Cityscapes in Chalk.Living in a small town in rural Connecticut, my students seem fascinated with images of the distant and almost magical big city. Having just completed a drawing lesson on architecture, "City Scapes" seemed to be a perfect follow-up. Rather than making another pencil rendering I opted to use colored chalk and had students create stencils of city skylines. The students defined a skyline as "many buildings close together creating a single continuous line against the sky." Making a Stencil stencil, cutout device of oiled or shellacked tough and resistant paper, thin metal, or other material used in applying paint, dye, or ink to reproduce its design or lettering upon a surface. Skyline Students drew one continuous line showing tops of buildings, roofs, peaks, towers, and spires on 12 x 18" (31 x 46 cm) oaktag. They made sure the line started on one side of the paper and reached all the way to the opposite edge. Starting on one end of the line students cut across the paper following that skyline. I asked them to cut carefully so that both pieces could be used as stencils. At this point we put aside our stencils and discussed color choices we might make for our skies and buildings. What colors might they see in the sky above a city? There are many answers. Why? Weather conditions, time of day or night, neon lights neon light Noun a glass tube containing neon, which gives a pink or red glow when a voltage is applied neon light n → lámpara de neón neon light n , smog. We looked at Monet's painting of the Cathedral of Rouen, noting how the colors of the sky change and the building itself takes on different hues. Blending Colors Choosing three or four sky colors, students applied a heavy coating of chalk directly onto the bottom stencil. Then they placed the stencil, chalk side up, onto colored construction paper. Using a balled up paper towel they brushed the chalk dust Noun 1. chalk dust - dust resulting from writing with a piece of chalk; "chalk dust covered the teacher's hands" dust - fine powdery material such as dry earth or pollen that can be blown about in the air; "the furniture was covered with dust" up toward the top of the paper. The younger children often helped each other by taking turns holding the stencils, while the other brushed the chalk dust. When the stencil was lifted off the paper the children were fascinated by the blending of colors not of the white race; - commonly meaning, esp. in the United States, of negro blood, pure or mixed. See also: Color ! Students followed the same procedure with the second stencil, this time using colors one might see on buildings. This stencil was placed over the sky so it covered the previously made chalk print. Then they brushed the chalk dust toward the bottom of the construction paper. The children were surprised and thrilled with the results. The blending of colors created a different and beautiful atmospheric effect in each work. The students' personalities shone shone v. A past tense and a past participle of shine. shone Verb a past of shine shone shine through when they added their own finishing touches finishing touches finish npl the finishing touches → der letzte Schliff finishing touches npl → ultimi ritocchi mpl : windows, street lamps, stars, neon signs neon sign n → enseigne (lumineuse) au néon neon sign neon n → Neonreklame f neon sign n → , and head lights. Although this lesson was taught to second grade students, I believe it would be just as effective with older elementary age students. The charming results truly capture the imagination of the children and the magic of the city. NATIONAL STANDARD Students explore and understand prospective content for works of art. Jean Gladue is an art teacher at Shepard Hill Elementary School elementary school: see school. in Central Village, Connecticut. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion