Instructor: Juliana Schewe

Course: Computer Graphics for the Art Room

Self-portrait of
myself as…

Grade Level: High school (11th & 12th Grade)

Photoshop Level: Intermediate or advanced
Sessions: 4 to 5 – 50 minute class periods

Content: Students will learn about self-portraiture and the artist

Barbara Astman. Students will use Photoshop to create 3 digital self-
portraits.

Objective: This lesson will focus on the use of the selection tool,
layers and properties, Photoshop filters and color adjustments.
Although this is an intermediate lesson, the use of the tools will be
reviewed. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the elements and
principles of design such as form, space, texture, color, repetition,
balance, contrast, unity and movement.

Michigan Art Education Curriculum Standards:

MI Visual Art Education Content Standards & Benchmarks (High school)

ART.2.VA.HS.1 Apply materials, techniques, and processes with

sufficient skill, confidence, and sensitivity that personal intentions are
carried out in artworks.
ART.3.VA.HS.5 Reflect and analyze the personal experiences that
influence the development of personal artwork.
ART.4.VA.HS. 3. Analyze relationships of works of art to one another
in terms of history, aesthetics, and culture, justifying conclusions made
in the analysis and using conclusions to inform personal artwork.

Materials:
• Adobe Photoshop 7 (or greater)
• Movie Maker Introduction including photos of Barbara Astman
• Color printer
• Each student should have an image of themselves on their drives
or another source
• Journal and pen or pencil

Introduction:
Day #1
1. Introduction to artist: Barbara Astman as well as Movie Maker
presentation with examples of finished work.

Possible questions for discussion:

• Why do artists make self-portraits?
• What do you think the work is about?
• What do you think the symbols represent?
• What objects would represent you?
• What do you notice about the composition?

Go over project expectations with the students (see assessment below)

2. This assignment will focus on the uses of the selection tool, layers
and properties, Photoshop filters and color adjustments. Although this
is an intermediate lesson, the use of the tools will be reviewed.

Demonstration:
• Creating a new Photoshop document
• Inserting images into one workspace
• Working with layers
• Using the color adjustments

3. Students to journal and think about qualities, traits or characteristics

they embody and the objects that could represent them.
Questions to think about:
• How can I express my many different sides?
 • How can I reinvent myself for various purposes or times in my
life?
• How am I changing from day to day or year to year?
• Who do I want to become?

Bring a digital photo of themselves or start to search the web for

images for next class.

Day #2
Development & Procedure:
4. I will begin the lesson with the students and then let them work
independently.
• Create a new document, any size, larger than 150 dpi
• Create a new folder, entitled "Self-portrait", to save all images in
• Review layers and properties, color adjustments
Day #3
5. CONT – students will use the class to work on their self-portraits.

• Introduce text and ways to incorporate into the work and

manipulate it.
• Review resizing layers, for students working with a sequence

Day #4
6. CONT – students will use the class to finish their self-portraits.

7. Print final images, mount them on a board as a triptych or however

conducive to the images and turn in digital file.

Accommodations & Adaptations:

If students are working very quickly, they can make a portrait of
someone else. If the majority of students need more time, this lesson
can be extended to 5, if there are only a few students who need to
finish their work, a time can be arranged after school or before class.
For special need students, I will modify the lesson so they are still
making a self-portrait but will limit it to one.

Closure: All work should be printed out and displayed for a class
critique/discussion.

• How was your experience making multiple self-portraits?

• What images did you use to represent you? Why? What do they
 mean to you?
• How did the elements and principles of design aid in the design
and/or collage of your work?
• Did you learn something about the software or yourself during
this lesson?

Homework:
Students are asked to bring in a digital image of themselves. The only
work students have to do outside of class is to think about how they
can represent themselves or what images will represent them.

Assessment:
All students will be graded on their final project and participation in
class. Students need to turn in a mounted triptych of the 3 digital self-
portraits, as well as a digital file(s) with their name in the title.

Checklist – 35 possible points

____ 3 final images (3 points)
____ Minimum 5 layers used in each self-portrait, including text, (1 pt.
for each layer, max
of 5 points)
____ Use of color adjustments (max 3 points)
____ Demonstrate knowledge of the elements and principles of design,
such as form, space,
texture, color, repetition, balance, contrast, unity and
movement. (max 5)
____ Turing in digital file & mounted work (1point each)
____ Creativity: 10 points
• 10 – student used the allotted time in class to work and
experiment on their images, exceeded the boundaries
conceptually
• 8 – student used the allotted time in class to work and
experiment on their images, met the boundaries conceptually
• 6 – student needed more time and effort in class to work and
experiment on their images, adequately met the boundaries
conceptually
• 4 – student needed more time and effort in class to work and
experiment on their images, satisfactorily met the boundaries
conceptually
• 2 – student rushed through the project and did little
experimentation on their images, unsatisfactorily incorporated
the concept
• 0 – student did not put any effort into the project, did no
 experimentation and did not incorporate the concept
____Written component (5 points)
____Participation in final class discussion (2 points)

Teacher Reflection:

1. The problems I encountered were that since I made the lesson

broad, for the students to select their individual means of
expression, I couldn’t decide where to begin. There were so
many different ways I could have taken my examples. I realized I
needed to use an artist as a reference, and probably will add one
more in the future. As well, I added a written component to aid in
brainstorming.
2. I anticipate the students either finishing early, or experiencing
the same feelings I previously expressed.
3. If the students are not understanding the lesson, I can focus on
the written component longer, so the students have the time to
brainstorm their ideas and thoughts. I’ll remind my students to
save all the time to prevent errors or crashes. For students who
become easily frustrated, I’ll try and work with them individually
telling them to work on one layer at a time and to continually
reference their written component. If they get really out of hand,
I may even suggest they sketch their idea out first.
4. If students are working very quickly, they can make a portrait of
someone else. If the majority of students need more time, this
lesson can be extended to 5. For special need students, I will
modify the lesson so they are still making a self-portrait but will
limit it to one and depending on the level of the student, either
reduce the amount of layers, choose the layers for them and/or
have them manipulate the image with the paintbrush tool.

Bibliography

Barbara Astman – Artists’ website

http://www.barbaraastman.com/

Jane Corkin Gallery – Representing B. Astman

http://www.corkingallery.com/?q=node/53
Who am I? Self-portraits in Art and Writing – Lesson plan
http://www.nga.gov/education/classroom/self_portraits/index.shtm
Self-portrait- Lesson plan
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/elem/selfport.htm#MID
DLE