Celebrate Black History All Year

Even though February is about to end, our celebration of African-American culture and history continues throughout the year. We are inspired by a rich history of African-American visual artists who helped shape arts in the United States and abroad.

As we celebrate, we remember one of our favorite artists Carl Owens. A native of Detroit, MI, Mr. Owens' work depicts beautiful portraits of black people of all ages. Inspired by his painting, The Mask, we created the Portrait Mask Art Lesson below. While the lesson was designed for students in grades 6-12, it can be adjusted to use with younger students.

Carl Owens

The Mask by Carl Owens

Portrait Mask Art Lesson

Materials

• Plastic Face Mold
• Newspaper Strips
• Collage Glue (Mix 2 parts white glue with 3 parts water)
  
• Glue
• Acrylic Paint in various colors
• Paint Brush
• 8" x 10" Canvas Board

Vocabulary
Bas-Relief
Form
Symmetry
Texture

Lesson Steps

1. Create a mask by covering the plastic face mold completely with newspaper strips that have been dipped in glue mixture. Let it dry completely
2. Remove the face from the plastic mold and glue it to the canvas board.
3. Use the acrylic paint to paint one half of the face like a mask and the other half like a normal portrait. Let it dry.

Learn more about Carl Owens by purchasing our Great African-American Artists Coloring & Activity Book 2.0.