A. Creating and Presenting · Creating Art: The Creative Process, Design and Studio Techniques

Art for Self-Expression: Feelings, Identity and Personal Symbols

A1.2 A2.1 C1.1About 70 minutes

Learning goals

I can choose elements and principles of design on purpose to express a feeling or part of my identity.
I can explain the difference between representational, stylized, abstract and non-objective art.
I can develop personal symbols and use expressive techniques such as distortion and expressive colour.
I can plan, create and reflect on a self-expressive art work using the creative process.

Words to know

self-expression
Showing your own feelings, experiences, identity or point of view through art.

expressive
Chosen to communicate feeling rather than to look exactly real.

representational art
Art that shows recognizable subjects as they look in the real world.

stylized
Simplified or exaggerated in a consistent way, like a logo or a cartoon.

abstract art
Art that starts from something real but changes, simplifies or distorts it.

non-objective art
Art with no recognizable subject; it uses only elements and principles of design.

symbol
An image or object that stands for an idea, such as a dove for peace.

distortion
Changing the normal shape, size or proportion of something to express an idea or feeling.

mark-making
The lines, dots, strokes and textures an artist makes; their character (gentle, aggressive, fast, slow) carries feeling.

Art that says "this is me"

The curriculum asks you to use the elements and principles for two purposes: self-expression (this lesson) and communicating ideas and messages to others (next lesson). The tools are the same; the goal is different.

Self-expressive art does not need to be pretty or realistic. It needs to be honest and intentional: every choice of line, colour and composition should help show a feeling, a memory or part of who you are. You decide how much to share. Some artists express things very openly; others use symbols and abstraction so their meaning stays partly private.

How the elements carry feeling

Line: gentle curves feel calm; jagged diagonals feel tense; fast, scribbled marks feel urgent; slow, careful lines feel thoughtful.
Colour: warm hues feel energetic or passionate; cool hues feel calm, sad or distant; high intensity feels loud; low intensity feels quiet or nostalgic.
Value: high-key (light) feels airy or hopeful; low-key (dark) feels serious or mysterious; high contrast feels dramatic.
Shape: rounded shapes feel friendly; sharp angles feel aggressive or alert.
Space and scale: a tiny figure in a vast empty space can feel lonely or free; crowded compositions feel busy or overwhelming.
Texture and mark-making: rough, heavy brushwork shows energy or struggle; smooth surfaces feel calm or controlled.

These are tendencies, not rules. Context changes meaning: red can be anger or love.

The same subject (a house, a hill and the sun) drawn to express two different feelings. Only the line quality, direction and spacing change. Expressive art often bends reality like this so the viewer feels what the artist felt.

Expressive artists

Some artists are famous for showing feeling through expressive choices:

Vincent van Gogh used swirling, thick brushstrokes and intense colour, as in The Starry Night (1889), where the sky seems to churn with energy.
Edvard Munch of Norway distorted a figure and sky in The Scream (1893) to express overwhelming anxiety.
Emily Carr, of Victoria, British Columbia, painted forests in her later work (1930s) with sweeping, rhythmic brushstrokes so the trees and sky seem alive and moving.
Frida Kahlo of Mexico painted many self-portraits filled with personal symbols from her life, culture and experiences.

The Expressionist movement (early 1900s, especially in Germany) made emotion the main subject of art and used distortion and expressive colour on purpose.

The abstraction spectrum. Representational art looks like its subject; stylized art simplifies it; abstract art starts from something real but changes it a lot; non-objective art has no recognizable subject at all and speaks only through line, shape, colour and composition.

Personal symbols

A symbol stands for something else. Some symbols are widely shared (a heart for love, a maple leaf for Canada). Personal symbols come from your own life: your grandmother's teapot might stand for family; a pair of worn skates might stand for perseverance.

To develop personal symbols:

List people, places, objects, activities and memories that matter to you.
For each, ask: what does it stand for? (comfort, freedom, belonging, change...)
Choose 2 to 4 symbols and design simple, recognizable versions.
Combine them using the principles: which is most important (emphasis)? How do they relate (proximity, overlap, scale)?

Remember to use your own symbols and your own culture's symbols. Some cultural and sacred symbols belong to particular communities and shouldn't be borrowed (you'll study this more in the companion unit).

Worked example

Let's plan a self-expressive art work

Challenge: "Create an art work that expresses how you feel on the first day of high school." Ethan feels excited but overwhelmed.

Name the feeling precisely: "excited but overwhelmed": two feelings at once, which suggests contrast.
Choose a level of abstraction: abstract. Ethan will show a hallway, but distorted.
Composition: a one-point-perspective hallway that is stretched (distortion), with lockers rushing toward a vanishing point. A tiny figure (Ethan) stands at the near end: scale shows how big the school feels.
Line and movement: many diagonal lines converging toward the VP create speed and pull (excitement). Crowded, overlapping shapes of students on both sides feel overwhelming.
Colour: warm, intense yellows and oranges at the far end (excitement, the future); cooler, darker blues near the figure (nervousness). Complementary contrast between the two halves.
Personal symbol: Ethan adds his lucky hockey sweater number on the figure's back: a symbol of confidence from home.
Reflection plan: he will ask a friend what they feel looking at it, and compare with his intention.

An abstract, distorted hallway using converging diagonals, exaggerated scale, warm-cool complementary contrast and a personal symbol to express "excited but overwhelmed".

Feeling words

Go beyond happy and sad. Try: restless, peaceful, nostalgic, proud, hopeful, frustrated, curious, homesick, determined, giddy. A precise feeling leads to precise art choices.

Just for fun

Riddle: I can be warm without a fire, cool without ice, and loud without making a sound. What am I?

Colour.

Hands-on activity

Self-expression project: an emotional landscape

You need: heavy paper (at least 23 cm × 30 cm), pencil, and any media you like (paint, oil pastel, coloured pencil, collage papers).

Choose a feeling you know well (from the Feeling words tip) and write a sentence about a time you felt it.
Thumbnails: make 4 thumbnails of a landscape (real or imagined) that expresses that feeling: try representational, stylized, abstract and non-objective versions.
Plan: choose one. Write down your choices for line, colour (scheme and temperature), value key, shape, space and texture, and explain how each supports the feeling.
Add one personal symbol hidden somewhere in the landscape.
Create the work, using at least one expressive technique: distortion, expressive colour or energetic mark-making.
Test: without telling them the feeling, ask someone at home what mood they sense. Write down their words.
Reflect (5 to 7 sentences): How close was their reading to your intention? Which choice worked best? What would you change?

It's your choice how personal to make this. You do not have to share private feelings or experiences you don't want to.

Your turn

Name the two purposes for using the elements and principles in this course.

What is the difference between abstract and non-objective art?

Suggest line, colour and value choices to express "peaceful".

What is distortion and why might an artist use it?

Give an example of a personal symbol and what it might represent.

How did Van Gogh express energy in The Starry Night?

Why are emotional effects of colour "tendencies, not rules"?

More practice: warm-up

What does self-expression mean in art?

Which artist painted The Scream?

Do rounded shapes usually feel friendly or aggressive?

What is a symbol?

What does low-key value mean?

More practice: on your own

Ava wants to express "homesick" but her draft is a bright, sunny beach in intense colours. Suggest two changes.

Explain how scale can express a feeling, with an example.

Why might an artist choose abstraction instead of realism for a very personal work?

Describe how Emily Carr's late forest paintings use rhythm and movement.

Write a plan sentence that links one element to one feeling for an art work about "determined".

Challenge

Compare how a representational and a non-objective artist could each express "joy".

Explain why the same art work might be read differently by two viewers, and whether that makes self-expression a failure.

Design (in words) a self-portrait that shows two sides of your identity without drawing a realistic face.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Art with no recognizable subject is called...

Which choice would best express calm?

Changing proportions to exaggerate a feeling is called...

Which artist painted forests in British Columbia with sweeping, rhythmic strokes in the 1930s?

A personal symbol is...

Self-expressive art is most successful when...

For parents and teachers

This lesson invites personal content. Respect your teen's choice of how much to share: abstraction and symbols let them express feelings without explaining them. Ask about choices ("Why did you make that part so dark?") rather than the private story behind them. Common difficulties: vague feelings (help them find precise feeling words) and defaulting to realism; try encouraging one abstract version. If an art work reveals strong distress, talk gently with your teen and contact the school or a health professional if you are concerned.