lesson #4 |positive relief with tinfoil
We will teach students to create a positive relief image out of tin foil, yarn and sharpies. They will explore the ideas of line, positive, and negative space, and color it in to create an illusion of stained glass.
Essential Understandings:
Objective/Outcomes:
Students will be able to...
To see the lesson plan, click here.
Essential Understandings:
- Understand how artists and designers consider positive and negative space
- Understand how artists and designers use line in a composition
- Understand how artists and designers seek potential in everyday materials
- Understand how artists and designers visualize their ideas through sketches
Objective/Outcomes:
Students will be able to...
- After observing the demo, students will be able to create a series of sketches for their final product by visualizing their ideas
- Using their sketches, students will transfer their final idea onto cardboard by observation
- After having their final sketch on cardboard, students will be able to glue sting to the cardboard by following the lines of their drawing on the cardboard
- After gluing down their string, students will be able to cover their cardboard in foil by wrapping it around and taping in the back.
- After applying the foil, students will be able to color in their positive relief image by using the raised lines from the yarn as guides
- After completing their final piece, students will be able to understand the relationships between line, positive and negative space by discussing what the learned and how they used the materials
- Creative thinking
- Flexibility with open-ended prompt
- Visual thinking
- Manage multiple supplies to create a multi-step project
To see the lesson plan, click here.
Reflection
What worked well for this art experience? Why?
Students were initially very excited to execute this project. The mention of “stained glass” made them ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’. They had many ideas bouncing around for their designs, many liking the idea of flowers while many worked similarly to our example or putting a geometric spin on the example. Everyone’s sketches were successful in creating a concrete plan, and imagery or design large enough that would work well for this project. Drawing their designs onto the board went well--as they referenced their sketches. Although the surface production portion was difficult for many, once the foil was on their boards many students got back on the horse. They were determined and unwilling to give up--which I was proud of because I know this project was more challenging than we intended. But challenge can also be good! It helped them to problem solve, learn techniques if they were to create another, and to persist. I believe having the frustration of “oh the foil ripped” is still important, and a tad unavoidable. Once they got over that hump, they created some beautiful designs with the sharpies. For example: one student experimented with mixing the color and using many colors in her piece, one student focused on a thematic color pallet and specific strokes to express “radiance” , while another student chose. This project really teaches problem solving and approaching a project in a more gentle and meticulous way.
What didn’t work well for this art experience? Why?
Students became frustrated during the surface production portion of the project. Painting on the glue to the cardboard to stick the yarn required a lot of assistance, as it was difficult for many to understand the point of following the drawn lines. One student wanted to glue randomly in dots, not lines. So for this project, that approach would not work. Then once the glue was put down you had to move quickly to get the yarn to stick, so patience with multiple glue applications was necessary but just not there. Then applying the tinfoil over the yard, even I struggled. Getting the lines to come through was a challenge for some. I was working with Gloria and her lack of strength to really push and smooth down the foil, even using tools like a paintbrush, seemed to be difficult and easily frustrating even with assistance. Once they got over the hump of these few steps of the project they were golden, but it was sure a frustrating challenge for them.
What would you do differently? Why?
I think next time, using found objects that are more dense like small plastic toys or cardboard pieces would make the project easier but still exciting. The yarn gluing was way too tactile--yarn is still a possibility if the glue bottles worked and they could squeeze the lines of glue instead of painting them...but not every student had the capability to do that either. So perhaps giving the option of working glue bottles and yarn, or found objects with more density. Although the project was very difficult and frustrating, I wouldn’t say I’d never do it again. The students were great at persisting through and all really ended with a successful product, even if getting there was more difficult than usual.
-AP
Students were initially very excited to execute this project. The mention of “stained glass” made them ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’. They had many ideas bouncing around for their designs, many liking the idea of flowers while many worked similarly to our example or putting a geometric spin on the example. Everyone’s sketches were successful in creating a concrete plan, and imagery or design large enough that would work well for this project. Drawing their designs onto the board went well--as they referenced their sketches. Although the surface production portion was difficult for many, once the foil was on their boards many students got back on the horse. They were determined and unwilling to give up--which I was proud of because I know this project was more challenging than we intended. But challenge can also be good! It helped them to problem solve, learn techniques if they were to create another, and to persist. I believe having the frustration of “oh the foil ripped” is still important, and a tad unavoidable. Once they got over that hump, they created some beautiful designs with the sharpies. For example: one student experimented with mixing the color and using many colors in her piece, one student focused on a thematic color pallet and specific strokes to express “radiance” , while another student chose. This project really teaches problem solving and approaching a project in a more gentle and meticulous way.
What didn’t work well for this art experience? Why?
Students became frustrated during the surface production portion of the project. Painting on the glue to the cardboard to stick the yarn required a lot of assistance, as it was difficult for many to understand the point of following the drawn lines. One student wanted to glue randomly in dots, not lines. So for this project, that approach would not work. Then once the glue was put down you had to move quickly to get the yarn to stick, so patience with multiple glue applications was necessary but just not there. Then applying the tinfoil over the yard, even I struggled. Getting the lines to come through was a challenge for some. I was working with Gloria and her lack of strength to really push and smooth down the foil, even using tools like a paintbrush, seemed to be difficult and easily frustrating even with assistance. Once they got over the hump of these few steps of the project they were golden, but it was sure a frustrating challenge for them.
What would you do differently? Why?
I think next time, using found objects that are more dense like small plastic toys or cardboard pieces would make the project easier but still exciting. The yarn gluing was way too tactile--yarn is still a possibility if the glue bottles worked and they could squeeze the lines of glue instead of painting them...but not every student had the capability to do that either. So perhaps giving the option of working glue bottles and yarn, or found objects with more density. Although the project was very difficult and frustrating, I wouldn’t say I’d never do it again. The students were great at persisting through and all really ended with a successful product, even if getting there was more difficult than usual.
-AP