Pop Art Portraits

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Pop Art Portraits in the style of Andy Warhol are an art room classic!  

Here, 4th grade students trace a photograph of a person and do a graphite transfer to repeat that portrait four times.  I don't often incorporate tracing in my lessons, but Warhol himself was known to restylize ready-made images, so it's fitting in this case.  This lesson can also be done with original drawings instead.  It's the bright, bold colors that make these repetitive portraits really POP!!!

*** This full lesson with the student handouts is available on Teachers Pay Teachers, Classful, and Made By Teachers ***

Step 1:  Introduction to Andy Warhol and Planning our Portraits

Before the lesson begins, introduce your students to Andy Warhol. I show students a PowerPoint of his work, and we specifically focus our discussion on his repetitive prints and his use of bright, bold colors.  Tell students we will be making our own Andy Warhol-style repetitive portraits!

When opting to have students trace a photograph for this project, I give the students a "homework" assignment:  to bring in a picture of a person (any person - a friend, family member, even themselves!) that would fit into a 6"x6" space.  When students do not have resources at home to complete this assignment, I always assist them in printing out photos. 

When having students bring pictures from home is overall too burdensome, students can draw their own original portraits to use for this project.  I give students this "Drawing a Portrait" Handout to help guide them in drawing an accurate portrait.

Step 2:  Tracing Contours

Once students have their 6"x6" photo of a person, distribute 6"x6" tracing paper. Use masking tape to tape the tracing paper to the photograph, and students can trace their photograph as a contour drawing.

Untape the tracing paper from the photograph, and cover the back of the tracing paper with a layer of pencil graphite, focusing on the areas that have the drawing on the front. A demonstration of this is very helpful to students!

If students are creating original drawings instead of tracing a photograph, then they can draw their portraits in a 6"x6" square like this template, and just go straight to covering the back of their drawings with a layer of graphite.

Step 3:  Graphite Transfers

Distribute 12"x12" square paper and demonstrate how to fold it into quarters. Using a ruler, we reinforce the fold with a pencil, creating four 6"x6" squares.  

Demonstrate how to do a graphite transfer by tracing the drawing and allowing the graphite layer on the back to rub off onto blank paper.

Students tape their drawings onto the first square of their 12"x12" paper and begin transferring their drawings onto each of the four squares. After removing the tracing paper, they will likely need to go over each transfer again with the pencil to darken it.

Step 4:  Coloring!

Discuss Andy Warhol’s bright, bold color palette with students. I recommend sticking to bright colors, not neutral colors (I like to refer to the color wheel as a guide).

Happy coloring!!

The PowerPoint all about Vincent van Gogh and his artwork, this full lesson in more detail, and the student instruction handout and portrait drawing guide are all available in my TpT store, All About Art.  Just make copies of the student handouts, and you’re ready to start this fun lesson with your students right away!



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