Jasper Johns is an American artist whose richly covered number paintings like this, rose to prominence in the 1950s. I created this project so students could make a miniature version, and recycle an old CD case as well. 1. Six 1 1/2" foam numbers or letters are arranged on an old CD case, the 1/4" thick variety. The students glue them down with white glue and let dry. 2. Gesso is needed to make the background opaque, so the entire CD front and sides are painted and let dry. 3. A second coat of gesso is painted and let dry. 4. Students use a pencil to draw the checkerboard lines between the numbers. They may choose two colors of acrylic and paint the board in a checkerboard style. The paint is let to dry. 5. Using a flat brush, students use one color of acrylic to “dry brush” a few vertical strokes in random spots. 6. Finally, students paint one last color in the same manner. Note: Restraint is needed here, the goal is to have a layered look with all of the colors still showing at the end.
