Art News recommended by Yong Chen : Turning images into stories

Turning images into stories
Arts & Activities, Oct, 2005 by Cynthia Compton

A language-arts activity that combines watercolor techniques, imagination and writing is one called "Image Writing." Instead of writing a story and illustrating the pictures to go with it, in this approach, students look at paintings they've produced, find a common thread linking them and then write the story. Not only is this activity an imaginative way to publish stories, it also exposes students to a variety of basic watercolor methods.

In the first step, students complete seven different watercolor techniques, lay the pictures on the floor and decide what story the pictures might tell. It's a wonderful process that serves to stir the imagination.

PREPARATION AND MANAGEMENT

Day 1: Use a new sheet of white construction paper for each watercolor technique described. After each student completes seven sheets of watercolor paintings, let them dry. Place each individual's paintings on a labeled newspaper sheet to prevent arguments of ownership.

Day 2: Have students lay their sheets out on the floor and decide what the pictures look like: an animal, a stormy night, dragon tails? Have students write their first thoughts lightly in pencil, on back of each image sheet.

With the sheets spread out in front of them, students will decide what kind of story might develop and arrange sheets in the order in which the events might happen. If students can see they need more of a certain page, they can duplicate it as many times as needed, which gives them more practice using certain techniques.

Let students further use their imagination by adding figures or characters drawn on other paper, cut out and later glued to the watercolor painting for a three dimensional perspective.

Day 3: Another day (or several days) will be needed for the actual writing process including rough and final drafts. My fourth-grade students wrote their rough drafts and then later wrote a final draft, cutting out the written lines and gluing them to the corresponding page. If time allows, have students or a volunteer type up the final drafts.

WATERCOLOR TECHNIQUES Demonstrate each technique prior to students trying it themselves. (For successful demonstrations, I suggest trying each technique ahead of time.) I allowed students to gather around a student desk for the initial demonstration. Repeat the procedure again, leading students through the technique steps as a whole class. Several techniques require beginning with a wash of color. Mix a thin blend of water and color to the consistency of cream. The first step is to use masking tape on the top and bottom of each page to mount white construction paper on a solid surface. Student desks work great if they are level.

PUBLISHING AND CULMINATING ACTIVITIES The way students complete this project is up to each individual teacher. Students might decide to have the watercolor painting be a background and add colored figures or houses in another media. This method gives it a three-dimensional look. While looking at the paintings they might see one shape that looks like a fish and outline it and add more by gluing fish shapes on. I have my fourth-grade students type or write their stories in rough-draft form. They need to decide what writing goes with each painting. Each set of sentences is typed on a sheet to face each picture and assembled as a picture book.

Since this project is a watercolor experience, I have my students design a book cover using one of the watercolor techniques they liked the best. They also choose a person to dedicate the book to on a separate title page. We look at other picture books to see how the authors did the title pages to get ideas. I used a binding machine to put the books together.

Students are so proud of the finished product. Not only did they come up with interesting and beautiful paintings, but also shared a stow about the images created. As a culminating activity I've had my students share their picture books with younger students. Primary grade students could share their stories with older students or invite parents to the classroom for a sharing time.

The excitement that is in the class at each stage of the project is wonderful to see and hear. Allowing students to experiment with watercolor painting in new ways opens up their imagination and leads to a wonderful way to illustrate their stories while learning different watercolor techniques.

MATERIALS

* White construction paper (8-10 per student)

* Watercolor paint sets

* Straws

* Bottles of Bubbles

* Watercolor brushes in variety of sizes

* Table or pickling salt

* Paper towels

* Masking tape

* Water

* Small kitchen sponges (cut into 1- to 2-inch squares)

* Toothbrushes (old or new)

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will ...

* demonstrate several different watercolor techniques.

* use watercolor images to enhance the writing process.

* use visual, kinesthetic and verbal learning styles in this writing process.

* include all the basic elements of a story in their writing process.

* increase their ability to use their imagination, choose story topics and development story sequence.

WATERCOLOR TECHNIQUES

Wet on Wet: Using a large, wide watercolor brush, or other paintbrush, paint a bright color as a background wash. When entire page is covered with one color and paint is still wet, use a small brush and run other colors in "S" shapes vertically across the page. I used light pink as the background color and added purples, blues and greens for the "S" shapes. The second colors will Bleed through the background color creating a variety of shades and shapes.

Sponge Painting: Cut small sponges into 1- to 2-inch squares ahead of time. Dip sponge into clean water, squeeze out excess, dip the sponge into the desired color of paint and gently dab onto the paper. Be sure to rinse out sponge when using a new color. Try a dry sponge dipped into the watercolor paint square and dab onto the paper. Fill the entire page as desired. Cut sponges into other shapes for another variation.

Sponge Twirl: This is a variation of the sponge technique and uses the end o the sponge. Place desired color on a wet sponge. Dab out excess water on a paper towel and twist sponge as you apply the color to the page. Fill page with various colors or shades of the same color.

Toothbrush Splatter: Using a toothbrush or the end of a dry, 1-inch, flat paintbrush, flick paint onto the page by dipping the brush in paint with bristles facing downward and use one finger to flick the paint onto the paper. Splatter all over the paper using different colors.

Salt and Wash: Using a big paintbrush, create a gradual wash of three colors. I chose pink, purple and blue. While paints are still wet, sprinkle table salt, or pickling salt onto the page. The salt will melt and mix with the water creating a speckled looking effect.

Straw and Sponge Combination: Mix a blend of water and color to the consistency of cream and place about a 3-inch diameter of a circle of the mix at the center of paper and use a straw to blow the color around the page. Add other colors using the same procedure. Use a sponge to dab in color to fill the page.

Bubble Painting: Place splotches of color as desired onto page, then blow bubbles through a bubble wand onto the page. Bubbles will pop and spread the color in unique ways.

Cynthia Compton of Sagle, Idaho, has been a teacher for 20 years in a variety of schools settings. Methods described in this article were inspired by "Image-Making within the Writing Process[TM]," an art-based literacy program developed by Beth Olshansky at the University of New Hampshire. For more information, visit www.image-making.org.

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