American Gothic Spoof Drawing Guide

The American Gothic Painting by Grant Wood is at the Art Institute of Chicago. For many years I have been bringing my 4th grade students to see this famous iconic painting in person. Before our trip, I often introduce the artwork by showing parodies from pop culture. Then, we engage with the art by trying to recreate it. We work on the portraits in both a straightforward pose and the three-quarters pose. Once the art resembles the original enough to be recognizable, students create a spoof of their choice. If they have trouble thinking of what to draw, I invite them to use the spoof-o-matic spinner (digital or physical). This is a great warm up activity as well.

This resource includes:

1. Exploration of the painting
2. Motif Challenge
3. Who, what, and why of the painting
4. What is a Spoof and a page of examples
5. Video link to edited SNL American Gothic Skit
6. Spoof-o-matic (printable or digital link to customizable wheel)
7. Starter drawing sheet
8. Drawing Guide for 3/4 pose & Straightforward
9. Student Examples (by my 4th graders)

See the gallery of student artwork.

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