Learn | Keith Haring

Description

High School students learn that movement is created by using a very fast sequence of photographs to enable them to make their own cartoon flip books.

Objective

Students will examine Haring's art to see how he represented motion in his work.

Students will understand that animation is created through a series of freeze frames.

Students will develop a sequence of motion through a series of small drawings.

Resources

ART
The artwork of Keith Haring, which represents motion.
The photography of Eadweard Muybridge.
A few flipbooks for the students to see as an example.

VOCABULARY
Freeze frame
Sequence

Materials

Small note pads that the students can make by cutting paper of the same size (4 X 3) that can be glued together or just clamped together using a spring clip.
Pencils
Sharpie markers
Colored markers

Procedure

MOTIVATION
Inform the student that we are going to create animation. Have students examine the photography of Muybridge that studies motion.

KEY QUESTIONS
How has Haring represented motion in his artwork? What changes occur in the body language in Muybridge's pictures? What do you notice about these flipbooks? How do they create a sense of motion? What do you notice as you flip from picture to picture? What are some things that you can represent using this flipbook style?

PRESENTATION
In today's class we are going to become flipbook animators. What you have to do is think about a subject that moves, something simple that you can draw easily. Then you have to create a series of drawings that sequentially capture your subject's movements.

MODELING
Show the student how to create their flipbook. You will need to create a lot of these drawing in order to create one flipbook. So keep the image simple and draw images to represent slight changes in motion.

EXPLORING
Have the student create their flipbooks in pencil first and if they have time add color with markers.

CLOSURE
Have students crowd around in a small group. Have students demonstrate their flipbooks to each other. Let the students comment on each others work.

Extensions

Refer to our other Flip Book lesson.

The author of this lesson, Deidre Kenna, a Masters in Art Education student of the School of Visual Arts in NYC, is the 2003-2004 scholarship recipient of the Keith Haring Scholarship award. This project is a collaboration with The School of Visual Arts & a local NYC public high school.

To find out more about The Keith Haring Foundation Scholarship offered through the School of Visual Arts, please contact: Director, School of Visual Arts/Visual Arts Foundation, 15 Gramercy Park South, NYC 10003 or SVA's web site.