#MEETTHEARTIST MEME LESSON

#Meettheartist

There is no shortage of internet challenges out there.  I have played along with a few and recently decided to use one in my art classroom.  #meettheartist is a meme that has been circulating social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter for some time.  I found it impossible to discover the origin of the meme (which is an internet image that is often funny) but have noticed it popping up all over.

I studied #meettheartist posts and loved finding out more about artists of all ages from all over the world.  It's popular among student artists in junior high through college ages and lots of professional artists have added their meme to the craze.  

I observed that the majority of #meettheartist memes were digitally created.  Artists had created them entirely with the use of graphics software.  As much as I am trying to create more digital art, I was happy to discover that artists are using any medium they like to build their meme.  After they finish their drawings they then scan or photograph their meme to publish across the internet.

I decided to use a ink, colored pencil and watercolors to make my meme.  I also decided to build each image on cut out watercolor paper then attach them with a 3-D look with foam mounting tape.  I've made a number of children's watercolors using this approach.

You can see how these individual pieces are cut-out's glued onto the page.

The basic ingredients of the #meettheartist meme are 1. a selfie - which is typically a cartoon image of the artist, 2. a list of things you love, 3. a list of things you hate, 4. your everyday bag and what stuff you usually carry around with you and finally 5. Some (but not much) personal information and internet contact (not email, phone numbers but usernames from social media accounts so people might be able to find and follow you.

I found a great resource for how to build this meme on Pinterest by Amalia at click this link .  There are also loads of memes floating around out there that you can use for inspiration.

Here is the assignment handout I used with my students to help them build their own #meettheartist meme.  When finished, we plan to photo and scan their meme so they can promote their art and join the fun.

Here is a printable PDF if you'd like to use this handout

printable lesson