Art Lesson: Invader Mosaic Project (Math, Technology, and Art)

Intended for Grades 3+ The focus of this project is on the contemporary French artist ‘Invader’ and his mosaic street art which was greatly influenced by the super-pixelated (low graphic resolution) 1970s video games. How in-depth you decide to take this project is totally up to you! Art discussions easily derived from this lesson include the legality of street art, the use of pseudonyms, contemporary art vs. traditional art, the influence of technology over modern art, and complementary colors. The technological aspect of this project may include discussion about graphic resolution, what a pixel is, how images are formed electronically, the influence of video games, artist’s use of the internet as an anonymous platform of communication, and yes – MINECRAFT (instead of ‘Invader’ monsters, you could easily have your students design their own Minecraft characters)! The math concepts utilized in this project include measuring with a ruler, drawing parallel and perpendicular lines, grids, and if you have students complete the writing portion – fractions and percentages! Suggestion: To make this project more complex for older grades you could have them create a 1/2" grid instead of a 1" grid. To Display: These mosaics look wonderful when displayed randomly throughout the hallways (and this really gets across the idea of street art)! Once the artwork is hung, invite students to participate in an artwork scavenger hunt to find all their classmate's pieces based on the fractions they wrote describing the colors used! Included in this package: Lesson Procedures Grading Rubric PowerPoint Presentation (including simplified student directions) Pre-ticked Grid Fully-lined Grid Writing Piece Scavenger Hunt Extension Cut-out Display Title (and pictures of my school display) Extension Activity: Minecraft Character Creator Extension activity:Students create their own Minecraft characters heads by coloring in squares on a grid (provided) and then write fractions to describe their color use! Please note: This item is provided as a digital download - not a physical product.  If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to contact me at melinda@artwithmrsnguyen.com .Check out my Blog, Pinterest, and Facebook page for great ideas and giveaways!