3 Cool MLK Portrait Lesson Ideas

Happy New Year! We are excited about 2016 and the commemoration of Dr. King's birthday coming up in a few days. Last year we were privileged to visit the powerful memorial of Dr. King in our nations capitol which inspired this post. While there are many fantastic paintings of Dr. King, we have listed three of our favorite paintings of Dr. King that can be used as a source of inspiration for lessons in the art room. (The three paintings below are protected by copyright law and are only displayed for educational purposes. Click on each portrait to learn more about the artist who painted each portrait.)

This complementary colored portrait of Dr. King by artist, Mike Roos, reminds us that a complementary color palette can be used to create an interesting piece.

Talented artist, Fitzcarmel LaMarre created this beautiful portrait of Dr. King. A lesson that uses graphite pencils, conte crayons or charcoal to shade a close-up of this great icon would develop drawing skills.

Painted by artist Andrea Btoy, this portrait displays white typography around the face. Young artists can create a watercolor resist portrait in which the white letters can be written with white crayons or oil pastel.s and painted over with the paint.
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You can download a free coloring sheet of Dr. Martin Luther King here. Share your ideas for art lessons inspired by Dr. King by commenting below.