With so many influential Black artists to draw inspiration from, here are some more of my favorite Black Artist inspired art ideas. These are great for Black History Month or any time of year. I also have a Black History Month Art Ideas post too, so check that out as well. Elementary-geared lessons are first, with lessons for older students at the end.
Reginald (Reggie) Laurent Shapes
Reggie Laurent was born in Chicago, however, he currently lives in Georgia, near Atlanta. He was a late bloomer to the art scene and started painting in 1986. He was always a compulsive “doodler” and enjoys hiding images of cats is his abstract paintings. These colorful doodle paintings are perfect for young artists to explore. I have my students use Kwik Sticks to create colorful shapes, lines and doodles. Next, using construction paper crayons or oil pastels they add patterns on the the colorful doodles. Finally, using a black crayon, students fill in the negative space to make the colorful shapes and patterns to pop!
Charles McGee Paper Sculpture
Charles McGee was born in rural South Carolina and moved to Detroit when he was 10. McGee served in the Marine Corps during World War II and returned to Detroit where he worked in an automotive factory. He attended art classes while working in the factory and eventually became a trailblazer in the contemporary arts, a passionate arts educator and a dedicated mentor of aspiring young and African-American artists. He has been creating paintings, sculptures and artwork for 75 years.
This lesson is great for having younger elementary artists create paper sculptures inspired by his work. I created several papers with patterns on them and made black and white photocopies for student use. Then, students cut wavy strips from the papers. Using a dot of glue at each end of the strip, students allow the strips to arch and bend, while weaving pieces under and over one another. My students love the final outcome of this sculpture.
Betye Saar Window Drawing
Betye Saar was born in Los Angeles, California in 1926 to an artistic family. She too became an artist, and during a time when there were not many women or African-American artists getting recognition. She is most well known for being an assemblage artist. Her art often has powerful messages about African American history, culture, and the experiences of women. She uses stars, moons, and hands to express themes like identity and spirituality.
I like to use her artwork as inspiration for my middle elementary artists. They fold a paper into fourths to create a window. Next, they draw 2 things they would see looking into a window from outside while the other 2 boxes are used to draw something they would see looking out a window from inside. The drawings are outlined with Sharpie and colored with colored pencil. Lastly, my students add brown strips of paper to make a wooden frame to make their drawing look like one of Betye Saar’s assemblages.
Clementine Hunter Flowers
Clementine Hunter was born 1886 to a Louisiana Creole family at Hidden Hill Plantation. She started working as a farm laborer when young, and never learned to read or write. In her fifties, she began painting, using brushes and paints left by an artist who visited Melrose Plantation, where she then lived and worked. She was the first African-American artist to have a solo exhibition at the present-day New Orleans Museum of Art. Flowers were common subject matter among her paintings.
My favorite Clementine Hunter inspired lesson is a flower still life painting, perfect for intermediate elementary students. They use the paintbrush to stamp circles for flowers. They create 3 rows of flowers, and then while the paint is still wet they add white to the center and lines to create the appearance of petals. Next, my students use a contrasting color to paint the outside line of the vase. Again while the paint is white, they add white to the center, blending outward to give it a 3D appearance. Green is then added for stems and leaves. Lastly, the black tempera cakes are used to fill in the negative space.
Kimmy Cantrell Face
Kimmy Cantrell went to Georgia State University for business. Cantrell worked in distribution for 20 years before becoming a self-taught artist. He is known for creating colorful and expressive sculptures. He uses materials like clay and mixed media to make his artworks come to life with personality. Many of his artworks have been exhibited in art shows and galleries all over the world. Kimmy Cantrell currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
I have middle to upper elementary students create asymmetrical paper masks inspired by Cantrell’s work. They start by rounding the corners of a 6” x 9” piece of construction paper to make a face shape. Facial features are cut from paper and glued to create a face with an asymmetrical balance. Next, markers are used to add patterns and texture to the face and facial features. Lastly, to create unity, they choose one shape or line to repeat in the negative space. These colorful masks make a great display as each one is unique in their own special way.
Aaron Douglas Landscape
Aaron Douglas is known for his contributions to African American art during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920’s. He was both a painter and an illustrator. Douglas used art to tell stories about African American history and culture. He incorporated elements like African masks and patterns into his paintings, creating a unique style that celebrated African heritage. Upper elementary artists love creating value paintings inspired by his work.
To begin, they choose one color and white. Then they add a small amount to color to the white to make the lightest value and paint a circle on the paper to represent a light source. Then they make concentric circles around the circle by gradually adding more color to the light value to make the rings progressively darker. They repeat the circles until the paper is full of value. Next, they use the base color to paint plant shapes on the bottom, top and sides. By adding the complementary color to the base color it makes a darker value. Students paint overlapping plant shapes in a variety of values to make the darker shapes appear to be closest and in the foreground.
The elementary lessons above are all included in my Celebrating Black Artists Volume 2 Lesson Bundle, available here.
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LESSONS FOR OLDER STUDENTS
Alma Thomas Landscape Painting
Alma Thomas created her signature style after teaching art for almost 30 years. Her abstract, colorful, and puzzle-like brushstrokes debuted when she was 75 years old. After my students learn about the amazing life and work of Alma Thomas, they begin drawing a simplistic landscape with a foreground, middleground and background. I created a handout with different simple landscapes from a variety of environments. I encourage them to include very simple items, such as trees or cacti rather than detailed people, etc. Next, they use a watercolor wash to fill in each area of their landscape. They paint broken brushstrokes in a variety of sizes, directions and values leaving gaps to make the underpainting visible. The results are vibrant, energetic and unique. My middle school students love this lesson.
My Alma Thomas painting lesson is available here.
Romare Bearden Instrument Collage
Romare Bearden grew up in New York City, with a studio above the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem. Since he often heard live music from the theater, it is no surprise that the subject matter of Bearden’s artworks included jazz music, clubs, and performers. On the first day of this lesson students make a non-objective painting within a color scheme. They randomly select slips of paper with color schemes or choose their own. The color scheme and filling the paper with color is my only requirement, the rest is self-expressionism and creativity. Next, students draw a musical instrument of their choice on black paper. After including all necessary details, they outline their drawing with metallic Sharpie and cut it from the black paper. The instrument is then added to the non-objective painting, along with paper shapes (within the same color scheme) and music notes drawn with Sharpie.
More information on this lesson.
Lois Mailou Jones Masks
Lois Mailou Jones was a Boston-born artist who explored her African heritage with jewel-like hues, jewelry, patterned cloth as well as African masks. To begin, my students drew a large mask on their paper. We look at the work of Lois Mailou Jones, and a handout I created with several different mask design ideas. After drawing their mask, they fill the negative space with line and geometric shapes. Next, they press hard with crayons to add patterns, texture and color to some of the designs. Once they have added color to about 50% of the paper, they will fill the rest with watercolor and allow the crayons to pop! Finally the shapes and mask are outlined with a variety of line weights using assorted Sharpie markers. All of my students enjoy this mixed media art lesson.
My Lois Mailou Jones lesson is available here.
Happy creating! – Trista
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