Submitted by: Ken
Schwab,
formerly of Leigh
High School, San Jose CA
Ken's Web Site: http://www.artteacherplans.com/
Grade Level: High School
Pastel Lesson below - Ball Point Pen Poinsettia
illustration by Marvin Bartel. Have some fun! Start with Greg Percy's song "Georgia"
- Alternate Lesson: Glue Relief Flowers by Sue Stevens - See Gallery for this lesson
Objectives: Students will
- Become aware of the work of
Georgia O'Keeffe - Critique various works
- Closely observe nature - focus on
subtle color changes
- Focus down on flower of other
object of nature - find beauty in nature
- Effectively use elements and
principles of design
Resources:
DVD's
Georgia O'Keeffe
- This star-studded movie is about the artist's life. Celebrated photographer and art impresario Alfred Steiglitz is shocked to learn that the extraordinary drawings he has recently discovered were rendered by a woman. Deciding to display the work of then-unknown artist Georgia O’Keeffe in his gallery without her knowledge, the fiercely private artist orders him to remove the collection.
Georgia O'Keeffe
- This is the documentary of O'Keeffe by Lifetime television.
Great Women Artists: Georgia O'Keefe
- The program provides an in-depth look into her life, and includes numerous examples of her works while examining her style which made her unique in the world of art. This original program also features spectacular imagery and many rare historical photographs.
Books
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Collections
- Georgia O'Keeffe has been the subject of many fine art books, but this generously designed volume is a standout. Published to mark the tenth anniversary of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, it showcases 335 works.
Georgia O'Keeffe and New Mexico: A Sense of Place
- This book catalogues O’Keeffe’s work in side-by-side comparisons of 20 paintings with recent, commissioned, full-color photos of their actual sites, which pinpoint the exact perspective of the paintings.
Optional: Experimental
Watercolor Techniques.
Procedures:
1. Look at the work of
Georgia O’Keeffe and discuss the use of cropping down the format and
looking deep into the flowers for the composition.
2. Using live flowers in
class make several contour studies of the flowers or groups of
flowers. Make them
large, such as 11" x 14" (28 x 36 cm). Optional: After you draw the contours crop it down with a ruler so that
the background or negative space is reduced and you could even have some
areas stick outside the format - See
example
3. Transfer with graphite
onto illustration board. Keep the lines light.
4. Demonstrate three
watercolor techniques, Wash, Wet on wet, and Lifting (gradation).
Use paper towels to dry up the brush for the lifting technique.
Practice a small area of the composition by transferring a small
area on scrap board. I have
them do this for a grade.
5. Start when ready using
many layers of color to bring out the transparency of watercolor.
6.
Critique student work
Suggestion:
Contact a local florist for flowers. They may provide them as a public
service - good PR for them. Credit the florist them when you post the or display
the work. If real flowers are not available, get an assortment of quality
silk flowers that you can use from year to year. If you
plan on doing this lesson from year to year, have students take
photographs of flowers, or photograph some yourself.
Alternate:
Materials
needed:
Newsprint
Illustration Board
Pencils
- Colored Pencils
Erasers
Plants and flowers
Watercolor Paint
Palettes
Brushes
Paper towels
Teacher made hand out
Assessment:
(sample rubric adapted from Marianne Galyk)
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Assessment
Rubric:
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Student Name:
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Class Period:
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Assignment:
Watercolor
in style of Georgia O'Keeffe
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Date Completed:
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Circle the
number in pencil that
best shows how well you feel that you completed that criterion for
the assignment.
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Excellent
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Good
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Average
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Needs
Improvement
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Rate
Yourself
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Teacher’s
Rating
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Criteria 1 – Contour drawing of
flower(s) - cropped to make more interesting
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10
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9 – 8
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7
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6 or less
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Criteria 2 – Color layering to
show subtle value changes and transparency
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10
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9 – 8
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7
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6 or less
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Criteria 3 – Watercolor techniques:
wash, wet in wet, dry brush and lifting
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10
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9 – 8
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7
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6 or less
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Criteria 4 – Effort: took time to
develop idea & complete project? (Didn’t rush.) Good use of
class time?
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10
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9 – 8
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7
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6 or less
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Criteria 5 – Craftsmanship – Neat, clean & complete? Skillful use of the
art tools & media?
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10
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9 – 8
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7
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6 or less
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Total:
50
x
2 = 100
(possible
points)
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Grade:
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Your Total
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Teacher Total
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Student
Comments:
Teacher
Comments:
Also
see: Georgia O'Keeffe
- Sue Galos Adaptation
- Sue Galos
Using Pastels
- work from Ken Schwab's High School students
Follow the same
procedures substituting pastels. Student work on colored paper for best
results. Work large. I imagine these drawings are close to 18" x
24" (46 x 61 cm).
Work from Andy
DiConti's Middle School students
Andy's students worked on watercolor paper to give this rich textural
look.
Submitted
by Sue Stevens
UNIT: Still life - Georgia O'Keeffe - Nature - Color
Lesson: Glue Relief Flowers - with Gel FX Crayons
Grade Level: Elementary - Middle School - High School (examples are high
school)
Materials:
Crayola Project Glue - (regular school glue will work - but doesn't
dry as clear)
Crayola® Construction Paper Crayons
- they are designed for black paper.
Also useful Crayola Metallic FX Crayons
Black Construction Paper (Although school grade construction paper does work, the
colours (colors) are not as bright and the glue lines are grey rather than
black. Sue uses a paper called "Hopper Hots" (Hard to come by) which is a fade resistant
light-weight card stock which is available in large sheets. Elementary teachers might want to try Tru Ray Recycled Fade-Resistant Construction Paper)
Pictures of flowers (You could have the students find their own for
homework, or take the class to a computer lab and search/print). Actual
flowers are helpful, too - OR use high quality "silk" flowers
(you should have some that look realistic)
Drying Rack or space to dry (must be large enough to have all the sheets
lay flat for 24 hours)
Instructions:
- Students
should have in front of them the black paper, a bottle of glue, and
their picture of a flower. Students should work direct onto the paper
(pencil
lines will show through the glue). Looking at the picture, students
should create a basic contour drawing of the flower in glue on the
black paper. To create good glue lines, the bottle should ALWAYS be
pulled (not pushed), and should also be SQUEEZED at the same time
(there needs to be a fairly thick line of glue created). The glue will
dry clear, and on black paper will look like shiny black.
- The
glue drawings need to dry overnight (you can tell when it is dry).
- Once
the glue is dry, students can start to colour (color). Students should
aim for good dimension and texture, realistic colours (colors) are not
necessarily important.
Using the various crayons, students should apply a thick amount of
colour, blending using different coloured crayons. If crayon gets on
the glue lines, they can be cleaned at the end with a slightly damp
tissue and a fingernail.
- Optional
- color negative space.
Alternate
Lesson: Glue Line with Watercolors
This
is a popular lesson - and appeared in Arts and Activities magazine.
Materials:
Flowers and or plants, Watercolor Paper (or heavy Drawing Paper), Glue, Watercolor Paint, Brushes, Sharpie Ultra-Fine Markers (optional)
Procedures:
- Draw
flowers/plants directly on the watercolor paper (no pencil outline).
Draw all contours with glue (any white glue that dries clear will
work)
- Let
dry completely
- Paint
with water colors
- When
dry - outline with the ultra fine point Sharpies (optional - they look
striking without the outline, too)
