Field Experience :Original Lesson Plans
Botanical Illustration and Watercolor
My lesson connected the history of Botanical Illustration by taking a look at how plants have been depicted by humans and their recorded use through history. From cave paintings of plants, decoration, medicinal use, and documentation as explorers navigated new areas.
This lesson enhanced students art making as they added elements inspired by featured artists like that of Maria Sibylla Merian, who was an entomologist and documents metamorphoses of insects, in which they added insects to their own work. This lesson developed students observation and perception skills by setting up the classroom where each student had their own vase which allowed them to observe closely add in details of the flowers that otherwise might not be seen. They were able to more successfully draw the shape of the flower that is more representative than they might typically draw from imagination.
Students were able to reflect and respond to prompts which had them consider the importance of and need for botanical illustrations given the technology available to people before the advent of the camera, along with their medicinal and artistic applications.
UHCL Art School Grades 5-8
Botanical Illustration Lesson
PPT sample and Student Work, Click to Enlarge
Art of Observational Watercolor and its History
UHCL Art School Grades 6-12
My lesson connected to Observational Watercolor by taking a look at how different artists and cultures used watercolor. The Chinese form of watercolor, National Painting, or Gao hua, aims to capture the essence of the subject they are depicting, This is different from that of European art which has tried to capture the absolute likeness of subject like that of Albrecht Durer. The lesson also taught about the evolution of watercolor as a medium , which ultimately affected how watercolor was used. By adding in honey to watercolor, Plein Air watercolor sketches became common, allowing for spontaneous art, like that of John Singer Sargent.
Students developed their observational skills by looking at an object of their choice from a selection of wooden and plastic figurines. Each student took a different approach to their work, some wanting to capture the essence for an animal, or capture its likeness as closely as possible. This essence can be seen in the flight of ducks, and the detail of their feathers. Students were able to reflect on their work and their process of creation through a self evaluation which was shared with the class. This allowed them to consider if their work was effective and how to improve their work next time they make an observational watercolor painting.
Observational Watercolor Lesson
Student Assessments
PPT sample and Student Work, Click to Enlarge
3D Fiber Art Installation
My lesson connected to the history of weaving in various cultures and how new contemporary artists use fiber to create their vision for their projects. Given that there were three students in the Sculpture class that I created a lesson for, I created a group lesson in which students created a Triangular Prism that incorporated 5 types of weaving, and their goal was to have cohesion as one piece. The lesson’s collaborative aspect was shown through each culture, especially that of the Kente Cloth, where small pieces of woven fabric are joined together to create a cloth. This helped them to create a working palette that complements one another, knowing they would be working together. Overall, this lesson provided a breadth of fiber art styles and techniques for the students to emulate for their work. Students observation and perception skills developed through carefully learning how to create each weave pattern, two of them being student choice. Given that I was only present on Wednesdays, I provided them with weaving diagrams and videos to work from that were able to illustrate should I not be there to assist them. Students had two extension papers they needed to address over the course of the project, in which they evaluated pieces from contemporary artists and meaning of their pieces and judge whether it was successful, like the featured artist Alexandra Kehayoglou.
3D Fiber Art Lesson
Clinical Teaching I for Pearland HS, Sculpture III/IV
PPT sample and Student Work, Click to Enlarge
Batik Printing
My lesson connected to the history of batik printing and where it is culturally popular. This lesson focused on the work of Iwan Tirta who is namely responsible for the renaissance of batik in popular culture throughout the 60s-70s. These examples helped to inspire students to create their own “fabric samples” and their extension would have them design an outfit based on their fabric samples they have made. Knowing this, students created practice patterns on sketch paper and then moved to the final 6x6” piece. Students worked with oil pastel to act as the resist wax, and painted with tempera on top to act as the dye, allowing for a multimedia experience which students may not typically use at this age. At the end of the lesson, students were quizzed for their understanding of the lesson and were successful in demonstrating their knowledge of Batik, the tools and its process.
Observation Conference over Batik Lesson
Batik Lesson
Clinical Teaching I for Rogers MS, Art II
PPT sample and Student Work, Click to Enlarge