Road Trippin' with Artist Grant Haffner
Mixed Media Road Trip Landscape Art Lesson, Grant Haffner style
I have been preparing art lessons for the next school year. Recently, I gave this lesson a test run... I taught it online to my art club students in Vancouver, BC. They are elementary students (ages 6-12) They enjoyed the introduction to one point perspective and learning about contemporary artist, Grant Haffner. Here you can see what they created in one hour. This art project reminded students of road trips they had taken or were getting ready to take this summer which opened up a fun discussion about road trips!
Painting a road trip reminded us that road trips are fun because they offer complete freedom over the adventure. You can travel anywhere your car can take you and you get to bring with you, whatever fits in the trunk. When your on a road trip there is nowhere you have to be, so you are in this state of freedom from all of life’s expectations which really allows you to enjoy the moment. It's exciting when you are free to wander, get lost, be vulnerable, and connect with the world around you.
Countless movies, books, and songs have been dedicated to that wild and free road trip feeling!
Looking at a Grant Haffner painting is a mental road trip vacation! I can see myself in his paintings...literally! (myself in his painting, above) ...Can't you feel the wind in your face with all of that forward motion and momentum? The view of psychedelic surreal skis transports you to a place of wonder where your mind soaks up the road, the scenery, and you have that feeling that there is no place you HAVE to be and nothing you HAVE to do, and you are truly present in the experience!
Road Trip paintings by Grant Haffner.
These paintings are for sale as limited prints.
https://sebastianfoster.com/artists/grant-haffner
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About Artist Grant Haffner
Visit Grant Haffner's website to see more of his artwork
Grant Haffner's artwork has been featured on the cover of books
and my favorite art supply catalog, Blick!
Grant Haffner recently designed cards for Trader Joes. He also designed bags
"My dreamlike landscapes explore the intersections of the sky and open road, highlighting the beauty that is often overlooked." Grant Haffner
Grant Haffner has also created NFT's based on his road trip series.
https://opensea.io/GrantHaffner
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Let's look at Grant Haffner's paintings from a fine art's perspective...
Art Supplies:
Mixed media paper, 9x12 or 12x18
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors,
Glue stick,
Black Sharpies, ultra fine point and fine point
Black colored pencils
Black and yellow paper
Economical acrylic or tempera paints
Fluorescent/Neon paint
Paint brush
Water
This art lesson is mixed media! There is a layer of drawing, a layer of painting, a layer of collage, and finally another layer of drawing.
This art lesson will take approximately two (45 minute- 1 hour) art classes to complete
Online this lesson was taught with watercolor paints. Students also had a few fluorescent paint colors to layer on top of the watercolor skies. Adding the fluorescent paint layer really made the colors pop! The art lesson works with watercolor paint too but I highly recommend also having a few fluorescent paints to add as a second layer to enhance the colors of this surreal road trip experience.
Art lesson on video
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Road Trippin' with Grant Haffner
This art lesson is mixed media! There is a layer of drawing, a layer of painting, a layer of collage, and finally another layer of drawing.
Part 1. Drawing
Start with a pencil and a ruler. This art lesson offers a great introduction to one point perspective. Draw the horizon line and vanishing point. Use a ruler to draw the road.
Draw lightly you are establishing the composition for the painting.
Part 2. Painting
Part 3. Collage
Part 4. Drawing
Art Lesson Presentation PDF available to download
Road Trippin' with Artist, Grant Haffner
.pdf
Download PDF • 3.16MB
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Coming soon
Fall 2023
Student Gallery
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Please tag me on instagram, https://www.instagram.com/sierramadres/
I look forward to seeing the Road Trip Landscapes that your students create!