Mirror image

I found this in a book of miniatures, and loved the simplicity of it. I'll see if I can find more information on it. In the meantime, use a xerox machine to print a mirror image of something, and then collage both images in a way that makes it look like an actual reflection. Black and white reflections against a colored background could be powerful. Or divide the page in half and have everything in color on one side, and black and white on the other. Rendering the same designs in black and white and color is a great graphic design exercise in itself.

 

Punch transfer technique

In an old book about Indian miniatures I came across this ancient method of transferring an image...and I found it fascinating. It's a stencil of sorts, but would be fun to do with kids since it doesn't involve complicated positives and negatives, rather it's a fairly straightforward way of copying images, with no limitations on how complex the original image is.

The act of copying things has become such a non-issue for kids growing up surrounded by xerox machines and in-home color printers and copiers that I think it's fun to point out that it wasn't always this simple. Entire art forms have been invented for the purpose of making copies. I have alway enjoyed teaching children rudimentary ways of copying images, from covering the back of a page with graphite or pencil lead and then tracing over the image to on front (homemade carbon paper), to actual carbon paper--stacks and stacks of it for multiple images, and, of course, printmaking. But this punch transfer is new to me.

Offer kids a darning needle, toothpick, or drypoint tool and challenge them to punch holes along the important lines of a drawing or a photograph. With a new piece of paper underneath, use a bit of ground up charcoal, colored pastel, or tempera powder and rub gently on top of the image, making sure it doesn't move until entire image is covered. Then connect the dots on the paper underneath. It could be fun to make multiple copies, overlap images, even thread a needle and make stitches in the original punched paper. Many of the shapes in the original could probably be punched out and used for collage. This could be a fun one-off project for exploring and experimentation in between projects, or it could turn into something bigger. I always enjoy being honest with the kids when I'm trying something new, and encourage everyone to jump in and brainstorm about possibilities.

 

Elephant bells

It's hard to imagine losing an elephant, but a common practice among elephant owners--'mahouts'--is to let their elephants forage freely at night in the jungle. This leaves the problem of how to find the creatures the next day. Elephants wear bells so they can be found. Elephant bells tend to be large, and ornate.

Kids enjoy making 'real', useful objects in art, and an elephant bells project would fit nicely into several different kinds of units. It would be fun to make large bells out of clay, with a hole inside the bell body, as well as in the separately made 'clapper' (the piece inside), that could be attached later using wire or string. Include a hole or handle on top so the bell can hang from something. Use the sgraffito method to scratch patterns and designs on the outside before firing. Alternatively, it could be a fun challenge to make bells out of found objects, silverware, bowls, cans, etc. these objects could be used as forms for paper mâché or embossed tinfoil, painted (add glue to paint to help it stick), or strung together as is.

 

Clay-relief Sculptures of Sarguja

 

Every year after harvest there is a big festival called Chherta where every house is repaired, whitewashed, and freshly decorated with clay reliefs...women try to outdo each other to make their houses the most attractive. These become incredibly vivid 3-D murals with characters half on/half off the wall, other materials like string and wire are added as well. Whitewashed backgrounds have radiating and/or swirled-line grooves that the women make using their fingers.

For individual project panels, children could create backgrounds using white paint on cardboard, swirling their fingers in smooth strokes to create a similarly textured canvas...(tempera or acrylic paint could be thickened with cornstarch or gel medium to hold the texture). In a subsequent class they could create characters using a theme like 'playing with friends' or 'climbing a tree.' Construction paper collage would work but shouldn't be glued down to the background all the way, as some 3-D effect best captures the real thing. True 3-D with paper mâché pulp or model magic would be great. Either way, found elements like string and wire should be incorporated.

This would make a great mural project as there can be multiple work areas, and everyone doesn't have to be standing at the mural at the same time. Real whitewash can be used, its lack of true opacity and its affordability, not to mention its authenticity, would be great. A collaborative mural wherein children from different classes and grades contribute their 3-D objects and they are attached to the wall by a teacher or by an older class would work nicely.

 

Click here for a video tour of the mural:

 

Tagore Doodles

Painting didn't come easily to Nobel prize for Literature winner Rabindranath Tagore though he worked at it for a long time. He did however make a habit of turning his written mistakes, cross outs, etc into elaborate drawings and doodles as he wrote. "He turned struck-out words into ornamental motifs and sometimes linked the scratched out words on the pages of his manuscripts into an art-nouveau-like arabesque .....Victoria Ocampo who spotted these during his stay in Argentina as her guest was impressed and found artistic merit in them. "He played with erasures,‟ she wrote, "following them from verse to verse with his pen, making lines that suddenly jumped into life out of this play: prehistoric monsters, birds, faces appeared.‟'* Tagore went on to be recognized as a great painter, and was the first Indian artist to have artwork displayed around the world.

*Current Exhibitions Upcoming Exhibitions Past Exhibitions. "Rabindranath Tagore: The Last Harvest | New York". Asia Society. Retrieved 2012-12-18.

As a way to acknowledge and reconcile our own inevitable 'mistakes and cross-outs' I think it would be great to collect them in the art room as the year goes by, or encourage other teachers to contribute, and have children choose 'a mistake' to use as a starting point for any type of artwork, depending on the materials at hand and the time frame. It could be the community scrap bin that kids turn to when they finish with something else or they could be distributed randomly and incorporated into paintings or collages, sketches, etc. imagine a whole display of artwork made from other people's mistakes or false starts. It sends a good message about upcycling as well.

 

Terra cotta Horses of Aiyanar

 

These enormous (larger than life) horse sculptures were created by villagers so that the protector Aiyanar could ride them at night to chase away evil demons, thereby ensuring good luck for the town. Different horses from different areas were decorated with different types of objects and creatures. These horses are made, in pieces, on the wheel, seams are hidden under decorations. If you were in charge of designing your own village's horses, what sort of decorations and patterns would you put on them?

Cut a large horse out of red or brown paper, draw it first in chalk, making sure to have tips of ears, tail, nose, and hooves touch the edges of the paper. Decorate your horse using black or white marker, crayon, or chalk. Or use white or black paint and detail brushes. Would be a great clay project as well--once horse has been created, use coils and small balls of clay for all sorts of decorations. Another approach would be to collage decorations onto a painting of a horse.

 

 

 

Raja Ravi Varma embellished prints

 

Embellished prints of Indian deities, on view now at OJAS gallery in Delhi. RRV was a prince who created lithographs (using oils?) of Indian gods and goddesses, very colorful classic imagery, in the mid 19th century. What makes these so interesting is that at some point the final prints were embellished with fabric, sequins, embroidery thread, gold, etc. I'm a huge fan of printmaking with kids, and feel that the fun can really begin once the plate has been created and the actual printing begins. This type of embellishment would be a really great third step (carve, print, embellish) after a big printmaking project and a fun way to explore different techniques applied to exact same images. Printing could be done using linoleum, collagraphs, or styrofoam...onto sturdy paper, and then embellished once dry. Elmers glue would be good for most of the materials, and one whole class could be set aside for sewing so conflicting techniques aren't happening at once. I always encourage children to keep every print, and then choose an unsuccessful image as a beginning of a multi media exploration. In this case that could be a good starting point for this type of experimentation. Another way to approach this might be to start with color copies (also on card stock or other substantial paper) of photographs that children take, lively scenes with many people or objects would be a good starting point.

 

 

Gujarat mud mirror work

This is a great example of combining unexpected materials. Mud surface is flat and mirrored mosaics add depth. Found on the outside of thatched roof huts, and in some interiors. Children can design their own Gujarati style huts by embedding bits of aluminum foil in white paint (thickened with rice flour or some other medium, sand might work as well?). Foil bits should be cut and close by on the same day as the painting, so the bits can be pressed down into wet paint. Children should consider pattern and symmetry as they plan and execute their designs and consider important details like windows and doorways. Huts can be finished with straw on top for a roof.

 

 

Painted Trucks

Highly decorative trucks and lorries, bright colors, fanciful images, roosters, and flowers, tassels inside, etc. this is one way a truck driver advertises his pride in his job, and his vehicle. If you were choosing a truck to transport your items you might be greatly influenced by these decorations and the energy the driver put into his truck. invite children to transform a common object or machine using similar techniques, use your imagination, make it special, make it stand out. Could be fun for middle school, esp. Would be a great multi- media project, transform a serious sketch with fanciful add-ons like fringe, pom-poms, rhinestones, etc. or simply add colored magazine papers to black and white sketch or newspaper collage. Check out this blog for a great article on the painted trucks.