Cookie-Cutter Prints Early Childhood
The Art Problem
How can we introduce simple printmaking to young students?
Materials
sulphite construction paper, tempera paints, plates to use as paint
palettes, plastic cookie cutters in
easily identifiable shapes
Procedures
1. Explain that printmaking is a
technique that artists use to reproduce a design.
2. Pour tempera paints onto plates.
Demonstrate how to dip a cookie
cutter into the paint and press it
onto sulphite construction paper
without wiggling or smearing it.
Also demonstrate what the print
looks like if the artist chooses to
move the cookie cutter.
3. Continue by having students
select cookie cutters, dip them into
paint, and press them onto the
paper. Encourage students to use
the entire paper.
4. When printmaking is complete,
students should carefully carry their
papers and lay them on a drying
rack.
Assessment
Did students complete the steps
as directed? Can students identify
pleasing elements in the completed
work?
By Laurie Bellet, art specialist at
Oakland Hebrew Day School in
Oakland, California, and creative
consultant for Torah Aura Productions.
Kente Creations Middle School
The Art Problem
How can students make connections between art and social studies
in a fun, inexpensive way?
Objective
Students will weave kente cloth
designs from paper.
Materials
1" ( 2. 5 cm) and 1½" ( 3.75 cm)
paper strips and 9 x 4½" ( 23 x
11 cm) weaving bases in maroon,
purple, green, yellow, pink, blue,
red grey, silver, black, and white;
scissors (regular and shaped); rulers;
paper cutter
Procedures
1. Relate the story of Anansi the
Spider and show samples of kente
cloth. Give students a key to the
meaning behind the kente cloth
colors. Define warp and weft.
2. Students select a base for the
warp of their weaving.
3. Prepare the weft by folding the
paper in half. Mark 2 cm down
from the open edges and draw a
line across.
4. On the drawn line, mark off a
1 and 2 cm pattern for the loom
warp. Draw straight lines to the
fold.
5. Cut along the lines, being careful
to stop at the initial line across the
top edges.
6. Open the loom warp and plan
a pattern using the colors in the
kente cloth color guide.
7. Review basic weaving instructions and weave strips. Optional:
When done with the initial weaving,
use narrow strips to weave several
lines in the opposite direction.
8. Using narrow strips (cut with
shaped scissors, if desired) weave
on top of some of the weft strips to
create an interesting pattern.
9. Place all the weavings together
to make a dazzling display.
Assessment
Did students follow instructions
accurately? Did the student plan
a color pattern that has specific
meaning?
By Laurie Bellet, art specialist at
Oakland Hebrew Day School in
Oakland, California, and creative
consultant for Torah Aura Productions.
Contemporary Trophies Elementary
The Art Problem
How can you integrate art history
with contemporary activities?
Objectives
Students will create symmetrical tro-
phy shapes based on ancient Greek
vessels and illustrate contemporary
sports on them.
Materials
examples of ancient Greek vessels,
9 x 12" ( 23 x 30) manila or other
construction paper to fold into pat-
terns, scissors, 9 x 12" heavy white
drawing paper, pencils, markers,
colored pencils
Procedures
1. Show and discuss examples of
ancient Greek vessels and share
some of the history of the Olympics.
Ask students to identify contem-
porary sports in which they are
interested and discuss the kinds of
trophies and awards that are given
today.
2. Have each student fold a 9 x 12"
piece of paper in half to create a
template for a trophy. Ask them to
draw a symmetrical shape to serve
as the outline of a trophy, taking
care that the center of the trophy
is placed along the fold line. Check
each one before students cut them
out.
3. Have students cut out their pat-
terns and trace them onto heavy
white paper.
4. Ask students to draw illustrations
and designs for their chosen sports
on their trophies. They can outline
them in marker and color them
with colored pencil.
Assessment
To what extent did students use
contemporary sports as the subjects
of their trophies? Is the particular
sport chosen easily identifiable?
Was an interesting symmetrical
shape made for the trophy?
By Nancy Walkup, editor of
SchoolArts. nwalkup@davisart.
com
Let Them Draw Cake! High School
Objective
Students will combine drawing from
observation with design as they
create small compositions based on
cupcakes or other treats.
Materials
cupcakes or other decorated edible
treats, scraps of corrugated cardboard, pencils, ball-point pens, India
ink and bamboo pens or nib pens,
permanent markers, white china
markers, watercolors or diluted
acrylic paint in a limited palette
Procedures
1. Bring in enough cupcakes or
other treats—ones with interesting
forms, patterns, colors, etc.—for
your whole class and ask each student to choose one.
2. Challenge students to create
realistic drawings of their treats on
scraps of cardboard using only pencil, some form of black ink, white
china marker for highlights, and
muted/neutralized color washes in a
limited palette.
3. Encourage students to use
everything they know about
strong drawing and good design,
including weighted lines, beautiful
mark-making to model the forms,
cropping, overlapping, repetition,
and other compositional strategies
that you emphasize in your class. In
the accompanying illustration, my
student incorporated the circular
cupcake liner with its holiday pattern as a design element in her
composition.
4. At the end of the class, allow
everyone to enjoy their treats.
Student Extension
Photograph and print the images
on cardstock to make sets of note
cards to be sold as a fundraiser for
your art department.
By Betsy DiJulio, a National
Board Certified art teacher at
Princess Anne High School in
Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Artwork credit: Roni Gordon, grade 11.
