Submitted by: Cathy Rode, Freeport High School,
Freeport Long Island
UNIT: Careers in Art - Fashion Design
Lesson: Designing Clothing that is influenced by Animal, Plant or Insect
Grade Level: High School (adaptable to middle school)
  
Fashions Showing Peacock Influence
  
Supplies
Water colors (and/or watercolor
pencils)
Hot press watercolor paper
Visuals of animals, plants, insects
Brushes
Pastel and colored pencil
Vocabulary
Pattern - Texture - Form
Shapes - Variation - Overlap
Background - Center of interest
Balance line - Center line
Croquie (from croquis: sketch - a rough sketch or draft of
something (technical)
Objectives:
-Student will identify the
elements of art such as color, pattern, textures, shapes, and the forms
that are inherent in animal plants and insects . After finding inspiration
in the source, they will create outfits detailing these elements in a
unique way.
-Student will analyze and
redraw a figure. The same figure can be used twice by changing
the hair and facial features or reversing the direction of the original.
-Student will create a
background that accentuates and ties the fashion designs to the orignal
theme
Procedure:
Day 1
Explain that designers find
inspirational sources to re-invent the world around them
Discuss the use of outside
influences as a basis for fashion designs
Teacher shows examples of
costume designs and the animal plant or insect that it is based on and
describes the specific interchangeable elements
Using tracing paper overlays
over a croquie (fashion figure), teacher shows
animal, plant, and insect visuals and demonstrates different approaches
for creating a variety of
outfits with colored pencils
and pastels
Students are encouraged to take
risks and emphasize the essence of their subject and create a bold designs
Day 2 -3
After choosing influence
students will loosely create 6 small designs on a croquie with tracing
paper overlays.
Day 4
Teacher will describe how
different poses can accentuate and enhance the
thrust and movement of a design differently. Describe S , X, T,
poses
Student will choose 2 ideas and
will explore figure poses which will accentuate designs.
Sometimes I just do one design
Day 5-7
After choosing a pose, the
student will analyze the body sections, center line , balance line, and
weight of the figure on tracing paper overlays. They will redraw the
figure larger and then create the outfit on tracing paper overlays
(students have already been exposed to this process in preceding lessons)
Day 8
Students will design a
background behind the figure which
will draw attention to the designs. Backgrounds can be based on pattern,
the subject itself, or a subjective arrangement of all the elements
involved. Sometimes, if the process is too long for the class, I have them
render figures in watercolor and then do the background.
Day 9-19+
The entire design is
transferred to hot press watercolor paper and rendered
At completion, students
evaluate themselves based on a rubric
Assessment:
Assessment - Grade yourself on the following (Ex. A-,
A, A+, B-, B, B+, etc)
1. Creativity (idea is original and relates to the
original source)
Student: _____
Teacher: ______
2. Watercolor Rendering (Uses a light source and
shadow, paint is clean, smooth, not streaky)
Student: _____
Teacher: ______
3. Croquie Analyzation (all angles and body sections
are defined clearly, balance and center line are
indicated on tracing paper)
Student: _____
Teacher: ______
4. Croquie Rendering (93/4 head units for figure with
support leg closest to pit of neck)
Student: _____
Teacher: ______
5. Details in design (at least 3 influences combined
using color, pattern, texture, form, etc with a focal
point, sharp clear definition)
Student: _____
Teacher: ______
6. Background (brings attention to figures as opposed
to itself, incorporates the theme)
Student: _____
Teacher: ______
7. Effort and time on task (putting caring and full
attention to project, spends 95%of class time focused on
project)
Student: _____
Teacher: ______
8. Craftsmanship (neatness, cleanliness, and clarity
of medium and format.) Professional presentation –
matted
Student:
_____ Teacher: ______
Answer the following
questions.
1. What influence is your design based on?
2. Describe the elements that you chose from the
original and explain how and where you incorporated it into your design. Which one was emphasized most? Explain in
detail
3. What element did you use for a background?
4. Were you successful in drawing attention to
designs? Would you do anything different?
5. What risks did you take to make your design bold?
6. What did you do to make the background relate to
the theme?
7. Even though this took a long time, did you enjoy
the challenge?
8. What new technique or concepts did you learn?
Middle School Suggestion:
From Judy Decker: For middle school - maybe make a cardboard stage and runway (with slit cut out). Make fashion figures on tag board/poster board.... Use some of those cool nature printed papers (available from Sax). Cut out the fashion figure and glue/tape a skewer to the back side and then put on a fashion show (Insert the stick in the slit cut out and guide the figures down the run way - from under the stage. Maybe add a cloth skirt to hide the students. Stage can be revamped for puppet shows - sort of multi purpose). Select music that was/is also inspired by nature.
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