~Lesson 2~
What’s
the story?: Looking at cartoons and comics
LESSON
RATIONALE:
Whether watching cartoons, animated movies, or reading comic
strips in the newspaper or books, cartoons and comics are very present in
students’ lives. It is important to understand that cartoons and comics
are a way of communicating and telling a story and that they date back to
Paleolithic cave drawings. Through narratives, comics and cartoons have the
ability to tell a story and entertain the reader or viewer. Making a cartoon
or comic is about teamwork and a very structured process and recognizing this
element will allow students to appreciate and understand the making of comics
more thoroughly. It is also important for students to look at the technique
of animators and at artists that use comics as an influence in becoming aware
how present comics and cartoons are in our visual culture.
LEARNER OUTCOMES:
* Students
will learn about the origins of comics, back to cave drawings and how comics
and cartoons still communicate a story.
* Students will create a cave painting where the environment and conditions
of a cave will be reproduced inside the classroom.
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* Students will produce their own ‘superhero’ or figure with created
powers and qualities out of clay and other materials after looking at examples
of super heroes from various sources and comics.
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* Students will experiment with the pointillism technique, and look at Roy
Liechtenstein and Andy Warhol as examples of how comics are produced and reproduced
with color. Discussion will center around how colors interact in a comic strip
and how this is a product of reproduction. They will be creating their own
square using the technique and after watching a clip of a cartoon.