COLLAGED CREATURES INSPIRED BY MR.BBABY

Create – Conceiving and developing new artistic ideas and work.
Present – Interpreting and sharing artistic work.

Students will be able to…

• • Design an original character based on an emotion or concept.
  • Use collaged painted paper to create textures and depth to make a bust portrait of their monster.

STANDARDS ADDRESSED (Massachusetts Visual Arts Frameworks, Grades 5–6)

• (5-6.V.Cr.02) Organize and develop artistic ideas and work: Experiment and develop skills in multiple art-making techniques and approaches through practice.
• (5-6.V.Cr.03a) Refine and complete artistic work: Revise artwork in progress on the basis of insights gained through peer discussion, self-reflection, and teacher feedback.
• (5-6.V.R.08) Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work: Interpret art by analyzing how context (such as personal experiences, societal issues, or cultural traditions) influences meaning in works of art.
• (5-6.V.Co.11) Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context: Identify how art is used to inform or change beliefs, values, or behaviors of an individual or society.

• Mr.BBaby
• Character creation
• Emotions

• Cut paper
• Collage
• Construction paper
• Watercolor or Acrylic Paint
• Pencils
• Colored pencil
• Markers
• Sharpies

• Shape Language
• Portrait
• Texture
• Layering

Day 1:
Introduction to Mr.B Baby, her murals, and her characters. Discuss the different emotions and concepts we experience and how we can visualize them. Using what we have discussed, students will start to brainstorm what emotions they want to transform into a character.

Day 2-3:

Explore how different line techniques can create visual texture and express feeling. Quick demo: Show examples of texture techniques like cross-hatching, stumbling, scribble lines, stippling, wavy or jagged lines, smooth blending or rough edges.

Activity:
Students fill a “texture sampler” worksheet with 6 thumbnail boxes, each one experimenting with a different texture type. Then they will try to match textures to feelings (e.g., scribbles for anxiety, soft lines for calm, sharp edges for anger)

Day 4:
Students will learn the basics of character design, learning about shape language and how different shapes can represent different things depending on the character. For example, a more rounded circular character would present as a softer, more innocent. Students will then create a sketch of what their character will look like, thinking of shapes, textures, and the emotion or concepts.

Day 5:
Students will refine their sketches and move on to coloring their Monsters, paying attention to the textures.

Day 6:
Teacher Demo of how to cut different textures using construction paper, then students will practice cutting and creating the textures and pick the colors they need for their characters.

Day 7-9:
Students will do a light portrait sketch of their character on a large paper, then start building their textures on their character.

Day 10:
Reflection day: students will write an artist statement about their characters and what the textures they used say about their character. Then we will do a gallery walk to see all the characters and learn about each other’s characters.

• Sentence starters/frames
• Visual examples

Tier 1 (Universal Supports for All Students):

• Final Product & Rubric: Collaged creature portrait graded on originality, effective use of collage textures, clear link between chosen emotion/concept and visual expression, and craftsmanship. Rubric integrates both artistic technique and expressive clarity.
• Artist Statement: Written or illustrated reflection explaining design choices. Sentence frames provided for multilingual learners (e.g., “My character represents ___ because…”; “The texture I used shows ___ because…”).
• Gallery Walk & Peer Feedback: Students leave feedback with post-its or icons (smiley, jagged line, spiral) to represent emotions/strengths noticed in peers’ work.

Tier 2 (Targeted Supports):

• Teacher-guided small groups for students needing reinforcement in matching textures to feelings or using collage effectively.
• Simplified artist statement template with visuals and word banks for MLs.
• Peer-pairing with bilingual partners or designated “feedback buddies.”

Tier 3 (Intensive Supports):

• Alternative reflection modes:
  • Oral explanation recorded on Flip or Seesaw
  • Comic strip or storyboard depicting the character’s emotional journey.
  • Written responses in home language with short English captions.
• Frequent teacher/para check-ins and use of bilingual dictionaries or translation apps.
• Collaboration with ESL/Special Education staff to adapt rubric expectations.

• Mr. B Baby’s official website – mrbbabyart.com (artist biography, works, inspiration)
• Beyond Walls Lynn – murals and local context for Mr. B Baby’s work
• Art of Education (Art of Ed) – resources for rubrics, collage lessons, and reflection scaffolds
• Colorín Colorado – multilingual learner scaffolding strategies and sentence frames
• WIDA Can Do Descriptors – benchmarks for differentiating reflection expectations by English proficiency
• MetKids (Metropolitan Museum of Art) – examples of symbolic creatures and cultural storytelling in art
• National Gallery of Art (NGA Kids Art Zone) – interactive collage activities for younger students
• https://mrbbabyart.com/pages/about-me