Skip to Main Content

Fantasy Designs

Students will explore literature in a visual way as they create a piece of art based on the abstract style of Frank Stella.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Heavy Paper
  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Frank Stella (1936-2024) was an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker known for his work in minimalism and abstract art. Have students research his life and work. Ask them to look at images of the works he created between 1985 and 1993 inspired by Herman Melville's "Moby Dick." Have students think about a book they're reading for class or a book they've enjoyed on their own. What visual images does it evoke? How would they portray the theme and the mood of the book in a piece of art?

  • Step 2

    Have students create a work of art that depicts the spirit of a book they read or are reading. You might suggest they experiment with various oil pastel techniques such as layering, blending, smudging, or cross-hatching.

  • Step 3

    When they're done have the students present their art to the class. Discuss the techniques used and how the book's themes were represented.

Standards

LA: Add drawings or other visual displays to written text to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

LA: Integrate visual information (e.g. in drawings, graphics, maps, or videos) with other information to convey meaning.

Adaptations

Ask students to write a paragraph about the moods and emotions their chosen book evoked and how they portrayed those feelings in their art. Display the writing with their artistic creation.

Have students research and view Frank Stella's print "The Symphony," which was commissioned in 1989 by the United States Department of State's Art in Embassies Program.