Pop Art Oceans

The teacher will lead the students in a discussion on the artist Keith Haring and his work. The teacher will focus on his art with ocean and marine life imagery, however a brief description of his impact on Pop Art and activism will be mentioned. Students will discuss the following when viewing the artwork as a class:

• Simple lines
• Movement
• Bold, vibrant colors
• Faceless figures
• Lack of small detail and its impact on the artwork as a whole
• The illustrative qualities of Pop Art
• Implied meanings of each piece as related to current modern issues and interests

Students will work in their sketchbooks after the art discussion creating sketches of possible ideas for their final artwork. Student art should focus on the Pop Art style of Keith Haring and include elements of current political and social issues involving oceans and the environment. A variation of sketches should be completed, students should aim for 3-4 ideas.

Students will share their sketchbook drawing with the teacher and discuss their options and ideas for their final artwork. The student will choose their best idea and get a sheet of paper to start on their final drawing. The drawing will be done in pencil.

The students will draw their final drawing with pencil to fill their paper. Students should emphasize movement, draw simple lines, keep their details bold, and make sure their drawing illustrates their social or political statement on oceans.

Students will use markers to color in their drawing. Students may choose to keep some areas of their drawing white, as did Keith Haring with his illustrations. However, the teacher should encourage students to stick with the bright, vibrant style of Keith Haring’s artwork.

Optional: Drawings can be painted using water color or tempera paint. Drawings can be colored using oil pastels or colored pencils.

When the drawing is fully colored, students will use black permanent markers to trace over all of their pencil lines. The lines should be bold and smooth. Students will add emphasis lines to show movement around their figures.

Optional: If using tempera paint, students will need to use black tempera paint for their lines, oil pastels if they are colored with oil pastel, and colored pencils if they colored with colored pencils. Permanent markers can be used on top of watercolor paint.