Leonardo da Vinci was a famous Italian architect, artist, inventor and engineer who lived from 1452 to 1519. He created many notable masterpieces, including the "Mona Lisa" and the "Last Supper." You can teach your art students about the life and works of this famous artist with da Vinci-inspired art lessons.
Da Vinci Sketchbooks
According to the United States National Visual Arts Standards, students should be able to communicate using visual structures and should know the different purposes of art. Children between the ages of 7 and 18 can practice creating functional art by designing a sketchbook to store their visual creations. Explain to students that da Vinci used a sketchbook to draw preliminary sketches before he started a painting.
To complete this project, you will need several reams of white 8.5-by-11-inch computer paper, sheets of poster paper cut down to 8.5 by 22 inches, a hole punch, yarn, scissors, and some decorating materials such as crayons and paint. First, instruct students to fold their poster paper in half. Next, have the students slide their computer paper inside and punch two holes approximately 3 inches down from the top and 3 inches up from the bottom. Then they should loop the yarn through the holes to bind their sketchbooks together and then decorate the cover.
Self Portraits
Explain to students that Leonardo da Vinci was interested in the human face and drew many pictures of people in his sketchbook. Students can meet the National Visual Arts Standard of communicating ideas using different materials and processes by creating self-portraits using da Vinci's self-portrait as a model. Show students the self-portrait and discuss his use of line and form, as well as what emotions da Vinci may have been trying to elicit from viewers. Give students individual mirrors and have them create several preliminary sketches in their sketchbooks before beginning. Finally, pass out pastels and pastel paper and have students create individual self-portraits.
Taking Stuff Apart
In "Discovering Great Artists," MaryAnn F. Kohl and Kim Solga suggest bringing in salvaged items such as broken appliances or obsolete office supplies for students to take apart and draw. They can meet the National Visual Arts Standard of exploring possible content for works of art by removing the screws and clamps that hold things together and drawing the individual parts of the object. Show students images from da Vinci's sketchbooks where he drew parts and labeled objects before beginning. You may have to show students use tools or help them with hard-to-remove pieces. Have students draw the individual parts and label the pieces in their sketchbooks.
Invent Like Da Vinci
Students can meet the Visual Arts Standard of using the functions of art to communicate ideas by designing and building an original invention. Explain to students that da Vinci was an inventor as well as an artist and that he conceptualized many original inventions, including one for a flying machine. Have students write and draw ideas for an original invention in their sketchbooks. Afterwards, they can use materials such as tape, glue, cardboard boxes, paper, recyclable materials and other supplies as needed to build three-dimensional models of their creations.
