Submitted by: Lotte Petricone – Clarkstown Central School District, New York
UNIT: Bookmaking - Elements of Art - Illustration - Careers
Grade Level: Middle School (Grades 4 through 6)

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Project Goals:

• Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the Seven Elements of Art* through creating art to go with written memoirs about themselves.

• Students will be able to identify the Elements of Art in the art of picture books.

• Students will be able to write short memoirs about their own lives, and type the final drafts to use in the book.

• Students will be able to create a finished picture book of their memoirs and art, bound together.

• Student will see book illustration as a career choice.

Aligned with NYS Learning Standards for the Arts:

1.     Creating, Performing, & Participating in the Arts

2.     Knowing & Using Arts Materials & Resources

3.     Responding to & Analyzing Works of Art

4.     Understanding the Cultural Dimensions & Contributions of the Arts

Art Projects:

• The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van Allsburg
  Memoir and art about a dream you have for the future or have had once. SPACE/COLOR/TEXTURE/SHAPE – Mixed Media Collage
  

• Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco
  Memoir and art about a special grown-up that is in your life and what kinds of things you do with him/her.

  LINE/SPACE/COLOR/TEXTURE – Foam Print
  

• The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland, Tatsuro Kiuchi (illustrator)
  Memoir and art about an object that has special meaning to you.
  VALUE/FORM/SPACE/SHAPE/TEXTURE/LINE/COLOR – Colored Pencil Drawing

Alternate: Scratchboard with acrylic replaces Printfoam.

• Creating the Picture Book: Cover, putting the pages together and binding the book. Print out writing - trim - and mount on construction paper mat. UHU Glue sticks would be great for this project - Glue dries clear and really holds. Colored poster board could serve as covers. Frame shops may donate scrap mat board.

Note: You may select different books and author/illustrators for inspiration. A variety of materials could be used. Assemblage of the books depends partially on what materials you decide to use. Experiment with size. Art on these is probably about 6" x 6" with the matting around them making about 8" square. You can make them from 8" x 24" tag board scored to fold and add on any additional pages. This project takes a long time to complete. Lotte's students spent 10 weeks on this.

Students should write rough drafts of Memoirs as homework so they will be ready for computer time.

* Seven Elements of Art:

Line:
A line is a mark that is made on a drawing surface. A line can be a continuous mark and has no set end. A line can to used to express moods or anything abstract. Lines are linear marks made with a pen, pencil or brush or the edge created when two shapes meet. (Some people mistakingly attribute the dot as an additional element when it is simply a very short line)

Shape:
A shape consists of two dimensions (length as well as width) on paper or canvas. When the ends of lines meet together, they form shapes. A shape is a self contained defined area of geometric or organic form. A positive shape in a work of art automatically creates negative space around it.

Form:
A form has three dimensions; depth, width and height. Cubes, pyramids, spheres or cylinders are forms. Sculptures and decorative arts deal with form. Form may be created by the forming of two or more shapes. It may be enhanced by tone, texture and colour.

Value:
Value refers to the changes in the base color using light and dark, and shade and highlight. Typically, value can be controlled by adding black and white to a color. Value can also be represented by highlights, midtones and shadows in any painting or sculpture.

Texture:
Texture is the condition of a surface and can either be felt (as in sculpture) or simulated (as in drawings or paintings). Texture is created by the repetition and variation of form, colors, value, or patterns of line and can be seen in textiles and natural surfaces.

Color:
Color always has three characteristics; hue, value and the intensity. Hue means the shade of a color (as in red and pink), value refers to the lightness or the darkness of a color (as in dark and light blue) and intensity refers to the brightness or dullness of the color. Colors that can't be created by other colors are primary colors. Secondary colors are created by mixing primary colors. These colors can be further enhanced through value.

Space:
Space is an illusion of objects having depth on two-dimensional surfaces. Real space is actually three-dimensional. Space can be negative or positive. Positive space is everything that makes up a created object and the negative space is everything that is around the object that was drawn or painted.

(See the 7 Elements of Art for more)