Sketches from Everyday Life
Make a photo-journal of everyday life

 Edward Hopper often sketched scenes from everyday life, and used them to make his paintings. Hopper lived at 3 Washington Square in New York’s Greenwich Village for most of his adult life, observing what was around him and often making sketches. The building in Early Sunday Morning is based on a low, nondescript structure on the west side of Seventh Avenue between 15th and 16th streets that he once called “7th Ave shops.” Have students take a close look at Early Sunday Morning and discuss how Hopper represented his neighborhood.

Over the course of a week, have students create a photo journal of their everyday life, such as the places they go, the food they eat, and/or the friends they hang out with. Challenge students to take photographs from unconventional or unique perspectives. At the end of the week, have students download the pictures off their camera or phone and create a digital collage of their week. You and your students may consider using Instagram, PowerPoint, or Photoshop to edit and share images. What do the images tell us about their city or neighborhood? What do they tell us about the experience of being a young person today?