold outlines, Benday dots (a dot technique used in printing color in newspapers and comic books) and a strong use of primary color schemes (red, yellow, blue).  The artist has also been known to place speech bubbles within his composition.

Can you see all the characteristics mentioned above?
 

Roy Lichtenstein died in 1997.  He was 74 years old.  One of his top paintings, entitled The Car sold for a record breaking $16.2 million dollars!  Not too bad for someone who was considered the worst artist to ever live.

In the Car by Roy Lichtenstein.

 

Day 1-3:

• Students drew a self-portrait.  Proper facial proportions were discussed and features were broken down into recognizable shapes for drawing purposes.

Day 4:

• Students were given a photo copy of their self-portrait.  (Students worked so hard on their portraits, that many were hesitant to color all over their hard work.  A copy allows them to keep their original and have fun creating their own Lichtenstein style).
• A You Tube clip and powerpoint were viewed to discuss the life and art of Roy Lichtenstein.  Characteristics of the artist's style were also examined.

You Tube clip shown in class.

• Students began their Roy Lichtenstein pop art portraits by creating Benday dots within the face area of their portraits.

Student adding Benday dots to their composition.

Day 5:

• Students finished their portraits by coloring with primary colors, adding bold outline and a speech bubble to their composition.

Student Examples: