CHAPTER SIX
Mixed Media

Introduction

Collage (which comes from the French word coller, meaning “to glue”) is the reason why art teachers never throw anything away. It is for this that you save scraps of paper, yarn, marbleized paper, and wrapping paper. Collage can be made either entirely from one material or from combinations of materials. Just remember that it needs to be taken beyond cut-and-paste. Collage can be wonderful, and it can be terrible! It's wonderful for building confidence in young people who are uncertain of their skills in art, or who have difficulty drawing what they see. It's terrible, however, when students are simply given printed material and allowed to cut out too many images and paste them on a piece of paper. These all tend to look exactly alike and are so crowded that everything is seen—and nothing is seen.

Examples of the work of many artists can be shown to inspire students in collage. Young people are very interested in surrealism, another French word, which means “above reality.” The surrealists—such as René Magritte, Man Ray, Max Ernst, and Salvador Dali—use unlikely objects in landscapes (such as Magritte's sky full of open umbrellas or Dali's melting-watch-dotted landscapes). Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque popularized collage with their early-twentieth-century Cubist collages using words from newspapers and materials such as oilcloth. Henri Matisse, when he could no longer paint, began a second career with his cut-and-pasted, hand-painted paper shapes based on life forms from nature.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR WORKING IN COLLAGE

Mixed media could be anything! Artists have so many choices when they create a work of art, whether they are still learners or established artists. They may be attracted to soft materials; trash of any kind; things found in nature such as sticks, stones, and bones; and traditional art-making materials found in classrooms and art supply stores and catalogs.

Schematic illustration of the beasts of the Sea, 1950, Henri Matisse, 1869–1954, French, collage on canvas.

Materials for making a collage include a base such as heavy watercolor paper, poster board or matboard, scissors, a brush, old magazines, and envelopes. Appropriate glues are: polymer medium or thinned white glue. Thinned YES glue (and a covered container for thinned YES glue), or PVA (polyvinyl acetate glue) lie flat when glued to most paper.

TEXTURAL MATERIALS ADD CHARACTER

Locate handmade paper, mesh onion or potato bags, interesting wrapping materials, corn husks, raffia, cloth, wallpaper, treated paper from old prints, watercolors, marbled paper, handmade paper, rubbings, and leaf prints.

Students may choose to use photocopies of their own photos or magazine photos, which can be transferred to paper or a collage by dabbing oil of wintergreen or Ben Gay® on the back of a photocopy and rubbing firmly on the back with pencil (fresh copies work best). Or reproduce an inkjet print onto a pre-stretched canvas by coating it with gel medium. Turn the print face down on the canvas, and you can complete the transfer by using the edge of an old credit card or school ID.

PROJECT 6.1
Landscape Collages and Poetry

Grades–3–5

Curriculum connection–language arts

Time needed–4–6 class periods

Elements and principles of art–texture, color, variety, pattern, balance, emphasis, movement, contrast

Materials–12” × 18” white paper, pencil, Sharpie marker, collage papers (newspaper, patterned paper, tissue paper, painted paper, etc.), watered-down glue, and brushes

Vocabulary–collage, landscape

Figure 6.1 Volcano Attack, Lola Compton, Grade 4, landscape collage with poetry, mixed media, 12” × 18”. The collage/poem project was a cooperative lesson between art teacher Lauren Schaefer and classroom teachers Sherry Neifert and Shannon Leon at Ross School, Parkway School District, St. Louis County, Missouri.

Background Information

Collage is a new art form to some students. Some may think it is just tearing up different kinds of paper into one picture, but it is so much more. Famous artists who have used the collage method include Pablo Picasso (Compotier Avec Fruits, 1912; Violon et Verre, 1912); Georges Braque (Fruit Dish and Glass, 1912); and Henri Matisse (Le Lanceur De Couteaux, 1947, and The Sorrow of the King, 1952). You may find these and other works on the Internet by searching for famous collage artists. As with any other kind of art, the key to success is the use of the elements and principles of design.

Preparation

Prepare a slideshow of Internet collages from art history as well as current artists working with this media. Discuss the variety of textures used and how the artist moves the viewer's eye to the point of emphasis. Also prepare examples of landscapes that can be achieved with the collage method. Hang around the classroom any available visuals of landscapes that could be interpreted with collage.

Gather a supply of collage materials to have ready for the class. Consider colored scrap paper, metallic paper, tissue paper, textured and patterned paper, magazine pages, sandpapers, corrugated paper, thin cardboard, etc.

Prepare watered-down glue or polymer medium in cups for each table.

Process

Students should sketch at least four different ideas for landscapes on a sketchpad or practice paper. Encourage larger shapes that are more conducive to the collage method.
After choosing a favorite, they should sketch the main forms on 12” × 18” white paper.
Next, have them trace over all lines with black Sharpie.
Students should start collaging one area at a time. Brush down glue, tear small pieces and place neatly in a section, and brush glue over the top. Repeat until completed, remembering to use papers in each area to contrast other adjoining areas. They will need enough variety for interest, but not enough for confusion.
At the end, have them go over lines in Sharpie to offer better contrast.
Consider having students critique their work on the back. What was their area of strength and area for improvement? What material was their favorite to use? How did they make one part more important than other parts of the picture?

Curriculum Connection

Language arts. Students should write a short poem to be displayed with their artwork that tells the story of their collage.

PROJECT 6.2
Family or Group Portrait

Grades–1–4

Curriculum connections–social studies, language arts

Time needed–2–3 class periods

Elements and principles of art–emphasis, value, color, line, shape, emphasis

Vocabulary–portraits, mixed-media, background, outline, fabric, garment, plain or patterned paper

Materials–12” × 18” drawing paper, pencil, scissors, miscellaneous cloth samples approximately 4” × 6”, thinned white glue, fine-line markers and regular-size markers

Figure 6.2a The Griesenauer Family in Their Kitchen, Peyton Griesenauer, Grade 1, mixed media, cloth, marker, 12” × 18”, Ridge Meadows School, Rockwood School District, St. Louis County, Missouri. Art teacher Linda Sachs.

Background Information

Today, family and group portraits are usually taken with cameras or cell phones. Before the invention of the first camera in 1816, a family portrait meant that the family had to pose together for a long time while an artist finished painting their picture. Royalty (kings, queens, or empresses) hired artists to paint portraits of themselves and their families dressed in their best clothes, sometimes even including the family dog. Many artists painted their own family portraits—Cornelis De Vos, for example, titled his family portrait as The Family of the Artist. Men's and women's societies also posed for group portraits, such as Rembrandt's The Night Watch and Frans Hals's Women Regents.

Figure 6.2b The Nightwatch (Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq), 1642, Rembrandt Van Rijn, 1606–1669, Dutch, oil on canvas, 11'91” × 14'34”, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Preparation

This family “portrait” project was developed by art teacher Linda Sachs in her school's art studio. Ask students to make a mixed-media collage of their family. Suggest students cut pieces of fabric to “fit” the size of the members of their family. A variety of smallish pre-cut pieces of lightweight cotton are usually available in local quilt or fabric stores. Or ask parents to send in scrap cloth.

As you are presenting this lesson, be inclusive to all types of families such as single parent, same sex, or multigenerational living. Remind students that they are the important figure, and others of the same household are larger or smaller than themselves.

Process

Tell students to select a place where their family can be shown all together. This might be in a park, the kitchen (as shown in this illustration), or the family room.
Have students cut out pieces of plain or patterned fabric to make clothing for every member of their family, even a baby (or a family dog). Suggest they use combinations of a non-patterned fabric for a skirt or pants and a patterned fabric for a top. They would not normally wear two different patterns to school, so remind them that, when they are “dressing” their family, something such as jeans or a top might be a plain color.
After they have cut pieces of fabric to make clothes for family members, show them how to move these pieces of cloth around on the paper until they find a place in the composition for each family member. Have them use pencil to lightly draw a figure (head, arms, legs, hands) to fit inside the clothes they have cut.
When the fabric is glued in place, have students use a black marker to draw an outline for every member of their family. They should then draw outlines on the background “location” to later complete with colored markers.
The last thing to do is to write the last name of the family at the top of the painting, and each person's or pet's name.

Adaptations for Younger Students

You can facilitate the difficulty of cutting fabric for young students by having various pre-cut small scraps of fabric available from which they can select.

Curriculum Connection

Social Studies—The Family Tree

A family tree could be done with each face drawn on an oval background, just as old-fashioned portraits used to be. This is a good time for students to identify family roots such as grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, and they can understand what family roots and each branch means. The tree itself should look a little realistic, even though the ovals are relatives' faces. This could also be done by cutting out and using photos.

PROJECT 6.3
Castle

Grade–3–8

Curriculum connection–social studies

Time needed–2–4 class periods

Elements and principles of art–variety, line, color, emphasis

Vocabulary–medieval, crenellation, moat, palaces, plain, siege, watercolor wash, bleed, happy accident, sketch

Materials–Sharpie, watercolor markers, watercolors, white paper, pencil

Figure 6.3 Castle, David Packard, created in Grade 5, mixed media, Reed School, Ladue School District, St. Louis County, Missouri. Art teacher Linda Packard.

Background Information

Many students may never have an opportunity to see an actual castle, but they love learning about the lives of people who built and lived in them: the knights and their families. Most real castles were built between 1050 and 1350 and offered refuge from warfare to the surrounding townspeople. Later, palaces, often much larger than castles, were where wealthy landowners and royalty lived, but the castle's self-defensive measures were not needed except during the earlier time. Students may be familiar with the make-believe castle at Disneyland that is modeled on a nineteenth-century palace—Neuschwanstein in the Bavarian Alps.

Most castles were not built at one time but were added onto as more space was needed. The castles often built on hilltops were more easily defended than those that were on level ground and could only be reached from one direction. Most of them featured towers at the corners where sentries could see approaching enemies from a long distance away. The tops of walls often had openings spaced at intervals (crenellation) so that archers could shoot arrows at enemies and then safely hide behind a wall. Some castles on flatter ground were surrounded by moats, bodies of water that did not allow easy access to invaders. The castles were mostly occupied by the nobility and their servants unless townspeople needed to move there for protection during a siege. Most were built of stone, with high, thick walls to resist climbing. The castles had an inside well and storage for food, and there was room inside the walls for horses and soldiers.

Preparation

Test the effect of the black markers you plan to use on watercolor paint. Prepare students for the effect of water-based black markers when they add watercolor to a drawing. The effect of the black drawing losing its sharpness may make students feel they have failed, when in reality the charm of this technique is the bleeding effect of the marker into the watercolor. You could call this the “happy accident” that all should look for. The rather controlled drawings of a castle, with its straight walls, rounded or pointed towers, stone walls, bricks, crenellation, etc., will look different when watercolor is added to the drawing and the black marker bleeds. Research castle images on the Internet. Compile a visual presentation of parts of castles, as well as whole castles in various parts of the world. Students might have a choice of materials, either doing a drawing or building a three-dimensional castle.

Process

After your presentation on castles, have students discuss what types of things most castles have in common. Encourage them to include their favorite ideas from the presentation into their artwork. Prepare the students for the fact that the black marker lines will bleed into the background when watercolors are added.

Have students consider whether their castle will be high on a hill or on a plain near a river. The castle cannot just float in empty space. If it is on a hill, there should be a path leading upward. Many hilltop castles are surrounded by small homes near the base of the hill for the townspeople or servants who work in the castle. On a flat piece of land, the castle might be surrounded by a moat of water all around for protection, and even have a drawbridge that can be pulled straight up to block invaders. The castle cannot just float in the air. Students need to know that you expect a finished artwork. That means that the castle is anchored to the ground, possibly surrounded by trees and shrubbery.
Students can lightly draw an outline of the castle, including details such as the entrance and towers. They should then go over the lines with a water-based Sharpie marker. If they want to do their own research in advance, they may choose to make small sketches of some castle details such as the stone of which castles were often constructed.
When students are satisfied that the marker drawing is complete, they can add a watercolor wash (diluted colors) and fill in areas with several different colors of watercolor. The black marker will bleed (run). Or they may choose to fill in the castle with brightly colored markers.
If students prefer, they may go over the outlines again with black markers when the painting has dried.

Curriculum Connection

Social Studies

Students can research various aspects of Medieval life. Libraries and the Internet offer much information about Medieval weapons, defense, armor, clothing, music, food, battles, and art.

PROJECT 6.4
My Hero

Grades–4–8

Time needed–3–5 class periods

Elements and principles of art–contrast, color, variety, emphasis, space

Vocabulary–adhere, theme, role model, ancestor

Materials–14-ply poster board or foam core (sometimes available in color), polymer medium, brushes, scissors

Figure 6.4 Mound Magician, 1997. Radcliffe Bailey, 1968, American, paint, canvas, paper, wood, cardboard, cloth, Plexiglas, baseballs, feathers, and other media on plywood, 9'7” × 14’ × 26”. Purchase: gift of the Unus Foundation and Marc and Elizabeth Wilson in honor of John J. “Buck” O'Neil, © Radcliffe Bailey, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri.

Background Information

The artwork shown here is a giant collage by artist Radcliffe Bailey (b. 1968). It was a tribute to Radcliffe's baseball hero, pitcher “Buck” O'Neil (1911–2006), a member of the Kansas City Monarchs Team in the Negro American Baseball League. He later became the first African American Scout for a National League team, the Kansas City Royals, a Yankee farm team, and was elected to the Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame! O'Neil was a founding member of the amazing Negro American League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

Bailey's collage is huge, made on wood, and its fan shape is approximately the outside shape of a baseball field. The artwork is titled Mound Magician, and features Buck O'Neil's playing number (25) painted on the pitcher's mound in the center. Photos of the team and cut-out words from newspapers are pasted on. The large collage is outstanding not only because of its size, but because of the bright colors of paper rectangles that contrast against the black-and-brown background.

Preparation

After each student has selected a personal real hero, challenge them to find out as much about this person as possible. They can do Internet or library research, trying to find photos and articles, and then make an artwork using what they have found. The supporting background should be something like a foam core or 14-ply poster board that is sturdy enough to stand upright when paper is glued to it.

Particularly remind students that their artwork should be colorful, and not just printed words. Tell them they are creating a piece of art, not a collage of mostly black-and-white photos. That kind of collage made of only printed materials is sometimes crowded and glued onto a background without consideration of color, background, and space. Without a theme, or a hero, this collage will not be effective.

Process

Have students think about a person who might be their hero. A hero is sometimes a famous person—or not so famous, but someone they look up to. Have them list people such as a Scout leader, a favorite musician, a ballet dancer, a baseball player, an ancestor or a family member. A role-model is someone whom they might like to be! They need to find out more about this person. Perhaps a book has been written about him or her. Perhaps they can find pictures and information on the Internet. If their hero isn't famous, then they need to find out what he or she likes—to do, to eat, to do for fun, to work at, hobbies, etc. Or they might like to find out what their hero loved to do when he or she was young—jump rope, ride a bicycle, go camping, play with a dog, attend school, etc.
When they have information, have them think about how they are going to show it. They should consider the background they will use to make a collage that is not just information about their favorite person, but also a work of art. The background may not be rectangular, but some other interesting shape they choose to make by cutting. Radcliffe Bailey's large collage about his hero is shaped like a baseball field. The background may include printed words and pictures, but also painted color, and enough space to allow the important parts to show. No white background or blank spots should show through their painting.
Before gluing anything down, suggest they take the time to select everything that they intend to use, and try various arrangements. When an open space appears, have them consider painting it or filling it in with cut or torn colored paper. They may choose to glue on something that will stick out into space. Or they might have to add something by attaching it with wire from the underside to make sure it adheres.
Tell students to be prepared to answer questions people may ask about their hero. If they want other people to learn something about their hero that is not visible in the artwork, how could they show it in some way?

PROJECT 6.5
Picture the Music

Grades–K-8

Curriculum connection–language arts

Time needed–2–4 class periods

Elements and principles of art–color, line, space, pattern, movement, emphasis

Vocabulary–musical scores, composer, air drawings, resist, firmly, collage, rhythm, mixed-media

Materials–12” × 16” drawing paper, a flexible small mannequin, watercolors, brushes, water containers, markers, oil pastels, yellow chalk, acrylic paint, crayons, glue, musical scores, collage materials

Background Information

Artists through the ages have found that listening to music while painting or drawing is soothing and inspiring. The choice of music may influence color choices and rhythms within the painting. It is interesting to compare artwork and music during different time periods or cultures. For example, it is easy to find a relationship between the Australian digeridoo and the patterned artwork of Aboriginal painters. Artist Georgia O'Keeffe was fascinated, as she said, with “the idea that music could be translated into something for the eye.” The student illustration by Savanna Belt was selected as the Maestro Winner of Picture the Music by a professional judging panel at the St. Louis Symphony Volunteer Association's annual event. The annual winner is framed and exhibited in the lobby of the Symphony's Powell Hall for 1 year.

Figure 6.5a The Power of Music, Savanna Belt, Grade 6, mixed media print on paper, 12” × 18”, Valley Middle School, Northwest R1 school district, Missouri. Art teacher Brenna Roth.

Figure 6.5b The Conductor, Dominic Bommarito, Grade 2, tempera on paper, 12” × 18”, Eureka Elementary School, Rockwood School District, St. Louis County, Missouri. Art teacher Linda Sachs. You can tell by The Conductor's arm movement that he is directing the symphony orchestra in a selection that the musicians must play rapidly (in this case, it was the Ritual Fire Dance by Manuel De Falla, which the students had seen recently in a live performance).

If you choose to use music to inspire students, find a musical selection of about five minutes. Share information about the composer, the title of the musical selection, and what might have inspired this music.

Preparation

Explain to the students that they will be creating art after listening to a musical selection. Ask them to listen carefully to hear the color, line, rhythm, or repetition of music (these are art terms also). Tell them it doesn't matter whether their artwork has a subject, or what color it is. It is their artwork, and their decision about what they put on paper.

This is an ideal interdisciplinary project, as art, music, or classroom teachers might work on it together. A musical selection of under 5 minutes is recommended for students to hear repeatedly while they paint or draw. Have students close their eyes the first time they listen to the music. If they have been fortunate enough to go to a concert, their memories of the performance may be what they saw on-stage—or heard! Some students may work abstractly to interpret high and low notes, others might be interested in the rhythm of instruments they recognize. Still others may try to more literally interpret people in appropriate dress, dancing to the music.

Process

Offer students a choice of media for paper projects. Or suggest that they might want to use a combination of media. Teachers who encourage “choice” are often delighted to see that students already instinctively know how to make beautiful art. If your students are unfamiliar with how to effectively use the media listed in the following text, give them a quick overview or demonstration. Allow enough time for this project! A large piece of paper requires more planning and finishing time. Here are a few choices of materials you might suggest students use:
- Watercolor. Demonstrate the use of watercolors, talking about value and intensity.
- Collage. When students have finished painting, it is possible to add emphasis with collage (torn or cut paper) or a gold or silver marker. Another option is to combine small pieces of musical score photocopies with drawings or paintings.
- Marker. With the variety of markers available, they can make interesting drawings. Demonstrate to the students how to work neatly to fill in an area.
- Allow a tempera or acrylic painting to dry, then outline with marker or crayon.
- Before actually drawing or painting, while listening to the music one more time, demonstrate “air drawings,” as sometimes done by the famous painter Henri Matisse before he put a single mark on paper. Or suggest they use a finger or yellow chalk to draw an outline on their paper.
When students are satisfied that the artwork is complete, ask them to consider it carefully, then give a title to their composition. The title may be related to the musical selection, but more likely the artwork will suggest its name to them. Have them write the title of the artwork and the title of the music they were listening to on the back of the work. If this is an abstract composition, ask the artists to draw an arrow on the back to show which way is “up.”

Adaptations for Younger Students

A sheet of paper 12” × 18” is too large for primary students to cover effectively with crayon. Substitute a smaller sheet of paper or encourage painting or drawing with oil pastel. When they paint with watercolor on top of the pastel, they will find that the crayon or oil crayon resists the paint.

Curriculum Connection

Language Arts—Express the Music

For older students, music can be used to inspire writing. The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra Volunteer Association sponsors a regional “Express the Music” competition for middle and high school students based on a recording of a symphony performance. Writing to the music requires quiet listening time and reflection and yields truly amazing writing. Students can be challenged to write a poem, or a memory about the “place” they think of when they hear this performance.

PROJECT 6.6
Inch by Inch

Grades–2–8

Time needed–4 class periods

Elements and principles of art–variety, pattern, line, color

Vocabulary–grid, free-hand, emphasis, title

Materials–background music to paint by, 12” × 18” paper, ruler, white oil pastel, paper varieties (shiny, patterned), music reproductions, watercolor, brushes, black permanent marker

Background Information

Second grader Reese Vogelsang decided to make a grid free-hand. She drew both horizontal and vertical lines approximately 1” apart without using a ruler. This project was completed in art teacher Linda Sachs's TAB/choice-based art studio, where students have a variety of equipment and materials easily available in labeled drawers. This project would look quite different if an older student uses a ruler or yardstick to help in drawing a 1” grid.

Figure 6.6 Fire Love, Reese Vogelsang, Grade 2, mixed media, 12” × 18”, Ridge Meadows School, Rockwood School District, St. Louis County, Missouri. Art teacher Linda Sachs. Students were told the story about a Gypsy girl who danced around a fire while drums played rapidly.

Preparation

In a choice-based art studio, most students in primary grades have been taught basic picture-making skills in sketching, painting, cutting paper, and gluing. Show students the size of the white background paper they will use, pointing out that that the paper is quite large, and that it may be used in either direction, vertically or horizontally. A grid might be made using white oil pastel. If they intend to show figures, it would be best to draw the figure(s) before making grid lines.

Process

Demonstrate how to use a ruler to make a mark along 1” intervals at the top, sides, and bottom of the paper. Students may choose to work within a grid but have a choice as to whether they would prefer to draw it free-hand or make straight lines with a ruler. They should draw around anything they want to emphasize, but oil pastel is wonderful because it is easy to use and covers up any possible “mistakes.” Suggest a variety of other art-making materials from which they may choose.
Watercolor paint can be used to fill in some of the squares of a grid, but varied kinds of paper (shiny, dull, or textured) can be cut into 1” squares and pasted into place. The square-fillers might even include musical notes (either drawn or pasted).
Have students look over their finished composition to see if there is any place where the addition of paper, watercolor paint, oil pastel, or marker can be used to improve it.
Expect your students to title their composition. It is good practice for them to get into and helps them realize that they are indeed real artists.

PROJECT 6.7
Me—In Action

Grades–3–8

Time needed–3 class periods

Elements and principles of art–emphasis, line, color

Vocabulary–contour-drawing, joint

Materials–12” × 16” drawing paper, watercolors, Sharpie markers

Figure 6.7a The Fire Ballet, Katherine Byergo, Grade 5, mixed media, 12” × 18”, Claymont Elementary School, Parkway School District, St. Louis County, Missouri. Art teacher Carrie Finnestead.

Background Information

Students are often asked to show in art what their interests are, whether it is to play a team sport, do gymnastics, sing in a choir, take dance lessons, or play the guitar. Many of these non-school activities require that the student wear a uniform or costume of some sort. The dancer in the above painting is wearing a long, uneven ballet skirt (not a tutu) and trailing a scarf-like object high above and behind her. The young artist who did this painting says that the “scarf” at the top is actually fire with which she is running, and the emoji signs she used along the edges of the “scarf” represent the ashes left by the fire.

Preparation

Action pose, wearing appropriate “uniform.” Students can choose to paint themselves in an action pose wearing special clothing of any kind: a sports uniform, ordinary clothes while playing a musical instrument, or special clothes worn for gymnastics or swimming. Introduce students to drawing a figure in action by reminding them that the legs and arms bend at the joints (elbows, hands, legs, and feet). You could demonstrate this movement by showing the movement of a wooden action model.

Process

The picture may be lightly drawn in pencil before beginning to paint. Show students that they can use lightly drawn ovals to make portions of the arms and legs, adjusting them to bend at the elbows and knees. If they feel their own legs and arms, they notice that these ovals are smaller at the ends where they connect with the feet and hands. Perhaps one student will allow you to position him or her as the model, so that they can draw from “life.” These poses should never last longer than 2 minutes.
Watercolor is often effectively mixed by combining closely related colors in the lid of the box. If they are working on a large sheet of paper, encourage students to mix enough color that they will have enough to cover a specific area.

Figure 6.7b Ballet Dancers in the Wings, c. 1890–1900, Edgar Degas, 1834–1917, pastel on paper, 28” × 26”, Saint Louis Art Museum.

Alternative Project

Soft Pastel

The French Impressionists were a group of friends in Paris who often painted together and had a similar style. One of them, Edgar Degas, a sculptor and painter, preferred to use soft pastels. He sometimes drew young ballerinas in relaxed positions, such as when they were putting on their ballet shoes before going onstage to perform. Soft pastels are applied by applying the darkest colors first, then gradually applying lighter colors. They can be blended with a finger, brush, or tissue.

Adaptations for Younger Students

Distribute pre-cut short strips of dark construction paper to help young students comprehend how to show the human figure's movement. Some strips will be thinner and shorter (arms) and some thicker (legs). The students can cut rounded or oval pieces for the torso, head, hands, and feet. These movable pieces of paper allow them to show movement and to make more changes than drawing a “stick figure” would and improves their awareness of joints. Direct them to make an action figure on a 9” × 12” light background paper, showing a pose such as running, sitting, standing with hands on hips, or jumping rope. If they prefer to “dress” the model in a different color, this is a good time to teach them how to cut scraps of paper or cloth and how to glue neatly.

PROJECT 6.8
Art Deco Design

Grades–5–8

Curriculum connections–social studies, science, language arts, math

Time needed–4 class periods

Elements and principles of art–line, shape, pattern, emphasis, repetition

Vocabulary–motif, highlight, bas-relief, art deco, streamlining, stylized, collagraph, printing plate

Materials–newsprint; 6” × 9” or 8½” × 11” tagboard or card stock; ruler; pencil; scissors; glue; polymer medium; brushes; printer's ink, brayer; white, silver, or colored printing paper, masking tape

Background Information

Art Deco (short for “art decorative”) motifs were applied to buildings, planes, trains, cars, jewelry, clothing, and household appliances in the early 1920s and 1930s. In Europe, the style was inspired by Cubism. In America, it was inspired by Mexican and South American Indian Art. Its streamlined designs, often based on geometric figures such as the rectangle and circle, affected advertising, automobiles, housing, sculpture, and painting. The Chrysler Building in New York City, shown in the figure titled “Art Deco Handout,” is an architectural example of the style.

Figure 6.8 Art Deco Handout. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Preparation

This is a two-part project, and the cardboard printing plate, Art Deco Design, is the first half of the project. Students will develop a design, which they complete by cutting out pieces of tag board and gluing the design together. The second part of this project, Shiny Skin, is far easier, but read it and try it so you can plan ahead.

Find examples on the Internet of Art Deco design. This design could be used for the front cover of a handbound book, elevator doors, or stained-glass windows. The actual printing plate could be inked and printed on drawing paper (for matting and framing), or used on the fronts of note cards. For another use of your plate, see the project Shiny Skin, which follows this project. Students can cover the plate with a piece of aluminum foil, taking care to make it smooth on the front, then carefully taping it on the back of the plate. They then coat the front of the aluminum foil plate with black tempera and allow it to dry, and then use fine steel wool to polish the highlights.

Process

The tag board printing plate will be used for two purposes. Students will be making an Art Deco design that might be used for bronze elevator doors, entrance doors to a building, a carved medallion to go on the side of the building, or decorations for the back of a bench to go in front of the building.

Have students draw several small rectangles approximately 2” × 3” on newsprint. These rough sketches might combine geometric forms, curving lines, and patterns. When they are satisfied with a design, have them draw it to fit a 6” × 9” piece of tag board. Decorative motifs popular in the Art Deco period were stylized eagles, the sun, flowers, panthers, and dancers. See the handout titled “Art Deco Architecture.”
They can gradually build up a bas-relief (“low-relief”) design of strips, circles, and shapes cut from tag board. It is possible to have several layers. Suggest they try several combinations before actually gluing. Make sure each piece is thoroughly glued in place, then coat the design with polymer medium (or thinned white glue) to keep the ink from soaking in when the plate is printed.
When the tag board plate is completely dry, demonstrate how to add ink to the brayer and then cover the printing plate with ink. Show them how to center the plate ink-side down on a piece of paper, then turn the paper and plate over and rub on the back of the paper to transfer the image. You can make numerous prints from this plate. When finished printing, wipe excess ink from the plate.
When students have finished the prints, allow them to dry, then show them how to sign a print. The print can be displayed next to the foil-covered plate.

Figure 6.9 Art Deco Handout 2. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternative Project

Paper-Strip Art Deco

Provide black paper strips of ½” width or less. On white paper, students can arrange the strips, cutting them as needed, to make an Art Deco–style building. Remind them that they might also choose to include a motif of the type that was popular in the Art Deco days: eagle or dancers. Egyptian and Aztec motifs were also popular.

Curriculum Connection—social studies

The 1930s and 1940s. This is an ideal lead-in to the study of changes in the world after the 1929 Depression and during the early 1940s. Modernism had arrived. Students can compare and contrast government, transportation, jobs, cities, entertainment, and art between that period and now.

Aviation history. Another huge advance during this time was in aviation. Innovations in flight such as the Zeppelin airships (the Hindenburg disaster occurred in 1937), the history of the US Airmail service, early commercial passenger flights, and developments in fighter airplanes were also occurring during this time period. Students can learn about and draw airplanes or flight attendants' clothing to illustrate their research.

PROJECT 6.9
Shiny Skin—Aluminum-Foil Bas Relief

Grades–4–8

Curriculum connection–social studies

Time needed –2–3 class periods

Elements and principles of art –line, shape, emphasis, texture

Vocabulary –skyscraper, blimp, Art Deco, miter, burnish

Materials –tag board (or old file folders), white glue, scissors, aluminum foil, masking tape, India ink or tempera (black or white), fine steel wool

Background Information

This project follows the collagraph-print project titled “Art Deco Building Design,” using the same plate that was used for the print. A famous building of the Art Deco period was the Chrysler Building, 1928–1930, designed by William Van Alen. Its top was a series of rounded shapes in shiny steel, culminating in a spire. The top was designed to resemble a car's hubcap, and it was considered a perfect example of modern design. It was built about the same time as the Empire State Building (1932).

The Empire State Building was so modern that a dirigible (blimp) anchoring location was incorporated into it (high winds made landing impossible though). It may be familiar to the students as the building that King Kong climbed. Rockefeller Center (1931–1939) was another famous Art Deco complex.

Preparation

After students have printed the Art Deco collagraph, they could wipe the ink off the tag board plate and cover it with aluminum foil, as described here. Cut pieces of aluminum foil large enough to cover the printing plates. Show students how to place the plate on the dull side of the foil, then fold the extra foil onto the back of the plate. Demonstrate how to make mitered corners by pulling the corners toward the middle, then folding the foil over the corners and taping the foil to the plate with masking tape.

Process

Sometimes when doing printmaking, it is possible to display the printing plate and the resulting print side by side. In this case, you will change the appearance of your plate by first covering it with aluminum foil, then coating it with paint and allowing it to dry before polishing it with fine steel wool.

Cut a piece of aluminum foil several inches larger in all dimensions than the plate. Before folding the foil underneath, carefully smooth the dull side of the foil against the plate, pressing it into the indentations made by the several layers of tag board.
Demonstrate how to miter the aluminum corners by turning the plate over and folding the corner straight toward the middle on all four corners. Then, carefully fold the sides to the back of the cardboard, and tape the foil in place on the back.
Paint white or black tempera or ink on the front of the foil (it may be necessary to add a small amount of liquid detergent to tempera or ink to make it adhere to the shiny surface). Allow the surface to dry overnight.
Use fine steel wool to gently burnish the highlights.

PROJECT 6.10
Still Life

Grades–3–8

Curriculum connections–social studies, language arts

Time needed–3–4 class periods

Elements and principles of art–emphasis, value, color, line, shape

Vocabulary–still life, trompe l'oeil, intensity, artistic license, viewfinder, depth, overlapping, selective

Materials–viewfinders (paper or slide mounts), drawing paper, white chalk, tissues, oil pastels, fluorescent markers, pencils

Background Information

The still life communicates information about the culture in which it was done. Dutch still life by such artists as Pieter Claesz-Heda had paintings filled with items such as a broken glass, a half-eaten loaf of bread, or a clock, all items that symbolized how swiftly life passes. William Harnett and John Peto were American painters who specialized in trompe l'oeil (fool the eye) still-life paintings. Contemporary American painters Audrey Flack and Janet Fish continue the tradition of realistic still life, and photographer Sandy Skoglund creates sculptural still life that she then photographs. Impressionists such as Paul Cezanne and Henri Matisse specialized in interior paintings of flowers or a painting of the table set for a meal.

Preparation

Have students bring in discarded objects for a huge still life. This could include mechanical objects, a bicycle, toys, cloth, rope, a hat, a skull, rubberized face masks, ladders, a window frame, buckets, stools, and so on. The still life should be arranged once in the center of the room, then left untouched until the drawings are finished. If you prefer, you can make individual still life arrangements around the room for several students to use.

Make a viewfinder (cut a rectangular opening in an 8” × 10” piece of paper or tag board in proportion to the paper that will be used. Tell students that looking through a viewfinder is similar to taking a photograph, isolating one subject with a single, well-composed view. Demonstrate to students that the viewfinder should always be held at the same distance from the eye when looking through it and show them how to place objects on their paper in the same location as they find them in their viewfinder.

Process

One of the most difficult things in creating artwork is thinking of what and how much to include in a picture. A grouping of objects of all kinds challenges you to be selective, painting only a small portion of the still life in front of you.

Show students how to hold their viewfinder arm at the same distance from the body each time they look through it. They then would use the viewfinder as if it were the viewfinder of a camera, isolating a particular section of what they see to make a pleasing composition.
They should notice where an object is in relation to the top, sides, or bottom of the viewfinder. Then, using chalk, draw it in exactly the same place on their drawing paper (they can use tissue to correct the chalk line if necessary). When they are satisfied that they have sufficient information from their chalk drawing to fill the paper, they are ready to begin applying oil pastels.
They don't need to concern themselves with making realistic colors. In fact, this composition might be more interesting if they were to use only five colors, applying the color firmly, but also allowing some paper to show through the pastel.
When they have finished coloring with oil pastels, suggest that they apply contrasting fluorescent marker colors of hot pink, turquoise, or orange marker on top of the similarly colored oil pastels. The effect is similar to crayon resist with ink, but the brightly colored markers give an entirely different effect.
These compositions will look best if they are mounted behind a neutral mat such as gray, white, or black.

PROJECT 6.11
Story Quilt

Grades–3–8

Curriculum connections–language arts, mathematics, science, social studies

Time needed–3–4 class periods

Elements and principles of art–variety, balance, emphasis

Vocabulary–applique, quilt blocks, kente cloth, symbols

Materials–pencils, 10” × 10” squares of white paper, fadeless paper or cotton cloth), fine-line black markers, scissors, thinned white glue

Background Information

Applique and other old quilting techniques were brought to the United States by slaves from Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, and Angola, and were an influence on quilting in the American South. Harriet Powers (1837–1911) was a famous African American quilter who inspired other artists with her quilting style. Your students might like to know that some African American quilters purposely included a “mistake” in the quilt because they felt that only God could make something perfect. Contemporary artist Faith Ringgold continues in the tradition of the story quilt with her sewn and painted quilts. Her work is represented in many museum collections. A story quilt that inspired this project was done by third graders in Debbie McConnell's art class at Barretts School in the Parkway School District, St. Louis County, Missouri. That quilt's theme was based on Native American myths and done entirely with cotton fabric rather than construction paper, with the “embroidery” done with Sharpie marker. In this project, fadeless or white paper is best for the background and the cutouts. These quilt designs will be keepers, and we recommend you use fadeless colored paper instead of colored construction paper, because the construction paper quickly fades. A limited number of background block colors (three to five) would provide unity to the composition. Each student will do a block, which will be taken home after the display of all the blocks together in one large quilt.

Figure 6.10a Pictorial Quilt, 1895–1898, Harriet Powers, 1837–1911, American, cotton plain weave, pieced, appliqued, embroidered, and quilted, 68 7/8” × 105”. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, bequest of Maxim Karolik, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Figure 6.10b Maya's Quilt of Life, 1989, Faith Ringgold, 1930, American, acrylic on canvas and painted, dyed, and pieced fabrics, 73” × 73”. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. Artists Rights Society New York. Photography by Edward C. Robison III.

Preparation

Involve students in deciding on a theme. Or students may prefer to tell a personal story. Possibilities are my favorite sports activity, my family, my home, my bicycle, or on the school bus. Precut 10” × 10” squares of cloth or paper.

Process

Students need to think about themselves in this picture. They will be fairly big, and other objects and people may be smaller. In this Harriet Powers quilt, point out how simple and large the shapes of the people are, as compared to symbols or other forms. Show them how to lightly draw the cut-outs on the back of various scraps of fadeless paper.
Before they glue the pieces on the 10” × 10” square of paper or cloth, have them arrange the pieces and get your approval. If cloth is used, background pieces should be glued to the tag board first, to make handling easier.
After everything is glued in place, they will do “embroidery.” Because this is paper (or even if it is cloth), they won't actually sew this. However, by carefully making short black lines (about 1/4” long) around the edge of each piece and onto the background, they can make it look like they sewed this piece onto its block.
To display, center each block on one 12” × 12” piece of colored paper (a single color for the background), placing them next to each other on a large wall. If you have too many squares for one quilt, make two quilts. A photograph of the class-mounted-story-quilt could be taken and photocopied, so that each student would have a souvenir of this special artwork.

Adaptations for Younger Students

Muslin Quilt

Small squares (6” × 6”) of muslin could be decorated by each student using fabric markers, crayons, paints, or pastels. A photograph of the class-mounted-story-quilt could be taken and photocopied, so that each student would have a souvenir of this special artwork that all worked on.

Curriculum Connections

Language Arts

Write the story of your quilt block. After students have created their individual blocks, have them write a story about their scene. These may be quite detailed and could be compiled into a classroom book. When the “quilt” is displayed on the wall, have the students tell their stories to the class, or invite parents for a special evening.

Math problems quilt. Depending on the ages of the children, each individual square could contain cut-out objects and a number stating how many objects there are. Because these designs will be relatively small, use plain background colors, allowing variety in the size and style of the objects and numbers.

Computer-designed quilt block. This is a natural for working on the computer. Students should work on an 8” × 8” format. Each might make a 1” border around the edge for easy assembly on the wall. Depending on the ages of the students, they can work in geometric forms or free drawing, using patterns and colors as they like.

Traditional geometric blocks (cut-out or computer generated). On 8” × 8” construction paper squares, have students assemble triangles and squares of various sizes to make a block. Four identical 8” squares glued together on 18” × 18” paper (leaving a 1” border all around) form yet another type of pattern.

Science

Creatures and their environments quilt blocks. Select an environment and have students research living creatures within that environment. A patch could show a creature and its surroundings, perhaps including a predator. Students could make several smaller “quilts” using such environments as the ocean, the African forest, a tropical rain forest, or an African veldt.

Social Studies

Favorite food quilt . Sandra Nickeson's students of the Guardian Angel Settlement (in St. Louis, Missouri) made a quilt in which each square had one item of food, such as pizza, an ice cream cone, a tomato, a green pepper, and so on.

My state quilt block. Each student could select a location in your state (or city) that people come to visit. They could base their pictures on information from the state's tourism bureau about the park, monument, building, harbor, or historic event.

Cultural quilt blocks. An entire class quilt could be made that represents one particular culture such as Native American, Asian, Egyptian, Hawaiian, Inuit, Hispanic, Pennsylvania “Dutch,” or Scandinavian, using motifs that are unique to that civilization. For example, South American folk-art arpilleras are three-dimensional applique fabrics that tell a story of everyday life of the people of the Andes.

Transportation quilt blocks. Research the evolution of transportation from ancient times. Each square could include something different, such as carts, trains, planes, automobiles, horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, boats, submarines, helicopters, balloons, blimps, inline skates, skateboards, and so on.

PROJECT 6.12
A Walk in the Woods

Grades–3–8

Curriculum connection–language arts

Time needed–3 class periods

Elements and principles of art–emphasis, line, color, variety

Vocabulary–printmaking stamp; sense: vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch

Materials–12” × 18” heavy drawing paper, cardboard, or Masonite to place under paper, new sharpened #2 pencils, PrintFoam cut into 2” × 2” plates, varicolored fresh watercolor markers (students can share), colored pencil

Figure 6.11 A Walk in the Woods, watercolor marker and colored pencil on paper, 12”x 18”.

Background Information

This lesson was inspired by a teacher workshop offered by Dr. Louis Lankford, Professor of Art Education at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Take a stroll in a nearby nature preserve or even on your playground. Challenge students to use most of their senses. Check with your state's Conservation Department, as they may provide colorful maps, illustrations of animal prints, birds, and trees and leaves that are native to your region.

Preparation

Discuss behaviors that you expect during the outdoor walk. Whether you take the students on a bus to an actual nature preserve, or stay on school grounds, expected behavior out of the building must be discussed. For a field trip off school grounds, be sure to have at least one other adult with you. Check with administration for any necessary paperwork or the number of adults required. Prepare for students to make stamps when they return to class by cutting the PrintFoam into 2” × 2” square blocks. Practice making your own stamp first. Watercolor marker makes a good printing ink when it is freshly applied to the “plate” before stamping.

Process

Before the Walk in the Woods

Tell students that they are going to make a map of their walk in the woods for others to follow. This walk in the woods challenges students to use three of their five senses: sight, smell, and sound. This definitely is not a place where taste is appropriate, and touch needs to be done using good sense, such as feeling the bark on a tree. They will use pencil to draw both sides of a pathway they have used. Request students to remain close enough together on the walk so they can hear you.

Make several stops for them to catch up on writing or sketching.

About the Walk in the Woods

Vision. Allow them to pause and draw something—such as a wildflower, fallen log, or bird's nest—using only pencil. When they return to the art room, they may use colored pencil to improve their drawing. When writing about colors, these should not be just one word such as “green,” but used with a description such as “forest green (dark),” “lime green,” “yellow green,” or “blue green.”
Hearing. Challenge students to stand still for a minute, making a list on the drawing paper of the sounds they hear (a bird chirping, a lawnmower in the distance, trucks on a highway, chain saws, or leaves rustling).
Smell. Students should describe three smells they detect.

After the Walk in the Woods—Back in the Classroom

Give the students a day to improve their pencil-drawn maps with colored pencil. Distribute small squares of PrintFoam printing plates that you have pre-cut into approximately 2” × 2” small squares or rectangles, on which students can use pencil to draw something that might have been in the woods.
Before making their design on the PrintFoam square, have students draw a number of designs on copy paper of something they might have seen in the woods. Tell them that the design should go from edge to edge on the stamp, and that any indentation they make with the pencil will remain white when the watercolor marker is applied. Student designs might be leaf patterns, the footprint of a wild animal, a section of tree bark, a small lizard, a butterfly, a mushroom, or a turtle.
When each person has completed a PrintFoam stamp, suggest that they use a watercolor marker to add one or two colors before stamping it onto his or her own map. They might choose to have stamps placed only in a border around the edges of their map, or others might like to see random stamps.
After they have made and used a stamp, they may visit at least some of the people in the class and offer to re-ink their stamp with watercolor marker and add the stamp to that person's map.
Ask students to write a paragraph about one thing they especially remember that happened on their trip into the wild.

Alternative Project

Before beginning the walk in the woods, present each student with a simple, letter-sized map of the path they will follow. During the walk, the teacher or guide will periodically stop and ask students to indicate where they are on the map and to jot down sounds they hear and aromas they smell at this particular spot, as well as to make a quick sketch of something they see nearby. Stop three to five times during the walk, repeating the procedure each time. When students return to the classroom, they can draw a much larger version of the map and provide drawings representing what they heard, smelled, and saw at specific locations on the map.