Name: Eric Heatley

Course: AED 5150- Computer Graphics for the Art Room

Lesson Plan Title: Photoshop Self Portrait

Grade Level: 9-12
Photoshop Level: Intermediate
Sessions: 3 one-hour periods for completion of the image, and another one-hour period for
critique

Content: The student will use the internet to learn about their favorite artists (ex. Picasso, Van
Gogh etc.) or artistic movement (ex. Impressionism, Surrealism etc.). The student will then use
the Photoshop tools to modify a photo of them self, thus creating a self portrait homage to their
artist or chosen movement.

Objective: This lesson will necessitate the use of the internet to gain information and knowledge
of art history in order to determine the student's choice of artist or style. As far as the Photoshop
elements, the focus will be on using the various brushes and techniques of using them, in
addition to the use of different layers and filters, as well as any image adjustments in relation to
color and saturation.

Michigan Art Education Curriculum Standards:

* ART.I.VA.HS.1 Apply materials, techniques, media technology, and processes with
sufficient skill, confidence, and sensitivity that personal intentions are carried out in artworks.
* ART.II.VA.HS.3 Describe the origins of specific images and ideas and explain why they are
of value in their artwork and in the work of others.
* ART.III.VA.HS.2 Identify intentions of artists, explore the implications of various purposes,
and justify analyses of purposes in particular works.

Materials:
* Computer with internet access
* Adobe Photoshop
* PowerPoint presentation with assignment breakdown
* Examples of assignment
* Links to art historical websites for research
* Links to Photoshop demos on techniques to achieve the look of different artistic styles
* Digital camera for student photo (basis image for self portrait)
* Assignment checklist for students
* CD-R copy of student's work for turning in and grading
Introduction:
Day #1:
* Introduction of assignment: PowerPoint demo with 2 examples of assignment and links to art
history, and Photoshop tutorial websites
* Brief discussion on art history, artists and movements.
* Student expectations discussed, as well as field any questions that the students may have about
the assignment

Development and Procedure:

* Students will use internet resources to research artists and genres in order to determine the look
of their portrait

Day #2:
* Students will import image of themselves into Photoshop and begin the manipulation of said
image to achieve the desired affects in relation to the choice of style for their portrait
* Document size will be 6"x7.5"
* The students will already have a working understanding of Photoshop and the use of
the various tools and such, so independent work can begin at this time

Day #3:
* Student work will continue through the completion of the assignment
* Any students finished early will be encouraged to further develop their portrait, or create a
second image for extra credit
* The finished image will be saved as a Photoshop document as well as a jpeg, then burnt to a
CD-R and turned in

Accommodations and Adaptations: This lesson is developed for older students with experience
in working with Photoshop, so there should be a certain amount of knowledge in regard to the
possible applications of the tools within the program. The students with a more advanced
knowledge of the program will be encouraged to experiment with the program to achieve a
further developed image, perhaps integrating more than one artistic style within the single image.
Less knowledgeable students will be evaluated as to what difficulty they may be having, and an
assessment will be made as far as how to rectify the problem. (I.e. perhaps a simplification of the
assignment, or even an "outsider" art interpretation of their portrait)

Closure: Students finalized work will be turned in and critiqued by the class
* What artist or movement was the student trying to emulate?
* Was the student able to achieve a semblance to the chosen artistic style?
* What could the student have done to further achieve the desired effect?
* What similar types of projects can be created with the skills learned from this
assignment?
Homework: This assignment will not require any homework. If the student has access to
Photoshop at home more work can be done, but it is not a required part of the assignment.

Assessment: The students will be assessed on their final image turned in on CD-R, as well as
class participation in the introductory period and final critique.

Points Available: 30
10 points possible: Used class time to work on assignment
10 points possible: Turn in of final image
10 points possible: Participation in final critique

Teacher Reflection:
1. I really didn't face too many difficulties in preparing the practice files. There was some mild
frustration as far as the trial and error that went into trying to figure out how to achieve the
desired effects, but with some time and patience I was able to maneuver the program with a
certain degree of efficiency.

2. Since I intend for this lesson to be given to students with some experience using Photoshop, I
don't foresee any serious problems popping up as far as students having difficulties. Perhaps, the
students may run into the same problems as me as far as trying to figure out exactly how to get
desired effects, but with patience and trial and error this can be overcome. Also, there may be
some indecision in the beginning as far as trying to determine exactly what artist or style to work
within, but I am including some websites to aid with this decision in the introductory PowerPoint
presentation.

3. Should any of these problems arise, or any other things that may come up, I will make myself
available to aid the students. Also, should any students finish early or have a great deal of
experience with the program; I will enlist their aid for some amount of extra credit.

4. Should a student be absent, I will work with them to find a time either before or after school
to spend time with the computer to finish the project. Additionally, if they have the program at
home, they may complete the assignment at home and present it on CD-R at a later date. Should
a student finish early, they may create additional files for more credit, further develop their
image to include additional elements representative of the chosen artist or style (background
from an actual work from the artist, elements from specific works, etc.), or the student can assist
those students which may be having a certain amount of difficulty. Should there be a student
with special needs, I will spend more time with that student while the others are working
independently, additionally I could pair them up with a student that has a good working
knowledge of the program, and/or arrange extra time (before or after school) to allow the
student to complete the project.
 Student Materials

1. Digital photo of self (Can be brought in on flash drive, or done in class with instructor's
camera)
2. CD-R

Grading Scale

Points Available: 30
10 points possible: Used class time effectively to work on assignment
10 points possible: Turn in of final image
10 points possible: Participation in final critique

Helpful Websites

Art History sites:

http://www.abcgallery.com/
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/
http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en
http://www.artchive.com/

Photoshop Help:
http://www.bmcphotoart.com/impressionisttutorial.html
http://www.photoshoptalent.com/photoshop-tutorials/pst/

Student Checklist

__ Digital image of self

__ Pick artist or movement to emulate
__ Create self portrait
__ Save finished image as psd and jpeg
__ Burn both psd and jpeg to CD-R and turn in
__ Participate in class critique of submitted work