Art News recommended by Yong Chen : Turn over a new leaf: printmaking and painting pair up

Turn over a new leaf: printmaking and painting pair up
Arts & Activities, Nov, 2005 by Paula Guhin

MATERIALS

* Leaves

* Hot-press watercolor paper

* Watercolor paints

* Palettes

* Brushes

* Liquid dish soap

* Water containers and

* paper towels

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will ...

* develop skill in watercolor painting techniques.

* understand and be able to apply the principles of design.

* demonstrate their knowledge of color through the use of a harmonious color scheme.

* know the meaning of the words printmaking, stencil and mask.

Wet-on-wet, drybrush, salt crystals, blowing through a drinking straw. Been there, done that--and more. In an effort to help my students loosen up and enjoy watercolor, I've asked them to experiment with many application techniques. And the freedom to explore a variety of textural effects certainly is thrilling.

The snag, if there is one, is that young beginner painters might be so energized by such discoveries that the principles of design go right out of their stimulated little heads. The rules of composition may be lost in the excitement.

Does that mean I wouldn't lead my students in such engaging investigation? Not at all. But the painting and printmaking project described below has been very successful in the realms of repetition, balance, emphasis and arrangement of elements. Consider adding it to your teaching repertoire either in the early fall or late spring.

Sometimes the rules of composition get lost when beginning art students get excited. Try this project, which involves printing and stenciling, and is successful in the realms of repetition, balance, emphasis and arrangement of elements.

GATHERING MATERIALS Ask students to bring in a variety of leaves in different shapes and sizes, but nothing too tiny. You'll also need watercolor paints, brushes (including large flats), liquid dish soap, water containers, paper towels and palettes. For the latter, the lid of paint sets will suffice. Finally, good-quality hot-press watercolor paper would be ideal, but smooth white drawing paper will do if necessary.

Gather the young artists around you for a demonstration. Remind them of the wisdom of selecting a limited palette, possibly of analogous or complementary colors. Show the classmates some finished examples with pleasing color schemes and compositions.

MAKING AN IMPRESSION On a palette, mix a tiny bit of liquid dishwashing soap with vivid watercolor paint, to help prevent beading. Place a leaf into the paint on the palette, with the underside (or vein side) of the leaf up. Place the painted side down on the paper and press with a folded paper towel. Carefully lift the leaf off the paper and repeat the process, perhaps painting the same leaf or a new one with other colors before stamping elsewhere on the page.

If the paper is damp, the imprint will lack crispness. To prevent blurry impressions, be sure the paper is dry in the area in which you wish to stamp a leaf.

LEAF-MASK STENCILING Place a leaf, smooth side down, on a dry area of your paper. Use a brush full of clean water to wet the paper about an inch away from the leaf, all around it. Prepare a large flat brush full of intense paint. Hold the leaf down and brush the paint out from the center of the leaf and into the dampened areas. Repeat with the same leaf, or a new one.

Some students may work too slowly, allowing the clear water "halo" to dry and thus losing the soft effect of wet-into-wet. Another potential problem is thin, watery paint that runs under the leaf, obscuring its shape.

Students may work their paper either horizontally or vertically, combining the stamping and stenciling methods. They should build a composition of positive and negative shapes gradually, letting areas dry before going back into them. Enhancements should be added judiciously: a few painted lines as veins, stems or branches, if desired, or sparse splatters to add interest.

These natural wonders are great practice with printmaking and painting. "Leaf" it to watercolor!

VOCABULARY

* Analogous and complementary colors

* Balance

* Emphasis

* Positive and negative

* Repetition

* Stencil and mask

* Variety

Paula Guhin recently retired from teaching art at Central High School in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and serves as a contributing Editor for Arts & Activities.

Bibliography for "Turn over a new leaf: printmaking and painting pair up"
Paula Guhin "Turn over a new leaf: printmaking and painting pair up". Arts & Activities. Nov 2005. FindArticles.com. 23 Sep. 2006.

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