Monochromatic Self-Portraits

"We are a box of crayons, each one of us unique, but when we get together, the picture is more complete."

This Pinterest-inpired (aka stolen) quote was our beginning of the school year theme for Art class.  It goes PERFECTLY with the beginning of the school year art project I did with each of my classes too!  We worked in 1-6th grades on drawing Monochromatic Self Portraits, which were then put into a rainbow-wall, (in progress... I still have 2 classes to finish theirs thanks to the Labor Day-off!)

Thanks to Natalie at Smart Class for the amazing Monochromatic Self Portrait idea... My kiddos loved it!

I already have all the tables assigned to different colors, so I put a box on each table filled with every art supply available of the corresponding color, (pencils, crayons, markers, pastels, oil pastels, etc.) and let the kids go wild creating self portraits!  What a great way to get to know the style and attitude of each student and such a colorful (and Back-to-School Night appropriate!) kick-start to the year.

This one in the fleshy tone gave me a little start, but then I realized it reads PARIS and that it is an Eiffel Tower on the side.  NOT a rocketship.  *wink  She'll look at this one and laugh someday.  (Her parents might look at this and laugh next Wednesday at Parent Night.)

The only downside to this project?  Little accidental gangs are forming.  It started with the blue table 2nd graders calling themselves "The Blue Man Group" and spiraled out of control from there.  The "Green Man Group" gets extremely territorial whenever a "Red Man Group" member crosses into their turf.  According to news sources, classroom police forces are already cracking down on this gang activity (aka me and my "whisper wand" and Mona Lisa call & repeat,) and authorities have professionally trained medical/cleanup crews at the ready (bandaids/wipes).