Name of Project:
Cyanotype Mixed Media Project
Classroom, School:
11th and 12th grade, Perpich Arts High School, Golden Valley
Cooperating teacher:
Nancy Norwood
Grade Level:
11th and 12th grade
Subject and Curricular Link:
Teaching the laws of light through cyanotype. It will be an art infusion with physical science. It will also be incorporated into Nancy's concepts that she has developed for the syllabus for her Intro to B&W photography.
Overview of Project
The students will be creating cyanotypes on pre-sensitized fabric and paper and then generating reliefs from their prints. I will have the students produce at least one image that will describe a memory from their past. We will then turn the negative into a transparency so they can lay it over the sensitized surface and expose it to the light. They will also have the option to design a composition on paper or any remaining fabric using both 2-D and 3-D objects that they will provide. They will expose their surfaces for approximately 30 minutes when using ultraviolet light. Since space is an issue, some of the students will have to do their exposures on their own time, so I will demonstrate how to utilize the sunlight if they chose to, which takes ten minutes to expose on a clear and sunny day and thirty minutes on cloudy, cold day. While wearing gloves, we will rinse the exposed fabric in the sink under cold water until the water runs clear. In addition, they will dip their surfaces into a chemistry made up of hydrogen peroxide to help enhance the design and make it more distinct, it will also preserves its blue color. I will supply the students with cotton stuffing so they can make a relief, I will also provide them with a needle and colorful thread and the supplies for hand coloration. How they chose to present the final product in the end is entirely up to the student.
Essential Question(s)
The difference between fluorescent, ultra-violet, and incandescent light when developing a light sensitive surface. How can we design with light when making photograms? What does it mean to design? How to portray a memory through a photograph? I want them to explore the different ways they can do this, whether it be through shape, emphasizes, emotion or mood.
Prior Knowledge
How to make an exposure, where there are equal amounts of darks and lights. The students should know how to develop their film and make a perfect print. The students should have an understanding that light is energy. They should know that energy exists in many forms and can be transferred in many ways.
Timeline
This lesson will span the course of six weeks. The first two weeks the students will be exploring how to depict a memory through examining the works of other artists. They will come up with preliminary sketches and thumbnails for their final product. By the third week, it is expected of the students to have at least one image completed that depicts a memory so it can be turned into a cyanotype. During the fourth and fifth week the students will be creating their mixed media piece. We will check up on each others progress to see if anyone can be pushed further with their ideas. The last week will be a class critique of the final projects.
Examples of student or artist work
Through a PowerPoint presentation, I will give a brief introduction to Sir John Herschel, who developed the cyanotype process. There will be visual examples of the works of Anna Atkins and other artists who use the cyanotype process. I will also show a variety of student and artists examples to illustrate how they have used this process in their work.
Assessment
I will assess the students on how much effort (did they complete their work by the deadlines that I created?) and thought that was put into portraying their memory. I will know if the students had a good grasp on this project if they present me with a finished project that portrays a particular memory of theirs. Also, I will look at how well they used the different tools and techniques that I provided for them. I will know if they had an understanding if their work is dynamic and emits exactly what they were trying to portray. I will also consider the problems they encountered and how creatively the students resolved them.
Materials
55 available pieces of pre-sensitized fabric with the dimensions 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches. 30 pieces of pre-sensitized paper with the dimensions of 8 x 10. An assortment of embroidery thread of many colors, 2 packs of 30. 16 embroidery needles. Several yards of extra fabric to back up the cyanotypes that are on fabric. Cotton stuffing, 1 bag. Double stick tape, 2 rolls. Bristol board, 20 pieces. Bottles of glue, 10 bottles. 14 rolls of film- they will also use this roll for another assignment for Nancy's class. Transparencies to transfer image onto, 14 pieces. Hand coloration- markers, paint. 14 pairs of gloves. Incandescent light source.
Teacher Vocabulary
Some design elements that I will discuss are symmetry, emphasis, line, shape and color. I will show examples of these elements through the PowerPoint and I will discuss how to potentially utilize them. I will also write them on the board, so the students can remember the importance of design elements when trying to create a dynamic composition.
Procedures
Wednesday, April 2nd-
1. Give an introduction to cyanotype through a PowerPoint presentation.
2. Show some examples of cyanotypes made by other artists and refer to books to aide in their understanding.
3. I will create two examples of the final product, so the students can get a solid idea for what I am looking for in the end.
4. Have them brainstorm on how they are going to illustrate a memory through a photograph; they will do this by generating thumbnails. They will research on the computer the different artists and artworks that were created through the cyanotype process. I will provide this list of artists so the students can observe how other artists have depicted something from their memory.
5. I will inform the students that they will have the opportunity to make two to three cyanotypes on fabric and one paper cyanotype if they choose to. I want them to consider this when devising the layout for the final product.
6. I will introduce them to the different materials that I have to offer and how they might use it in their artworks. This includes: multiple-colored embroidery thread, cotton stuffing to create a relief and the tools to perform hand coloration.
7. I will notify the students that their homework is to make at least image derived from a memory by April 9th so it can be turn it into a transparency for the next time we meet. They also need to gather any objects they may want to use to create a photogram on the additional sensitized surfaces.
Over the week of April 7-13th -
1. The students will print at least one image to be turned into a negative transparency. I want the students to complete this by the 9th, so Nancy can turn them into transparencies for the following Wednesday.
2. The students also need to have preliminary sketches and thumbnails done to present to either Nancy or me by the 16th before they can start.
Wednesday, April 16th -
1. I will address and construct a list of the requirements I have for this assignment on the board. This visual aide will be set as a reminder of the expectations I have for this assignment so they do not forget any major parts to their final product.
2. Do a simple demonstration on how to expose the sensitized fabric properly; I will also have a drawing on the board to illustrate how this should appear.
3. Due to the time constraints, I will have 6 of the students prepare and expose their fabric and the remaining students will do this on their own time (I will chose the students by randomly selecting 6 of them off of a list while having my eyes closed). They can either do this during open hours at the school or use sunlight, which only takes 10-15 minutes.
4. During the 30 minutes of exposure time, I will discuss how these cyanotype surfaces could be worked into a mixed media piece. The students will illustrate their ideas and the different colors they intend on using. I will provide the students with markers and colored pencils so they can make an accurate representation of how they envision their final piece to look like.
5. After the fabric has been exposed, the students will slip on gloves and rinse them off in the sink until the water runs clear. Then they will do an additional rinse in a hydrogen peroxide bath to enhance and preserve the blue color.
Wednesday, April 23rd -
1. If the students haven't made their initial exposure, I will give them the opportunity to do so today.
2. There will be additional fabric, so each student will have the means to make two cyanotypes on fabric. They will also have the access to make one cyanotype on paper if they choose to. They can use the ultraviolet light, only if all the students have made their first exposure at this time.
3. I want the student to complete all of their cyanotypes by the end of today so they can get started on their final piece.
4. Any student that is completed with their exposures on this day can begin constructing their final piece.
Wednesday, April 30th -
1. Today is the last class period for the students to work on their final piece.
2. If the students feel that they are done, I want them to run it by either Nancy or me to see if we can offer any final suggestions.
3. I will also suggest that the students share ideas with one another, so they can help each other problem solve and push one another to achieve something more.
4. I want their work to look complete, so I will propose some ideas on how to finish off the edges and help refine the overall piece.
5. If the students want a durable surface to display their work on, I will have Bristol board and double stick tape so they can adhere it to the board.
Wednesday, May 7th -
1. Today we will have a class critique on their final pieces.
2. Before the students reveal their intentions behind the work, I want us as a group to go around and speculate what memories or major ideas a single work is emitting. I will have the students write down these individual responses to their peers work within their notebook.
3. I want each student to explain what he or she did and what their objective was in portraying their memory. I also want each student to explain any problems they encountered and how they went about solving them.
4. I will evaluate how the students captured their memory on film and if they exemplified it effectively.