Skateboard Paintings

Students in Art One and Art Appreciation explored painting as they designed and painted "skateboards" made of cardboard.  They learned about blending and mixing colors, and were able to mix the exact colors they desired after practicing during our week of "Color Theory Boot Camp". 

Skateboard by Mason M.

First, they gessoed their chip board and toned it brown with watered down paint. I told the students that painting on a white surface is always more intimidating than one that has a tone or ground on it.
Next, after watching a presentation on color schemes, and another on graffiti style products, the students designed a a skateboard deck that was based in their interests, but was also inspired by a word. The main criteria was that the students chose a specific color scheme to influence them, and also that their designs were strong compositions. Some students chose to incorporate their word in order to practice painting graffiti style lettering. 






Next, we used a simple grid method and tracing paper to transfer the chosen sketch to the board, aiming to keep the composition and spacial relationships the same, even as the scale got larger. 






From there on, students began painting their backgrounds first, many of them trying out a fade, smoothly blending one color to the next.


 

 

Students received one on one help with their paintings, as each painting "problem" was different then the next.  each painter worked from the background, to the middle ground, and finally painted the foreground and all of the fine outlines. 

Skateboard by Connie H.

Skateboard by Yessenia R.

Skateboard by Claire M.

Skateboard by Sweta P.

Students wrote compliments addressed as letters to the skateboard decks themselves.

At the end of the project, all of the skateboards were put on display in the hallway and students from any class were invited to vote on their favorite skateboard deck.  The top 3 students who won this contest received a gift card from BoardPusher.com, which allowed them to turn their skateboard deck design into a real skateboard made of wood. 

One of the winning skateboard designs by Darcey G.

One of the winning designs by Viviana A.

This is Jenny J.  pictured with her original skateboard painting and her real wooden deck with her image printed on it.  She was one of 3 students who won the contest.

 

Special thanks to BoardPusher.com for the deal on the skateboards and also to Sarah Wain, teacher at Lane, for this project idea.  The students really enjoyed it.  I loved this project because the students were really able to express themselves as individuals by painting imagery that they chose, and in many cases imagined.