Positive & Negative Space Zentangles

Zen that tangle

My school year is divided into trimesters and each trimester, I switch which level of middle school I teach.  I recently (okay, it's been a few weeks now but I've been slacking on the blog) began the third trimester and am teaching eighth grade.  I'm awful with names, so this project was perfect to start with so that I could work on that skill (learning their names) AND still have an art agenda!  

Without much--or any--instruction, I started by having the students draw four patterns in their sketchbook, followed by four designs.  Then I asked them to describe the difference between design and pattern.  I also had them describe "variety" and how it can be used in design making.  We looked at our sketchbooks and what we had drawn, then discussed what makes a good design/pattern and a bad design/pattern and how variety can play a role.  We talked about variety in color, thin/thickness of a line, types of lines or shapes, direction/angle and anything else we could possibly come up with that you could vary in the process of art making.  We also made a list (they were actually drawings) of different types of lines and shapes on the white board.  Once we had a handle on those things, we moved on to talk about positive and negative space and what we would be doing with these various art words/techniques.

We started by drawing a 1.5" border around their paper (this was just an excuse to remind them how to hold and use a ruler to draw a straight edge as well as how to measure a border consistently instead of eyeballing it).  I asked them to write their name in bubble or block letters inside of their frame and to make sure none of their letters were touching.  I had them use their ruler to divide their framed area into six random sections.  In each section I had them draw a different type of line (just to keep them on their toes about the variety aspect--they have to incorporate that random line into a design somehow, right?).  I reminded them of what a Zentangle is and how they should keep adding details and eventually find that they are "lost in design."  I also reminded them to maintain their letters as the negative space and to fill designs/patterns right up against and in between each letter.  

I let them decide if they wanted to use one color or multiple colors and just encouraged those who chose multiple to keep an eye on even color distribution.  At the end, I told them that they could use colored pencils to add some shading if they wanted some depth to a few areas of their zentangle, but unfortunately, many of them thought that they could just color in their background (which kind of defeated our designs forming the positive and negative space instead of an outline or coloring in of something).  The variety came out great and many of them really grasped the concept of unity too!  I love having our halls decorated with these beautiful name designs!

As I go to post these photos, I realize how blurry they are and crooked many of them are, I apologize...I need to stop using the iPad as a camera, I never take good photos with that thing!

Batiks

5th Grade Batiks

I absolutely love batiks and even have one hanging in my classroom that my sister had brought me back from Tanzania.  So when I learned that you could make batik-esque artwork using gel glue instead of hot wax, I couldn't wait (seriously, I made it my very lesson plan) to put it to the test with my fifth graders!

I started by asking students if they knew what batiks were.  None of them did, but they did a great job of using context clues by taking guesses based on the photo I had up as the cover slide in my PowerPoint.  I explained a little bit about them and how, traditionally, they are made and where they are most commonly made in the world.  I then explained how we would be doing our own variation of batiks and they could choose whatever subject matter they wanted (whether they made a scene, a pattern/design or just a fun little picture).

We started by drawing our designs out on paper with pencil.  Once students liked their drawing, they traced it in marker (we used permanent marker which I will not use in the future, just because it isn't necessary.  I will just use washable markers next time).  The purpose of the marker is so that we can lay fabric (we used muslin) over our drawing and still be able to see the drawing.  We then used Gel Glue (from what I read, it must be gel glue, not regular white school glue) to trace the drawing onto the fabric.  Then set them on the drying rack.  I made the mistake of leaving the fabric on the paper and when the glue dried, the paper glued to the back of our fabrics...so lesson learned, be sure to lay the fabric on the drying rack by its lonesome!

Once the glue was dry, each student was able to paint their batik (well, first, we had to peel off the paper that glued itself to the fabric).  We used watered down acrylics and I reminded them to paint the entire piece of fabric (even over the top of the glue) and that later we would wash away the glue, and those lines/designs/drawings would be white.  We discussed how they did not need to "color inside the lines" with the paint, that the colors could mix and spread however they wanted them to.  The students painted their batiks to their liking and once again, they were on the drying rack.

Once the paintings were dry, I placed them in some tubs of warm water to let them soak (this helps with the removal of glue).  I tried washing the glue off directly under the sink at first; it worked but took much longer than the ones I soaked.  Personally, I let them soak overnight and in the morning, I washed each batik under the sink to remove the glue (at this point it was more like slime) and whatever paper crumbles had clung onto the backs of our fabrics.  I placed them on the drying rack (yet again) and let them dry for the last time!  They dry a little crinkled, which doesn't bother me, but I'm sure they could be ironed too.  The paint faded just a bit in the washing process, but all in all, I am in love with the results!  The kids were so excited to see their work in the hallway, almost as excited as I am!  This is a lesson I cannot wait to repeat (in fact, I introduced it to my middle school art club)

Star Design

Pattern and Design

Weeping Willow Tree

Turtle

Line Design

One Point Perspective

I introduced fourth grade to the concept of one point perspective.  I started by letting them take some guesses as to what it meant and they were pretty close with their guesses.  Most of them based their definitions off of the word "perspective" and their knowledge that it had to do with how you see something.

Once we had the definition down, we put our knowledge to work.  This lesson was also a good opportunity for me to show students how to hold and use a ruler as a straight edge.  I think it is an important skill to have, especially in art, and without this demonstration, a lot of them get tangled up in their own arms!  I had them make an eight sided shape somewhere on the top half of their paper and draw a small dot (or "point") anywhere on the bottom half of their paper.  We discussed how to match up the corners from the shape down to the point and how to know which ones to draw and which ones would be behind the three-dimensional version of the shape if it were real.

 We also took this as an opportunity to play with lines and shapes within patterns and designs.  In each section created from matching corners to the point, they were to draw a different design or pattern.

The kids did a great job and were eager to show off their one point perspective skills during their finished early time too!  Many of them played around with drawing more shapes and even letters in one point perspective!  It's fun to see them take a lesson and run with it by exploring other options.  I wish I had taken some pictures of their free time perspective drawings, they were pretty impressive!

Fall of 2014 Variation and Examples:

I taught the same great lesson to my 4th graders this year but I switched it up a little.  This time, I offered them a challenge.  If they did not want to do the 8-sided shape, they could do their name (or a word) in block letters...in One Point Perspective!  A lot of the kids were excited about that option and accepted the challenge.  Here are some of my (well, actually my students') results:

Some students finished their One Point Perspective early, I gave them an easy way to draw in Two Point Perspective: