rock art lesson

The following is a 3rd grade art lesson painting with tempers, using Native American Rock Art symbols. This is an easy art project of Rock Art symbols anyone can follow.
Scroll down to find:

info on native american chumash artist Mitch Robles
examples of rock art images
step-by-step instructions with pictures of the project
a lesson plan (including California State Visual Art Standards)

rock art examples

Students will learn about the Native American Tradition of Rock Art symbols. View actual drawings + will successfully create their own painting. Mitch Robles, a 7th generation Chumash contemporary artist will be introduced. Students can learn that there are artists of today that paint + make art for a living.

actual rock art images

Chumash Native Americans wrote
stories with their paintings.

the painted cave

images by Chumash Shamins in the painted cave, Santa Barbara, California

book on rock painting

Chumash painting

mitch robles

Mitch Robles is a seventh generation Chumash, currently living in Santa Barbara. He has a passion for color is visible in his large scale, primitive and contemporary style. His art has an infused dialogue with earth and sky in much the same way as it informed the art of his Chumash forebears. Nature is never static, and neither are his images. They are both a part of nature and moving through it at the same time.

He always paints to music with high energy rhythms. In fact, he is a third generation drummer and has always been involved with music. Painting, to Robles, has a similar process and interaction as painting. The brush responds to the rhythms and moods with vibrant colors and primordial shapes.

“I try to convey the feeling that we are all connected to something beyond the present, something ageless, timeless and infinitely powerful.” Mitch Robles
Taken from the Artist’s Statement

View a few of his works:

voices of the clouds

48 x 66.5 inch acrylic on canvas

chumash ways

48 x 48 inch oil/mixed on canvas

golden leaf

32 x 45 inch mixed media on canvas

newspaper rock

48 x 84 inch mixed media on canvas

step-by-step 3rd grade rock art lesson

This is an easy to follow 3rd grade tempera paint art lesson on Native American Rock Art. Students use one color at a time to paint various actual rock art symbols. The meanings of these symbols are know. (circles=the 4 winds, centipedes=boats, foot prints, animals, humans) Many of the shamans, medicine people, could not write so they left a hand print or thumb print as a signature. The images were, may times, painted over existing images.

paint with white then yellow - lighter colors first

shapes can be placed anywhere on page

finished work

add green for shapes

overlapping is advised

finished work - crowded is good

use black last

duplicating shapes os ok

variation - grey paper, red + blue paint added to symbols

lesson plan

objective

Students will illustrate actual rock art images. They will be familiar with colors that Native Americans used in their rock art. Students will become familiar with the use of tempera paints. Students will gain knowledge of a fourth generation Chumash artist who currently lives in Santa Barbara, California.

materials

Red construction paper 11x14
Brushes
Paper towels
Cups for water
Tempera paints; red, black, white, yellow, green, blue

activity

Show students examples of actual Native American rock art. Explain how the paint was made.
Artworks by Chumash Artist Mitch Robles is shown to students.
Demonstrate drawing large enough for all students in class to see details.

4. See example pictures for illustration of drawing steps.

clean-up

Class should stop approx. 15min. early for clean-up + putting supplies away.
Assign a designated area for project to be placed for drying. Drying time, approx. 20 min.
Assign tasks for student helpers.
If available, use a large trash bag to help with clean-up.

vocabulary words

Balance - Visual equilibrium in a composition; achieved by organizing the weight and attention of all elements in an artwork. Types of balance are symmetrical, asymmetrical, radial, and crystallographic.
Color - The visual sensation dependent on the reflection or absorption of light from a given surface. The three characteristics of color are hue, value. and intensity. Color Harmony; The use of compatible colors to help unify a composition.

Geometrical - Objects, lines, or shapes based on mathematical concepts, such as the circle, square, or rectangle.
Contour drawings - The drawing of an object as though the drawing tool is moving along the edges and ridges of the form.
Line - A point moving in space. Line can vary in width, length, curvature, color, or direction.
Primary Colors - Refers to the colors red, yellow, and blue. From these all other colors are created.
Shape - A two-dimensional are or plane that may be open or closed, free-form or geometric. It can be found in nature or is made by humans.
Space - An area in which objects or images can exist. Variety - The differences which give a design visual and conceptual interest; notability, use of contrast, emphasis, differences in size and so forth.

variation

-This rock art lesson can be adopted to fit other grade levels.
-Students can look-up the symbols as an assignment.
-Students can mix their own paint in the style + methods the Native Americans did.
-Try background paper in larger sizes, other colors, or various finishes + types. (see example above)
-Watercolor paints can be substituted.

ca state visual arts content standards

1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION
Develop Perceptual Skills and Visual Vocabulary
1.4 Compare and contrast two works of art mede by the use of different art tools and media (e.g., watercolor, tempera, computer).
3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT
Role and Development of the Visual Arts
3.1 Compare and describe various works of art that have similar theme and were created at different time periods.
3.3 Distinguish and describe representational, abstract, and nonrepresentational works of art.