Solar Prints or Paintings of Insects Inspired by the SBMA Exhibition Art to Zoo: Exploring Animal Natures Lesson Goal: After sculpting models of insects and other creatures, students will create solar prints. Key Words & Concepts: Symmetry, contrast, chemical reaction, opaque, translucent, transparent Teaching Resources: Images of insects and other creatures Images from Art to Zoo: Exploring Animal Natures Books and online access to information about insects and other creatures Timeline: 30-60 minutes, depending on the age and motor skills of the artists. This project can be taught by demonstrating the following sequence of steps, or as a creative challenge (present the objective and materials, then let the students figure out steps and procedures as they create their sculptures). Materials: Solar Fast paint (it comes in a variety of colors) and SolarFast Wash pieces of electrical wire (or other thin sculpting wire) scissors air-dry (or other types) of clay watercolor paper and paint brushes Solar Prints by SBMA Teaching Artists Linda L. Broadfoot, Libelloides Sibericus (Siberian Owlfly), SBMA Jayne Hinds Bidaut,Tragocephala Crassicornis (Rorschach Beetle) Madagascar, 1999 (printed 2000) Tintype, ed. 3/10, SBMA 1
Procedures Step One: Create a Sculptural Model of an Insect or Other Creature Before creating the solar painting or print, students create a sculptural form of an insect or other creature. The solid form will block the light, and it is sunlight that causes a chemical reaction with the solar paint and develops the print (it will become darker). If the sculptural form totally blocks the light, the paper underneath it will not change color (the paint will not develop). Ask students to: 1. Look at a real insect, a photo of an insect, or an image from the Art to Zoo exhibition (see slide 4). Choose an insect (or creature) for the solar painting project. Option: Research the creature to find out answers to questions about anatomy, movement, etc. 2. Notice the anatomical features and structures: body parts, legs, feelers, etc. Determine body parts that will be created with the air-dry clay. 3. Take a small piece of clay and shape each segment of the creature s body. Connect body segments. 4. Cut pieces of wire that can be used for legs, feelers, or other body parts as appropriate. 5. Assemble the pieces. Note: the clay and the wire should lay flat against the paper. If any part of the creature is raised, it will create a shadowy, indistinct print or impression rather than a crisp, clear outline. 6. Position the sculpted insect or creature on the paper create the composition. Inspiration Sculpture Inspiration Sculpture 2
Step Two: Creating the Solar Painting Ask students to: 1. Apply the Solar Print paint onto watercolor paper using a bristle or flat brush. Paint strokes can be used to create effects. For example, students can leave regular or irregular unpainted edges, use circular or swirly strokes, etc. (figure A) 2. While the paint is moist, place the creature on top of the watercolor paper. (figure B) 3. Expose the paper (with the creature positioned on the paper) to sunlight until the paper dries (usually between 15 20 minutes). The Solar Fast paint will become darker as the paint dries. 4. Remove the creature to reveal the solar image. (figure C) 5. FINAL STEP: Wash the paper in a container filled with hot water and SolarFast Wash. This will prevent the further development of the paint with continued exposure to sunlight. 6. Option: Place the sculpted creature next to the solar print. (figure C) Option: If using air-dry clay, students can paint their sculpted creatures, realistically or abstractly. A B C 3
Linda L. Broadfoot, Libelloides Sibericus (Siberian Owlfly), SBMA Jayne Hinds Bidaut, Tragocephala Crassicornis (Rorschach Beetle) Madagascar, 1999 (printed 2000), Tintype, ed. 3/10, SBMA SBMA EXHIBITION INSPIRATION 4
Connections to Standards California Visual Arts Standards Artistic Perception (Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through the Language and Skills Unique to the Visual Arts) Students perceive and respond to works of art, objects in nature, events, and the environment. They also use the vocabulary of the visual arts to express their observations. Creative Expression Use additive and subtractive processes in making simple sculptural forms. Interpret reality and fantasy in original two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of art. Develop Perceptual Skills and Visual Arts Vocabulary Students perceive and describe rhythm and movement in works of art and in the environment. Analyze Art Elements and Principles of Design Students identify and describe elements of art in works of art, emphasizing line, color, shape/form, texture, space, and value, etc. Aesthetic Valuing (Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments About Works in the Visual Arts) Students analyze, assess, and derive meaning from works of art, including their own, according to the elements of art, the principles of design, and aesthetic qualities. NGSS 1 PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation Some materials allow light to pass through them, others allow only some light through and others block all the light and create a dark shadow on any surface beyond them, where the light cannot reach. K-2-ETS1-2. K-2-ETS1-3. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool. Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem. Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs. 4 PS3-4 Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another. MS-PS1-2. MS-PS1-5. MS-PS1-6. Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred. 5
Lesson developed by Itoko Maeno, SBMA Senior Teaching Artist, and produced by Joni Chancer, SBMA Curriculum Consultant Credits and Permissions: This presentation was created by SBMA for instructional use only and is not to be altered in any way, or reproduced without attribution. Artwork was created by SBMA Teaching Artists, participants in SBMA Adult Studio Classes, and students in the SBMA Education and Outreach Programs. For further information about these or other Education and Outreach Programs, contact Rachel Krieps at rkrieps@sbma.net 6