Ukiyo-e
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sion of the artist. The artist signed each print.
dents had to think about the direction of their sketch and whether it
was landscape or portrait to know
which way to produce the fading.
Kyle, grade eight.
Cutting and Printing
The sketches were transferred to the
linoleum, and students cut out the
sky and/or water in the design. This
was the first image printed on their
backgrounds. Like ukiyo-e prints,
many areas of color defined the different sections of the landscape. Students would print one color, cut more
out of the linoleum, and print again,
over and over, until the design was
complete. Unlike ukiyo-e, we did not
use a different plate for each color;
students became very good at registering the block each time so that the
images matched up perfectly in their
prints.
Having students create views of
their locale strengthened the camaraderie of the class while they were
making the prints. It has been my
experience that students work harder
when invested in projects for which
they create their own visions of their
environment. The assessment of
the project ranged from occasional
prompts in their journals, such as
a checklist of skills acquired, and a
class critique at the end.
When this project has cycled
through all of my eighth graders this
year, we will have our own Hiro-shige-inspired 100 views of our school
district, and they will hang together
in our art festival at the end of the
school year. Hopefully, our fading
skies will impress their viewers as
well.
Betsy Menson Sio is an art teacher at
Jordan-Elbridge Middle School in Jordan,
New York. Sio5@verizon.net
NATIONAL STANDARD
Students intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and
processes to enhance communication
of their experiences and ideas.
WEB LINK
web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/
ukiyoe/ index.html.
