Tutti Fruity, after signing autographs and smiling for the camera, talked to the students about Self-Portraits. The students looked at Self-Portraits by artists like Kathe Kollwitz, Vincent van Gogh, Grant Wood, Elizabeth Louise Vigee le Brun, Chuck Close, and Jacob Lawrence.

Tutti Fruity showed students his self-portrait that he drew with pencil and crayon; the same materials the students are using. When we looked at his portrait, the students realized that he likes to play soccer. He even signed his artwork, like a real artist might, in the bottom right-hand corner. It was nice to see Tutti Fruitty, and I hope he comes to visit again this school year to teach us another Art lesson.

This year, with the addition of Kindergarten Art, both the Kindergarten and First Grade classes are entering their first year of art classes. At first some students struggle to understand that an art assignment involves working on a creative problem. The creative problem in this lesson is to share something about yourself by drawing a picture of yourself doing something you enjoy.

Some students took this assignment to heart and added a lot of details. Other students were a little scared to even try and draw a face. Still other students simply colored for the enjoyment of making color appear on their paper. Watching and talking to the students as they draw is how I collect data to see what each student needs to help them develop drawing skills, become a good art student, and exercise their creative thinking skills.