Me, My Digital Self, and Eye

Objectives:

The photography students will create digital self-portraits collages.

The students will use technology (digital cameras, computers, scanners, and printers) to create original works of art.

The students will complete a webquest questionnaire with answers that reflect completed research.

The students will identify a variety of images that reflect their personality.

The students will create a pleasing composition that demonstrates an understanding of basic principles of composition.

Summary:

This project is intended for students already enrolled in a high school photography class. The teacher, students, parents, and administration have already addressed camera sign-out rotations, computer logins and access, and acceptable use policies, for all of the students enrolled in this class.

Self-portraits are a traditional art project for many high school art classes. This self-portrait assignment is an autobiographical assignment. The purpose of this assignment is for students to show who they are and to tell their own stories, while learning to use technology to express themselves creatively.

The technical side of this project includes having students use digital cameras, scanners, computers, computer software, and printers in order to create original works of art. Students will be required to keep “process books” that incorporate a collection of images, ideas either drawn or written, and an example of the final work, along with a reflective statement at the end of the assignment.

Activities:

Day 1: Self-portraits, themes, settings, costumes, personal style, and implied messages, will be among the topics discussed during an introductory classroom discussion for this assignment. Students may begin to take pictures and collect images, either at school or at home, for this assignment. Students will be assigned a webquest search that guides them in researching digital self-portraits created by other artists.

Day 2: Students will continue to collect images, and to list their ideas and create sketches for their assignment. Students may begin to upload images from cameras or scanners to their folders on the share drive, at school.

Day 3 and 4: An opening discussion about composition and effective principles of composition for this assignment will be reviewed each day. Students will use computers to manipulate their collection of images. Students will adjust color balances, opacities, scale, rotations, and etc. to create their own self-portraits/artwork.

Day 5 and 6: Students will choose appropriate methods to display their finished work. Reflective statements will be completed and added to their process books to be handed in along with the finished, formally presented work.