Submitted by:
Tina Moulton, School of St. Mary, Lake Forest, Illinois
UNIT: Colored Pencil Rendering - Trademark/Copyright Law -
Recycling
Lesson: Living on the Edge - "Illegal Art"
(Extending the edges of postcard)
Grade Level: Middle School (adaptable to upper elementary)
Many thanks to the artists of these
characters and to the photographer of Statue of Liberty.
Tweety Bird is a registered Trademark of Warner Brothers (and is
used here with their permission).
Objectives:
Students will
- Use imagination to extend
composition - utilizing elements and principles of
design.
- Develop skills in color
blending and color matching with colored pencils.
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Materials:
One postcard or note card per
child (ask parents to donate post cards and old
greetings cards)
Colored Pencils, pencils,
black markers (optional)
White drawing paper 12 x 18 |
Summary: After a brief
introduction to copyright and trademark law - students put on
their "Fair Use" hats and create compositions
extending the edges of a postcard image. This is a great way to
recycle donated postcards.
Rationale: Students
LOVE drawing their favorite cartoon characters - This lesson
highly motivates children. But, they also need to know the real
issues facing artists who wish to promote their work.
"Freedom of Expression" allows them to create the work
of art. Even licensing agreement forms request to see an example
for review - thus authorizing the creation of the work. However,
that does not grant them the right to publicly display their
work. To do so is a violation of trademark and copyright law.
(Note: I wrote to Warner Brothers for permission to use the
image that is on this plan. I waited over 4 weeks for a reply).
Preparation: Collect
more than enough post card or greeting card images for your
students. Tina had a stack of postcards donated and came up with
this lesson to use them. You could use fine art images, too.
Copyright/Trademark
Resources (See Composite Images
Lesson)
Vocabulary:
Copyright
- Fair Use - Trademark
- Appropriation
- Derived Art
- First
Amendment
Instruction:
The teacher leads the class in a brief discussion of copyright
and trademark law. Terms such as appropriation and derived art
are presented. Consequences are presented (what happens in the
Real World when and artist infringes on copyright/trademark?).
Students view "Illegal Art" web site online as well.
Through a web quest - they are directed to some real cases as
well as resources for learning more....such as Name Brand
Bullies.
Once they review the resources, they decide their freedom of
expression is important, so they create this fun project
learning about colored pencil shading and extending the
composition - camouflaging the original post card into a
completed composition. They determine that Fair Use provisions
of copyright law allow this use (in educational setting).
Teacher reads this statement
from a well known company (copied from a how to draw book):
"No license is herein
granted for the use of any drawing of a 'D' character for any
commercial purpose, including, but not limited to, the placing
of any such drawing on any article of merchandise or the
reproduction, public display or sale of any such drawing.
Any use other than home use by the reader of any such drawing is
prohibited."
"D" characters are
not allowed in school.... so stay away from everything
"D". Tina did not use any "D" cards.
Procedure:
-
Student artists will
decide on the placement of the postcard. Card should not be
placed directly in the center (think of rule of thirds - so
postcard image is a focal point).
-
Using pencil, students
are to continue the design around the card, eventually
filling the entire sheet of paper. Originality and
imagination is important in extended composition.
-
After sketch is complete,
students use colored pencil to MATCH EXACTLY the colors on
the card. The entire card is completely colored.
Students may have to blend colors to achieve the correct
color.
-
Students write a short
response on copyright and trademark law. Why is it important
to respect copyright and trademark laws? Why do corporations
protect use of their trademark? Why is freedom of expression
important? How can an artist express freedom of expression
and also stay within copyright/fair use guidelines?
Extensions:
Students will be given extra
credit for any copyright /trademark violation art they find
online. Write a short statement if the use is Fair Use - Parody
- or other use (such as Freedom of Expression - non commercial)
Give them a few clues how to go about doing this assignment. I
found quite a few WB and D characters in my surfing. Some "MacD"
art, too. A few sites have statements about the trademarked
images.
Assessment/Rubric
(Rubric
revised 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:
Living
on the Edge - Extending the Post Card
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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 – Originality in extended
composition - good use of design principles
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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 – Colored pencil
rendering - matching colors - colored pencil technique
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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 – Response paper on
copyright and trademark law
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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:
National Standards:
| 1.
Understanding and applying media, techniques, and
processes |
2.
Using knowledge of structures and functions |
3.
Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter,
symbols, and ideas |
5.
Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and
merits of their work and the work of others |
6.
Making connections between visual arts and other
disciplines |
| Students
select media, techniques, and processes; analyze what
makes them effective or not effective in communicating
ideas; and reflect upon the effectiveness of their
choices |
Students
generalize about the effects of visual structures and
functions and reflect upon these effects in their own
work |
Students
integrate visual, spatial, and temporal concepts with
content to communicate intended meaning in their
artworks |
Students
compare multiple purposes for creating works of art
(TALK ABOUT PURPOSES OF
POST CARDS - GRAPHIC DESIGN)
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(RELATE
COPYRIGHT LAW TO SOCIAL STUDIES AND LANGUAGE ARTS) |
| Students
intentionally take advantage of the qualities and
characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes
to enhance communication of their experiences and ideas |
Students
employ organizational structures and analyze what makes
them effective or not effective in the communication of
ideas |
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Students
describe ways in which the principles and subject matter
of other disciplines taught in the school are
interrelated with the visual arts |
[MIDDLE
SCHOOL LESSONS] |
