Puff lettering tries to look three dimensional, or at least, in relief. Now is the time to introduce overlap formally in both lettering and drawing. Symbols intended to shock or ridicule need to be handled like the explosives they are. Death and hate are certainly important issues in our society as they have been throughout history. It is much better to work through these issues than to repress them.
Skulls have a venerable history in art in virtually every culture.
Their connotations are as often religious and spiritual as warlike. While the school rules concerning such symbols on clothing and jewelry will undoubtedly prevail, a unit exploring how artists have incorporated skulls in their work would provide a very rich discussion. It would also raise some interesting questions about what is acceptable from an aesthetic standpoint and what is not acceptable from a social standpoint, and why. By delving more deeply into clich s, deeper meanings may be uncovered. Starting with familiar symbols with which students identify and have some knowledge develops discussions and explores the symbolic process with considerable success.