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Instructional Objective:
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The
students will choose and evaluate a range of subject matter,
symbols, and ideas.
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The
students will understand the visual arts in relation to history and
cultures.
Curricular
Integration:
Cultural
diversity is an important part of any child’s Social Studies
curriculum, included in this is the study of history and cultures
especially those native to the United States. This project ties in
with studies of the Pacific Northwest Coast culture, geography, and
history.
Materials and Equipment:
Manila
drawing paper
36 gauge Tooling Tin
Assorted Plastic Stylus/liner and modeling tools used for tin tooling
Deco Art No Prep Metal Paint
magazines
Resource
Materials:
Looking
at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast by Hilary Stewart
Looking at Totem Poles by Hilary Stewart
Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest by Gerald
McDermott
Dynasty/FM Brush - Eye of the Tiger Brushes:
Round: #0,
#2, #4, #6
Flats: #2, #4, #6, #8
Liner: #15/0, #5/0, #1
Project
Requirements:
- Design a
piece that utilizes the repousse’ techniques and the art of the
Pacific Northwest Coast.
- Use
positive and negative space to develop this piece.
- Paint
the piece using metal paint.
Project
Introduction:
- Repousse’
(rup OO sā’) is a method of creating an embossed design by pressing
the reverse side of a metal surface. The literal meaning in French
is “to push back”. This process was used by many early
civilizations including the Greeks. Jewelry and metal artists use
this technique to embellish their pieces. In the school setting we
can also use this technique using a lighter gauge tin and plastic
tooling tools, students love the opportunity to use different media
and this is one that they typically have not had the opportunity to
use. In completing this project it is important that the student
embosses the piece on a magazine or a soft piece of cloth to allow
the tin to bend properly.
- Discuss
the history of Totem Poles and the significance to the native people
of the Pacific Northwest. Investigate a variety of folk tales and
legends that have been handed down through the oral tradition and
the folk heroes that are the main characters in those stories.
Fortunately today we have a number of those stories in written form
available to us with wonderful art work. Traditional symbols are
typically used in this art work to represent animals, people, and
the plants native to the area. These symbols are easily recognized
and often tell a story or relate the family history but are often
interpreted differently by each individual artist.
Art
Production:
- Keeping
that idea of family symbols in mind and artistic interpretation each
student should research the symbols used in the artwork of the area
and design a symbol that would represent them in some way. Because
this project tends to be more expensive I usually allow one sized
piece of tin for each child, this project would be approximately 8”
X 8”. Each student must design this on a piece of manila paper
prior to beginning the repousse’ process and have that approved by
me. In this way I can do a little quality control prior to allowing
my students to use the materials.
- Once the
design has been approved the child is given their piece of tin, the
necessary tools, and a magazine to work on. It is vital that the
student works on the magazine to allow the tin to move as it
should. I often have students who can’t figure out why they aren’t
achieving the deep ridges and when I investigate I find that they
have been working on the table and not on the magazine as
instructed. Using a small piece of tape the paper is taped to the
tin to hold it in place as the design is being transferred with the
pointed liner tool, which is a plastic stylus on one end and the
flattening tool on the other. The student traces over all of the
lines drawn on the piece of paper, this side of the tin is actually
the back of the piece. This process transfers the design to the
tin, when this is complete the paper is removed carefully from the
tin, set aside for future reference, and the lines are gone over
with the stylus once again to deepen the indentations and allow the
design to “pop” out at the observer. If the student wants to add
any texture to the piece they can press the tip of the stylus into
the textured area and they will find that small bumps appear on the
opposite side of the tin. This can add interest to the piece. This
can also be done on the opposite side as well if they prefer that
the bumps are on the back and the indentations are on the front.
- Once
this is complete the child turns the tin over and works from the
front of the piece, using the flat end of the stylus the student
carefully smoothes the area around and up to the ridges formed on
the back side of the tin. This process allows the student to push
that negative space back slightly to give the piece a 3 dimensional
look. They carefully work around the ridges making sure to not
flatten any of the ridges, but if they do they can always turn the
piece over and add the ridge again. Some areas should not
necessarily be flattened and should be allowed to pop up, it will be
up to the child, with the teacher’s direction, to make that
decision. At this time the student can evaluate the effectiveness of
the design and determine if any further design elements are needed.
- These
pieces can be decorated and colored in many ways but with my older
students I felt that they had the necessary fine motor dexterity to
paint this project using metal paint. There are many brands of
metal paint that are available today but I chose to have my students
use the No Prep Metal Paint by Deco Art. This brand is easy to use
and required no prep from the students except to use the Clear
Medium instead of water. Using small brushes and taking their time
ensured a quality project; I found that it actually took very little
paint to complete these projects thus fitting into my budget. I did
have to continually remind my students to carefully paint the areas
so that they left the ridges unpainted as much as they could to
retain that metallic look.
- Upon
completion of the project we mounted the pieces to construction
paper for display.
Evaluation:
Teacher observation and record keeping.
Teacher
Tip: This project takes quite a bit of concentration to complete
and allows for a very quiet classroom. It is important that the
students use the magazines to cushion their tin piece as they work to
achieve the full embossed look. They will occasionally press the tin
too hard and tear the tin, if that happens simply instruct the
students that they are pressing too hard, to lighten up on the
pressure and to continue with the project as this is an ancient and
“rustic” art form.
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Totem Repousse
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© Christy
Hartman 2007
www.chartmandesigns.com |
