Art Masterpiece: 3rd Grade, Lesson 1 (September) Katsushika Hokusai (1760 1849) The Lake at Hakone in Sagami Province (circa 1830) Woodblock Print Ink and Color on Paper, 10 x 15 Pronounced: Cat-soo-she-kah Ho-koo-sigh Art Terms: Block Print, Landscape, Foreground, Background Activity: Landscape Foam Print Medium: Tempera Paint Meet the Artist He was born in Edo, Japan in 1760, before the United States had achieved independence. He started out working for a master wood-carver, but got thrown out because he was too talented. He then went to work doing drawings and selling them on the streets just to make enough food to eat. He started to draw for comic books, making banners, designing greeting cards and illustrating books for the wealthy. Eventually, he married and had children. Although changing names was a Japanese custom, he changed his over 30 times. Hokusai is the name he kept the longest. The name Hokusai meant Star of the Northern Constellation. He hated cleaning. So, when it became too dirty to work where he was, he just simply moved. He moved himself and his family a total of 93 times! He was so talented he could draw birds in flight on a single grain of rice. He also was a showman and would do shows in front of an audience by painting while he was hanging upside down or painting with his feet. Wealth was never important to him, and he often chose to live in bad neighborhoods in very modest homes. Eventually, he went bankrupt since he was unable to manage his money. He was well known for his landscape paintings. He painted a series, 36 views of Mt Fuji. It was published around 1830. This was an exercise in perspective to him, using landscape as a way to show it. He painted the same mountain over and over again. Eventually, he painted over 30,000 pieces of art. He lived to 89, dying in 1849. His final name was Gwakio Rojin, meaning old man mad about drawing.
Art Terms Block Print A kind of artwork in which ink or paint is put onto a block (wood, linoleum, etc.) which has a design carved into it. The block is then pressed onto paper to make a print (copy) of the design. The printed image is a reverse or mirror-image of the carved block design. Landscape A painting or drawing that shows a scene from nature, including mountains, trees, rivers, fields and other outdoor scenery. Foreground The parts of an artwork that appear to be in the front, nearest to the viewer, usually in the lower part of the picture. Background The parts of an artwork that lie in the distance and appear to be behind objects in the foreground. Questions about The Lake at Hakone in Sagami Province What type of scene is this? (Landscape) Is there a lot of detail in this print? (No. Refer to the ground; there are no rocks or other detail to show that it is either dirt or sand.) Where did Hokusai use color variations to show depth and detail? (Ground, water, foliage, etc.) If you were to touch the artwork how would it feel? Would it feel bumpy, rough or smooth? (Probably smooth due to how the artwork was created. A paintbrush is not used to apply the paint to the paper. Instead, ink and paint were rolled onto a woodblock and then pressed onto a piece of paper.) Activity Landscape Foam Print Tempera Paint Supplies White drawing paper 9 x 12 and 6 x 9 (one of each size per student) Foam sheets 6 x 9 (one per student) Tempera paint choose 2 colors (darker colors work better) Pencils dull pencils work better than sharp Plastic plates (2) one for each color Brayers (2) Plexiglass 11 x 14 with placement markings (2) for pressing stations Scrap paper for ink rolling stations Paper towels (located by the sink) *Additional support material photo printouts (There is no art print available for this lesson so you will need to use the 8 1/2 x 11 printout in the supply bin.)
** Art Guide Notes ** Set-up two supervised printmaking stations. Each station needs: An Ink-rolling area o 1 brayer o 1 plastic plate for paint o Pile of scrap paper A pressing area o 1 Plexiglass 11 x 14 sheet with placement markings o Paper towels For the ink-rolling area, place a spoon full of paint in a plastic plate; roll the brayer back and forth a few times to ensure the brayer is evenly covered with ink. The ink should make a smooth, even layer on the tray and brayer. It s important to NOT use too much ink as it will fill in the etchings on the foam and will not produce a good print. Use scrap paper under the foam sheets for the ink rolling. Change out the scrap paper with a clean sheet for each student so the next in line does not get paint on the back of their foam. Have a pressing area next to each rolling station for the students to transfer their image to 9 x 12 white paper. If paint gets on the plexiglass wipe it off so it does not get on the next students print. There will be extra pieces of foam for the art guides to make a quick sample in front of the students. Show the students how they need to press hard into the foam with their pencils and how the ink and pressing stations work. By doing this sample you will get a better feel for how much ink you need on the brayer and how to apply it to the foam design, being sure not to fill in the carved areas with paint. Directions 1. Have students write their name and room # on the back of both pieces of drawing paper. 2. Talk about how block-printing is made by carving blocks of wood, and explain that whatever is scratched into the foam will print as white. 3. Ask the students to think of a simple landscape to draw. Examples could be a boat on the waves, sea and shore, a mountain or volcano on an island, a bridge over a river, or a waterfall in the mountains, cactus in the desert. 4. Have the student s sketch their landscape design on the 6 x 9 sheet of drawing paper turned in the horizontal/landscape position. The 9 x 12 piece of paper will be for their ink print and should not be drawn on. 5. Ask them to first draw the foreground, whether it is a bridge, a boat, tree, animal, etc. They can then add in the details such as horizon, mountains, waves, clouds, stars, etc.
6. Hand out one foam sheet per student once they have finished their sketch. 7. Have students draw their landscape design on the foam sheet now. They should press down hard to create a deep indent in the foam. (see photo 1) A dull pencil works the best. Walk around as they work checking their foam to make sure they are pressing hard enough and indenting the foam. 8. When they are done etching the design into the foam, they need to choose one of the two colors for their print and go to that station. Have the students place the foam sheet (design side up) on top of a clean sheet of scrap paper. Make sure you roll the ink out thinly and it covers the brayer evenly before handing the brayer to the students. Then have the student roll the brayer up and down and side to side to get an even paint coverage. Make sure they roll off the edges onto the scrap paper so all the edges are covered. (see photo 2) You might need to roll the brayer in the paint plate again if more paint is needed to cover the foam. (Too little ink will make the final print too light while too much ink will fill in their etchings and will not print.) 9. Once the student inks their foam sheet have them step aside to the pressing station. (They will need to make the print right away since the paint is thin and will dry quickly.) Place their foam sheet ink side up within the taped borders on the plexiglass sheet. Place the students 9 x 12 piece of drawing paper (make sure their name is on the back) on top of the inked foam using the taped markings as a guide to center the paper over the foam. Then press down on the paper with both hands. While holding down one side of the paper move the other hand around rubbing the paper to transfer the paint to the paper. (see photo 3) Now hold down the side just rubbed and rub over the other half of paper. Make sure not to let it shift around otherwise the print will be blurred. 10. Gently lift the paper off the foam and set aside to dry. If the students would like to title their print have them write it in the lower right corner of the white border. (see photo 4) 11. Throw away inked foam sheets. Do not let the students take them home as they will stain backpacks and clothing. Press down HARD when drawing on the foam to get a deep indent. Make sure the entire sheet of foam is inked. Photo 1 Photo 2
Press down on the paper/foam to hold in place while rubbing with the other hand to transfer the paint to the paper. Don t let the paper shift or the print will blur. Photo 3 Photo 4 *Additional Support Material 8 ½ x 11 printouts of these images will be available in the supply bin. You can project the images on the pull down screen one of two ways: use the overhead projector and printouts in the supply bin or the teacher can bring up the images located on the school computer. * The Lake at Hakone in Sagami Province *Japanese Carved Woodblock, Carved Woodblock and Print, Carving Tools