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When I introduced my Year 6 class to the work of Andy Warhol, unsurprisingly they were excited and inspired by the bright colours and strange ideas of his work.
From his soup to his hair, his pop art style made him a legend and one the most celebrated artists in modern day.
Getting to know Andy Warhol
Who is Andy Warhol?
Andy Warhol was a celebrity artist in the 60’s & 70’s. He was a printmaker known for creating images about consumerism and popular culture. He was a pioneer for the term ‘Pop Art’.
He started his career illustrating adverts in fashion magazines. Now is he considered as one of the most influential artists who ever lived.
What is Warhol most famous for?
Andy Warhol was famous for exploring pop culture and consumerism in his work. He created many pieces related to popular culture during his time, creating iconic images of Coca Cola, Campbell’s Soup and super star Marilyn Monroe.
What is Pop Art?
Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the 1950s and became popular in the 1960s in Britain and United States, drawing inspiration from popular and consumer culture. Other cultures and different countries contributed to the pop art movement during the 1960s and 70s.
Warhol Print Art Lesson For Kids
We practiced making our own prints using images similar to Warhol’s style and colours that were often used in his work.
First I talked about his life and work in with this Warhol Lesson Pack I made to give them a few more visuals and let his story sink in and then followed it with a few discussion questions to get their creative ideas flowing.
Questions to Discuss:
- What is consumerism? Give some examples
- If Warhol was alive today, what celebrities, icons, and images might he be using in his art?
My lesson pack came in handy as it includes a full set of slides picturing and describing his life and work. The Lesson Pack is an introduction to Warhol, it’s great for children around 9 years old. I used it for Years 5 and 6. It includes 8 slides with images of his most famous prints and pop art. Perfect Art History starter lesson, and Women’s Month celebration project.
What’s inside the Warhol Pop Art Lesson Pack:
- 8 Slide Intro to Andy Warhol Presentation
- Pre-written Lesson Plan & a Blank one for you
- Warhol Soup Can Colour by Numbers Activity Sheet
- A bunch of Pop Art inspired icon images
What You’ll Need:
- Intro to Andy Warhol Presentation – Download
- Sketchbooks
- Pencils
- A5 Foam Sheets
- Black Cardstock
- Acrylic Paint (Assorted Colours)
- Printing Rollers OR Sponges
We didn’t have rollers on this day, so I demonstrated how to use sponges to lightly dab the paint evenly all over the foam sheets.
Prep:
Photocopy and cut the icon images into A6 sheets.
Cut the A5 foam sheets in half into A6 sheets.
What to Do:
- Each student gets a foam sheet, black cardstock and an icon image of their choice.
- Place the icon image over the foam sheet, and firmly trace the image onto the foam. It may rip the paper, that is okay! Just be sure to press firmly so the lines are transferred onto the foam.
- TIP: Remember the images will be printed backwards. If your image has words, be sure to trace letters backwards so they are printed the right way.
- Once the entire image has been traced, go over the lines again with the pencil to make them deeper and stronger.
- Roll or sponge the paint evenly over the foam sheet and press the foam onto the black card. Repeat until 4 images (or more) are printed onto the page.
When they were finished creating their pieces, those who were finished got to colour in the Frida Kahlo colour theory printable from the Lesson Pack for some extra class time fun.