learning objectives a very talented fellow art teacher...

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by Joan Sterling

later began to paint landscapes. Gustav Klimt was best known for

creating a style known as Art Nouveau, in answer to the Industrial Revolution of the early 20th century. Cities were growing and factories were expanding. Art Nouveau was a reaction to technol-ogy, using curving shapes, flat, decora-tive patterns and handmade materials. The Art Nouveau artists extended art into all parts of people’s lives: build-ings, furniture, dishes and clothing.

Klimt’s art is full of detailed patterns and beautiful metallic colors, especially gold. Two of his best-known paintings are The Kiss and Tree of Life, which exemplified the Art Nouveau style.

To introduce the lesson, I shared various prints by Klimt. Students were enthralled with the bright colors, detailed patterns, realistic faces and his striking use of gold. We compared his

A very talented fellow art teacher of mine, Phil Miller, shared a great

lesson using the wet-on-wet watercolor technique as a base for block printing. He had fourth-graders etch line designs on polystyrene foam and use them to print over their watercolor papers.

The results were very striking and impressive for such a simple printmak-ing project. I began thinking of other possibilities. What else could we print over beautifully hand-painted papers? Inspired by Gustav Klimt’s Tree of Life painting, I experimented with the tech-nique and the results were spectacular!

Gustav Klimt was born in Vienna in 1862. His father was a goldsmith, which had a lasting influence on his art, as did a visit to Italy, where he saw beautiful mosaics in the churches. At age 14, he received a scholarship to the Vienna Public Art School. After gradu-ating, he painted realistic portraits and

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upper-elementary students will …• use wet-on-wet watercolor techniques.• incise a printing block, ink it and make prints.• sign and number an edition.

MATERIALS

• Gustav Klimt prints, especially Tree of Life• 6" x 8" white copy paper• 6" x 8" polystyrene foam trays• 8" x 10" heavy (90-lb.) drawing or watercolor paper• Large brushes and water• Paper towels• Pencils and erasers• Black water-soluble printing ink or tempera• Brayers• Newspapers • Transparent tape and masking tape

Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button to download the rubric and reproducible vocabulary worksheet mentioned in this article. see GUSTAV on page 40

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paintings and stu-dents noticed that although the faces

were very three-dimensional and realis-tic, everything else was rather flat and stylized. I showed students how his art-work progressed from his early years into this Art Nouveau style, and shared biographical information to support this progression. We then focused on Tree of Life, discussing the stylized quality with the lovely patterns and gold overtones.

I explained to students that our project would include both printmak-ing and painting, while asking them if they could explain the dif ference. We decided that prints are a way of making more than one copy with var-ious methods, including stamping, block printing, silkscreens, printers,

etc., whereas paintings are single, original works made by applying paints with a tool, such as a brush or palette knife.

The first session we focused on cre-ating our wet-on-wet watercolor back-grounds. We used heavy (90-lb.) draw-ing paper cut into 8" x 10" sheets. This would accommodate our polystyrene plates, which were made from lunch trays. After cutting off the edges, our plates ended up being 6" x 8".

I demonstrated the wet-on-wet tech-nique, explaining that the paper needs to be very wet so the colors will bleed together. I show students how to place one color next to another and let them bleed together for exciting results. If they stay in the white spaces and don’t paint one color over another, the colors will stay vibrant.

It is important that students get a good amount of color on their brushes so the colors will be vivid. Also, I discuss warm and cool col-ors, asking students to choose one color group, although they may introduce one accent color from the other group. This guarantees that

GUSTAVcontinued from page 37

I explained to students that our project would include printmaking

and painting ...

see GUSTAV on page 41(Circle No. 221 on A&A Reader Service Card)

(Circle No. 231 on A&A Reader Service Card)



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the colors will be bright and not get muddy. I had each

student paint two papers, with the choice of doing more.

When students are done painting, they get a 6" x 8" piece of paper and pencils to draw a tree Klimt-style. I demonstrate drawing the tree with a strong trunk and branches that turn into spirals at the ends. We use a vari-ety of lines and shapes to create pat-terns on the trunk and branches. If time allows, they can outline the tree in extra-fine black marker. This will be used to etch on the polystyrene foam during the next session.

The next class, students use their drawing to etch on the polystyrene plate. First, I have students make a

little tab for a handle using a one and half inch–long piece of masking tape. Put the end of the masking tape on the middle of the back of the polystyrene. Pinch the middle of the tape, and then put the other end down. This creates a small tab that can be used for lifting up the plate.

Then, tape the picture to the poly-styrene on top and bottom with a small amount of tape. Using a sharp pencil, draw over all the lines and patterns, pressing lightly into the foam. Remove the paper and etch deeper into the foam, being sure to break the surface, but not go all the way through. A sty-lus with a metal tip or ballpoint pen may be used.

The following session we complete the project by printing. I use a very controlled method that ensures good results with a minimum of mess. On each table of four, I have two printing stations. I lay out several sections of newspaper on each station, with the open edges of the newspaper at the edge of the table. I put a tray with ink and a brayer in the middle of the table, with another clean brayer alongside.


Students enjoyed every aspect of this

project and completed it with “mucho gusto.”

see GUSTAV on page 42 (Circle No. 214 on A&A Reader Service Card)


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Students will have one of their watercolor papers

ready to print on one side of the newspaper. The other side will be used for inking. I show students how to roll the brayer just up to the ink to touch it, but not over it like a bull-dozer. Too much ink is just as bad as not enough ink.

Students first ink the plate with an even layer of black ink. Then they place the plate over the watercolor paper using their fingers to hold it up, mak-ing sure it’s straight before dropping it down on the paper. They press it into the paper, and they turn both the plate and paper over. It’s easier and more effective to rub it on the paper side.

The clean brayer is used to roll the paper onto the foam plate with firm pressure. Students can take a peek at a corner, but once they lift the whole plate off, it cannot go back on. The tape handles make it very easy to lift the plates. Place the print over to the side of the table and out of the way.

Before printing another, fold one piece of newspaper up from the edge of the table to create a clean work surface. I also have paper towels avail-able for students to wipe their fingers. Because of this, we had almost no fin-gerprints spoiling our prints.

I show students how to sign and number their edition in pencil. They found this part very exciting, espe-cially deciding how they should sign their names.

Since we introduced so many new terms, I gave students a fill-in-the-blank vocabulary worksheet. We also assessed this project using a rubric.

The black ink emphasized the vivid watercolors, and the results were stun-ning. Students enjoyed every aspect of this project and completed it with “mucho gusto.” Thanks, Gustav! n

Joan Sterling teaches art at Hickory Woods Elementary School in Walled Lake, Mich., and is coauthor of “Art by the Book” (www.piecesoflearning.com).

VOCABULARY

BrayerEdition EtchingPlate


PrintSign and numberStylus

(Circle No. 211 on A&A Reader Service Card) (Circle No. 204 on A&A Reader Service Card)



learning objectives a very talented fellow art teacher...

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