Fantastic.

What do fish, birds, butterflies, flowers and dragons have in common? My sixth grade students pondered this question, deciding that the first four were all life forms found in nature. Dragons were mythical creatures and did not fit into this group. After looking at slides of Oriental art, the students were ready to change their minds.

To the ancient Oriental artist, dragon legends tell of creatures that guarded the water and land. Some people believed that dragons fighting in the skies caused rain, thunder and lightning. The students concluded that fish, birds, butterflies, flowers and dragons were linked together by the respect Oriental people had for nature.

Creating an Original Design

The students used this understanding to create their own Oriental fan designs. They began with a flat, fan-shaped piece of drawing paper and sketched an original design. The subject matter was limited to fish, birds, butterflies, flowers, and of course, dragons. I encouraged the students to draw large enough to fill most of the paper. Subjects could be cropped, if necessary. Some students solved the problem of too much negative space by adding a decorative boarder around the outer edge.

As the students devcloped their designs with colored pencils, each creation took on a spirit and energy all its own. The students captured a mood and feeling in expressing the inner beauty of their chosen subject, as fanciful fish swam gracefully in cool waters, peacocks proudly displayed ornate tail feathers and flower gardens basked in warm sunlight.

Imaginative Scenes

A majority of the students chose the dragon as their emphasis, letting their imaginations run wild with scenes of fire breathing dragons soaring through the skies, jovial dragons dancing across the paper and playful dragons plunging through occan waves.

The students used shading techniques to enliven their renderings. Colors were chosen carefully to balance and enhance the designs. The students layered colors and spent time on creating value changes. Pleased with the results, we moved on to brushing on three coats of acrylic gloss medium and varnish. This gave the fans a great protective coating, a nice shiny finish and helped keep the folds in place. Once the varnish dried, it was a simple matter to fold the paper back and forth in accordion pleats.

A Tea Party Critique

Finishing touches of ribbons and sequins gave the fans a professional look. A hot glue gun was used for application. A hole punch was used to create spaces along the bottom edge of some fans in which ribbons were laced and tied in a bow. Several students collected chop sticks from local oriental restaurants to use as handles.

The project closed with a tea party critique. The art room was ablaze with color as Oriental fans adorned thc display boards. Proud students discussed elements and principles of design while sipping iced tea and eating fortune cookies. When I asked one student what he thought of the project he replied, "I think it was FANtastici!"

Tip for Using Colored Pencils

To eliminate repeated trips to the pencil sharpener, provide every work table with a zip-lock bag and a metal, hand-held pencil sharpener. Students can easily and quickly sharpen their dull pencils at their seats, letting the shavings drop into the bags. At the end of class, the bags can be emptied for the next class.