Artist Research Pages

Students will compile research on a selected two-dimensional artist and create a well curated spread, detailing this artist's style, typical form, medium of choice, and examples of this work in their sketchbook. After completing this research, students will create a work of their own, inspired by and utilizing the typical form, media type, and style of their artist research. Students will look into their chosen artists specific style and process, paying specific attention to how the artist uses different elements of art/principles of design in their body of work. Students will then create a piece of art inspired by their artist, using the elements and principles they noted in their research. 


Fine Arts Goals/Objectives:

  • Students will be able to recognize and apply different elements of art/principles of design from their chosen artist into their final piece of work. 

  • Students will create a well curated, balanced, thought out spread that incorporates artist examples and research. 

  • Students will research artist styles, noting technique, form, media choices, and more. 

  • Students will compile usable research about an artist through internet sources. 

  • Students will be able to recognize elements of art and principles of design in other artists work

  • Students will be able to apply knowledge about an artist to their work 

  • Students will create a piece of art that is inspired by an artist, but not directly copied. 

  • Students will utilize tools and mediums effectively to convey inspiration by another artist. 

Vocabulary Acquisition:

  • Style: An Artist’s unique combination of techniques, processes, and decisions that portray their subject matter or express their vision. 

  • Form: the various elements that make up a work. 

  • Contemporary: Art of the present day, or of the relatively recent past. 

  • Elements of Art: the visual components of color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value. 

  • Principles of Design: the means an artist uses to organize elements: unity, balance, hierarchy, contrast, emphasis, scale, and repetition.

  • Primary Source: first hand accounts of a topic. 

  • Secondary Source: an account of a topic from somebody who learned later or did not experience firsthand. 

  • Collage: A piece of artwork made using multiple different materials and mediums. Materials can include fabric, magazines, paper, markers, etc. 

  •  Multimedia: Using multiple different supplies in one piece of artwork or a project. 

  • Sketchbook spread: Using two sheets of paper in a sketchbook directly next to each other. 

Key Artistic Concepts:

  • How to create Research Sketchbook Pages based on another artists work

  • Doing process based research 

  • How to  analyze other artist practices 

  • Experiment with stylization in students’ artwork and sketchbook. 

  • How to establish creating in a sketchbook

Artmaking Materials Needed: 

  • Sketchbooks (student provided) 

  • Ink 

  • Watercolors

  • Acrylic Paint 

  • Paint Brushes 

  • Collage Materials 

  • 4 Ink Pens

  • 4 Computers for research 

  • 7 copies of Artist Research Handout 

  • 7 copies of Artist Research Rubric 

  • Teacher samples and artist example 

  • 4 Sketchbooks

Contemporary/Historical/Multicultural/Popular/Literature Art exemplars:

  • Mary Blair 

  • Tim Burton 

  • Claudia McGeehee 

  • Elisabeth McNair 

  • Mick Stevens 

  • Disney Animation 

  • Contemporary Illustration and Cartoon

Download Full Lesson with Supporting Documents Here

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‘Finding Fit’ — Mathematics and Visual Art