Submitted by: Ken Schwab, Leigh
High School, San Jose CA
Unit: Painting/Design - Illumination
Lesson Plan: Illumination - Crayon Resist
Grade Level: High school 9 thru 12 (adaptable to middle school)
Alternate Lesson - Illumination - Calligraphy Self
Portrait
Click on the images for full size.
Resources:
Materials
Newsprint (18 x 24 - or whatever size you wish)
HB pencil - graphite (or Seral Transfer paper) Thick felt marker
Good drawing paper 80# (18" x 24")
Set of crayons, 24 colors
Black tempera paint - Water
Soft sable brush #5 or better
Teacher Preparation:
Make some handouts of Illuminated Manuscripts for
students. Font style handouts can easily be made using various fonts on
your computer. Dover Publications have some nice books on border
designs.
What is a
Crayon resist?
The word resist is used to describe the action in
which two materials or media repeal each other either chemically or
physically. In this art
piece we are using wax and water based paint to resist each other and
repel. The repelling of the
water in the paint with the wax of the crayon allows paint to be used
between shapes of crayon and shows a black line around the edges of the
crayon. This mixed media
work is using the black paint to show a contrast between the shapes of
crayon and gives the illusion of a stained glass window.
Some artists apply the paint over the entire crayon area and
scrape the paint off. We
will be leaving a space between shapes and then painted in the lines the
paint will resist the wax and only go onto the raw paper.
Stylized
design
The mode of design
called stylization means to simplify things to their most basic
components. Cartoons are
stylized and simplified versions of real things.
Sometimes when we stylize you can use less detail to show the
same thing. For instance,
if you were stylizing a bird and the feathers in the wing, you would
simplify the number of feathers to a smaller number in order to see that
it is a wing but not have to show every feather. Make some thumbnail
sketches on newsprint - Create a letter design on newsprint with
stylized objects to illustrate the letter. Use the handouts for ideas.
Work on border designs. Borders should relate to the letter in some way.
Creating a space between shapes
Materials needed:
Black Felt tip pen -
Graphite - Ballpoint pen -Good drawing paper 80#
1. After the design is
finished as an outline we want to make the line thick and create a space
between shapes. An easy way
to do this is with a large felt tip pen.
2. Go over the pencil
lines with the marker making a 1/8” to ¼” wide line around each
shape. This dark, thick
line will be the space between each shape.
3. Transfer the design
onto a piece of good drawing paper around 80# by using graphite on the
back and tracing over the newsprint with a ball point pen onto the white
paper. Place the drawing
paper on a drawing board or flat surface.
Next tape the newsprint with graphite on the back over the
drawing paper and tape it down on the top edge in two places. (Seral
Transfer Paper may be used to transfer if available)
4. Trace over the edge
of the black line with a ballpoint pen on both sides of the line.
When you are finished and remove the newsprint you should have a
space between each shape and you are ready to apply the crayon.
Applying the Crayon and using a color scheme
Materials needed:
Crayons- 24 color set -
X-acto knife
1. You can choose any
color scheme to work with I am going to use a double complement scheme
for this picture that will use two complementary pairs of colors as well
as black and white. The
complementary pairs have a warm color and a cool color to use.
These will be my contrast between the background and the
foreground.
2. By using a color
wheel I will be using red-orange-Blue green and Orange-Blue.
I will be trying
to use warm colors for the objects and cool colors for the background.
3. Applying the crayon is going to be done with layers of soft
color followed by white crayon and the use of greater pressure to
finally have a good amount of wax for the resist. Start with the lighter
colors first and apply a layer softly creating a gradation or slow
change between colors. Overlapping
the colors to change between one color and another should be a slow
transition.
4. You can use white
crayon to keep a color at the intensity that you like or add more layers
of crayon to make it deeper in color.
We are using the crayon like a colored pencil or paint in that
you can blend and mix colors. The
complimentary pairs will make browns and grays with careful mixing these
can show darker areas and shadows as well as give a variety of colors to
be used.
5. Use the wax of the
crayons in every shape so that they are thick and shiny.
Use enough wax to be as thick as possible. Check the edges of the
shapes for stray crayon lines and clean it off with an X-acto knife.
Making the resist
Materials needed:
Palette -- Water -- #5
red sable brush -- Paper towels
1. In a palette for
mixing paint add a small amount of black tempera and add a small amount
of water to thin it down to a milky consistency.
It should be able to drip of a loaded brush slowly.
2. With a brush, usually a #5 red sable
brush, dip it into the paint to charge the brush and lightly apply the
paint into the spaces between the crayon. It should resist the wax and
pull away, only going into the spaces that don’t have any crayon. Make
sure that the paint covers the space with a good black line. If it is
too thin add more paint. Don’t press hard with the brush and go back
for paint often to keeping the brush full and touching the paper
lightly. Do this over the entire paper and paint outside the circle for
a small distance.
Submitted
by Ken Schwab
UNIT: Design - Lettering
Lesson: Illumination - Self Portrait Name
Grade Level: High School (adaptable to lower grades)
Click images for larger
views
Materials:
Illustration board (or heavy drawing paper), Pencils, newsprint (for
planning), Seral transfer paper (or graphite for transferring), tempera
paints (or watercolors), assorted brushes, Ultra fine point Sharpies (or
pen and ink). Gold markers
Objective:
Create
a name design that reflects self through images and symbols.
Procedures:
- Students
brainstorm on images and symbols that represent who they are. Make
sketches on newsprint.
- Decide on using
first or last name for Illumination lettering assignment.
- Design first
letter of name incorporating the images and symbols. Plan remaining
letters to blend with the first initial.
- Transfer initial
to illustration board - transfer symbols images to create a pleasing
arrangement (remembering principles of design).
- Draw in remaining
letters of name. Embellish negative space if desired - adding border
etc.
- Paint with
thinned tempera paint or watercolors
- Render lines with
pen and ink or ultra fine point Sharpies... Add interest with cross
hatching and parallel line shading.
- Student write a
reflection on meaning of work. Meaning of names could be included.
