Superhero Project

Project Overview

"Superhero Project" is a 3-week learning segment, which I taught from [Drawn to Stories] at Pratt Institute Saturday Art School. 

Each classes held 2 hours of teaching on Saturdays from 10 AM to 12 PM. 

Students Age Group

9-10 years old

Project Timeline

Week 1: Creation of Superhero

Week 2: Superhero at a Scene

Week 3: Superhero Comic Book

Week 1. Creation of Superhero

Description

Students will use their imagination and creativity to create their own superhero through drawing and printmaking.

Central Foci

1. Art Context: 

Drawing, printmaking, creating narrative stories 

2. Elements and Principles: 

• Elements: line, shape
• Principle: variety, narrative

3. Personal Perspective: 

Students will create their own superhero characters and will share the stories about their superheroes. 

4. Production ("Making" words): 

Drawing, Cutting, printing, stamping

Learning Objectives

Skills/Techniques

Students will be able to:

• Create a narrative story
• Use their imagination to create a superhero 
• Develop motor skill using various art materials
• Learn the Basic printmaking skills 

Concepts

Students will understand that:

• Printmaking requires students to think about reflected image from their intention.

Pre-requisite

Essential Prior Learning

• Use of pencils
• Basic color mixing theory

Learning Readiness

Students have prior knowledge about basic color theory - mixing two or more colors to create another color. 

This project will provide students opportunities to apply their prior knowledge about color theory using printmaking techniques. 

Students also learned basic printmaking technique. This lesson will enrich their knowledge about printmaking.

Potential Misunderstandings and Strategies

Students  might not have experiences or do not have enough experiences of making origami - folding papers. For those who cannot fold paper well, I will have to show them demonstrations. 

Materials

12"x18" black construction paper

12"x18" colorful construction paper

18"x24" newsprint

Printmaking ink

Large foam board

Wood stick, tooth pick, cotton ball, and paper clips

Styrofoam board

Brayers

Plexiglass

Hand wipes

Drawing Pencils

Erasers

Large Brown craft paper for covering the desks

Projector

Large Sharpie

Visual Resources

Images of comic arts created by: 

• Jack Kirby
• Stan Lee
• Jim Lee
• Neal Adams

Roy Lichtenstein

Books:

Cartooning: The Head & Figure, Jack Hamm

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, Scott McCloud

Character Illustration: "The Good Skilled Person's" Secret, Rikunno

Week 2. Superhero in the scene

Description

Students will create a scene for their superhero using stamping and print-making techniques on black construction paper.

Central Foci

1. Art Context: 

Drawing, printmaking, creating narrative stories 

2. Elements and Principles: 

• Elements: line, shape
• Principle: variety, narrative

3. Personal Perspective: 

Students will start printing their own superhero characters onto a piece of paper and will share the stories about their superheroes. 

4. Production ("Making" words): 

Drawing, Cutting, printing, stamping, attaching

Learning Objectives

Skills/Techniques

Students will be able to:

• Create a narrative story
• Use their imagination to create a superhero 
• Develop motor skill using various art materials
• Learn the Basic printmaking skills 

Concepts

Students will understand that:

• Printmaking requires students to think about reflected image from their intention.
• Scale of an object can be defined by the surroundings, and it is not an absolute measurement.

Pre-requisite

Essential Prior Learning

• Use of pencils
• Basic color mixing theory

Learning Readiness

Students have prior knowledge about basic color theory - mixing two or more colors to create another color. 

This project will provide students opportunities to apply their prior knowledge about color theory using printmaking techniques. 

Students also learned basic printmaking technique. This lesson will enrich their knowledge about printmaking.

Potential Misunderstandings and Strategies

Students  might not have experiences or do not have enough experiences of making origami - folding papers. For those who cannot fold paper well, I will have to show them demonstrations. 

Materials

12"x18" black construction paper

12"x18" colorful construction paper

18"x24" newsprint

Printmaking ink

Large foam board

Wood stick, tooth pick, cotton ball, and paper clips

Styrofoam board

Brayers

Plexiglass

Hand wipes

Drawing Pencils

Erasers

Large Brown craft paper for covering the desks

Projector

Large Sharpie

Visual Resources

Images of comic arts created by: 

• Jack Kirby
• Stan Lee
• Jim Lee
• Neal Adams

Roy Lichtenstein

Books:

Cartooning: The Head & Figure, Jack Hamm

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, Scott McCloud

Character Illustration: "The Good Skilled Person's" Secret, Rikunno

Week 3. Superhero Comic Book

Description

Students will create a 8-page book with a sheet of large white paper, and draw their superhero comics.

Central Foci

1. Art Context: 

Drawing, printmaking, creating narrative stories 

2. Elements and Principles: 

• Elements: line, shape
• Principle: variety, narrative

3. Personal Perspective: 

Students will create a scene for their own superhero characters and create a specific story for that scene.

4. Production ("Making" words): 

Drawing, Cutting

Learning Objectives

Skills/Techniques

Students will be able to:

• Create a narrative story
• Use their imagination to create a superhero 
• Develop motor skill using various art materials
• Choose a certain color to emphasize visual/graphic component

Concepts

Students will understand that:

• Creating a comic book requires storytelling skill.
• Comic book is an artwork which texts and drawings interact.

Pre-requisite

Essential Prior Learning

• Use of pencils
• Basic color mixing theory

Learning Readiness

Students have prior knowledge about basic color theory - mixing two or more colors to create another color. 

This project will provide students opportunities to apply their prior knowledge about color theory using printmaking techniques. 

Students also learned basic printmaking technique. This lesson will enrich their knowledge about printmaking.

Potential Misunderstandings and Strategies

Students  might not have experiences or do not have enough experiences of making origami - folding papers. For those who cannot fold paper well, I will have to show them demonstrations. 

Materials

18”x24” White Mixed Media Paper (or heavyweight paper)

Hand wipes

Drawing Pencils

Washable Markers 

Erasers

Large Brown craft paper for covering the desks

Gouche

Water Container

Projector

Large Sharpie

Visual Resources

Images of comic arts created by: 

• Jack Kirby
• Stan Lee
• Jim Lee
• Neal Adams

Roy Lichtenstein

Books:

Cartooning: The Head & Figure, Jack Hamm

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, Scott McCloud

Character Illustration: "The Good Skilled Person's" Secret, Rikunno