INTENSITY PAINTING (STIPPLING)

INTENSITY PAINTING (STIPPLING) IDEA: Following a color chart on Intensity, a painting can be created using simple subject matter and a new painting technique, stippling. George Seurat, an Impressionist painter, used this pointillist style to optically mix colors in his paintings. OBJECTIVES: The students will be able to: 1. Understand an art history lesson on Impressionism, George Seurat and his Pointillist technique 2. Review the color chart intensity and how it relates to the project 3. Draw simple subject matter and transfer it to matt board 4. Apply their first coat of paint 5. Understand stippling and the painting technique 6. Start stippling their project 7. Understand sponge painting the background 8. Start sponge paint their background. Tempera paint Subject matter, (oranges, lemons, apples) 2H pencil Eraser 6B graphite Newsprint paper, 9 x 12 Newspaper Matt board Brushes Color plate Intensity Water jar Water Paper towels Soap, (liquid) Sponges Prints, George Seurat, Impressionism (Pointillist painters) A TIME LINE IS INCLUDED: The total amount of time spent on this project will appear below this paragraph. The approximate time needed to finish each activity, in this project, is also indicated. The time line is based on 180 school days, with a class meeting five days a week and a class period of 55 minutes. The 55 minutes are reduced to 45 minutes of actual teaching time, with 5 minutes for preparation and 5 minutes for clean-up. THIS PROJECT WILL TAKE: (approximately 3½ weeks)

HINTS/TIPS: There will be HINTS/TIPS throughout this lesson plan. They will be highlighted in yellow. They are intended to be informative and help to make the teaching process easier. If the information is known or already understood, skip over these areas. ACTIVITY: 1 (approximately ½ day) The students will be able to understand an art history lesson on Impressionism, George Seurat and his Pointillist technique. Prints of George Seurat Art history information on Impressionism 1. Since this project is about stippling, it is important to relate it to the period in art history on Impressionism and the Pointillist painters. The teacher lecture will feature George Seurat and his pointillist, stippling technique. The teacher will research this information. ACTIVITY: 2 (approximately ½ day) The students will be able to review the color chart Intensity and how it relates to the project. Color chart Intensity 1. The teacher will review the color chart Intensity, especially the Intensity Scale where complementary colors neutralize each other and review the six complementary pairs of colors. The teacher will show to the students through examples, how complementary colors can darken each other without the use of black paint; and, how they can show shadows, represent the dark side of an object and to help show distance (all by neutralizing the opposite color). ACTIVITY: 3 (approximately 2 days) The students will be able to draw simple subject matter and transfer it to matt board Subject matter (the fruit: an orange) Matt board, 9 x 12 2HB pencil Eraser 6B graphite stick Drawing boards Newsprint paper, 9 x 12 Scissors 1. The teacher will select several types of fruit and citrus. To add variation to the food items, some can be cut in half or quartered. The tops can be cut off and used

in the arrangement. The skin can be partially cut in a circular manner, leaving it curled and attached in one area for visual interest (see the examples in the power point presentation on this topic). I always set the food items on a desk area of about eight feet square so the entire class could circle around the food and with drawing boards, paper and pencils, being able to draw what was in front of them. The food items were positioned so that each good side faced out and would accommodate four to five students at each location. There were either five or six positions available for the students to select their own location. There must be good lighting available on the food items so a dark/light side and a cast shadow would be present. 2. The teacher will demonstrate rendering a sketch/drawing of the food item, with a cut, curled rind. Just an orange by itself would not hold the visual interest. All the sketched lines of the subject matter will be reduced to one line. The demonstration will include drawing the cast shadow. Use slant shading to represent the dark side of the food item and any necessary shading in the rendering (see the power point presentation on this topic, for examples). This is the ONLY time in entire project that the students will have any visual reference to shading or cast shadows so this process needs to be completed at one time. I forced this time issue, assuring that my demonstration and that the students finished their drawing and quick shading within the class period. I had a refrigerator in my class room and was able to store some food items. The students that were absent during this drawing process could use the refrigerated food items as a resource for their next class day of attendance, to reference their drawing. 3. The students could have placed the food items anywhere on the 9 x 12 newsprint when they made their initial drawing. It does not matter, because the teacher will now demonstrate positioning the food drawing on to a 9 x 12 matt board format. Since the food item will be resting on a table/shelf, it is IMPORTANT that the bottom of the food item be positioned slightly overlapping the middle of the format and slightly offset either left or right of center. The base of the food item should be approximately 3 ½ up from the bottom of the format. The curled, cut skin will factor (compositionally) into the placement of the drawing. The students will draw a horizontal line approximately ¾ inch from the bottom of the matt board; and, another horizontal line approximately one inch above the previous line. The distance between the two lines will represent the front edge of the table/shelf on which the food item will be resting. 4. By now the students know how to graphite the back of their drawing, tape it down and trace onto a 9 x 12 piece of matt board. At this time of the school year, I always had scraps of matt board saved, from matting students work. Have the students transfer their drawings to the matt board. They have done this several times before and should know the process by now.

ACTIVITY: 4 (approximately 4 days) The students will be able to apply their first coat of paint. Matt board with traced food Water container Good quality brush #2 and #10 round Tempera paint Sponge 1 x 2 Newsprint paper (scraps) Newspaper Aluminum pie tin (or paint palette) 1. Since the whole point of this project is working with complementary colors, the number of hues, used during the assignment, will be greatly limited. I always displayed, on the bulleting board, all of the complementary pairs in individual intensity scales. The following are color selections for their accompanying food item: Food Item Tempera Paint Orange orange, (yellow), blue with white and black Lemon yellow, (orange or green), violet with white and black Apple, (red) red, (orange), green with white and black Apple, (green) green (yellow), red with white and black Banana yellow (green or orange), violet with white and black The first color above, on the left, is the color of the food. The color(s) in the parentheses can be added to help highlight the food. The underlined color is the complementary color of the food (which is used to neutralize its opposite color). White and back will be used to change the value in the painting; however, no black will be used on the food item. The black will be used in background to darken the colors. The dark side of the food and the cast shadows will be painted with complementary colors to dull or reduce the intensity in a specific area. 2. The teacher will demonstrate painting the main food item. The background and table/shelf surface will be painted after the main food item. There will be two applications of paint for the main food item; first, the complementary color and second, the color of the object. The reason for this is to let some of the first coat (the complement) to show through, during the stippling process. This will allow the complementary colors to optically blend and neutralize each other creating shading and shadows. Since, in my example, the main food item is an orange, the final application of paint will be variations of orange. The first application of paint will be orange s complement, blue. It must be remembered from the value color chart, that all colors have a built in value or degree of darkness. Yellow has a high light value and violet has a low dark value. The remaining values of

the colors fall within this range. In selecting blue for the first coat of paint and remembering that blue is darker in value than orange, some white was added to the blue to lighten its value. The entire skin portion of the orange was painted the same light blue color. The paint application was flat, with no attempt to model or shade the form. If any of the membrane of the orange was showing, then more white paint was added to the lightened blue. This very light blue was painted on all of the membrane with no attempt to shade or model the areas. 3. After the teacher demonstration, the students will apply the first coat of paint to their projects. ACTIVITY: 5 (approximately ½ day) The students will be able to understand stippling and the painting technique. Brush #2, round Tempera paint (colors appropriate for food item) Matt board (with already painted background) Water jar Palette (aluminum pie tin) Paper towels Sketch of food item with slant shading 1. The teacher will demonstrate the stippling technique. I always started the stippling demonstration on the side of the food item where the highlight would be formed. Using tempera paint and a #4 round (good quality) brush, dip the tip of the brush slightly into the tempera paint and gently touch the tip of the brush on to the rind area (in my example, straight orange was used with no color mixing. I started in the light blue highlight area of the orange.) A small round dot of color should be formed. By pulling the brush straight up, after applying the paint, a raised dome of paint will be formed. Two problems may occur: One, if the dot of paint is flat, then the paint is too thin. A paint thickener may need to be added or by leaving the top off the paint container over night, some of the excess water will evaporate. In any case this dome of paint is necessary to show individual dots of paint; otherwise, the visual effect will appear as if it were merely painted and not stippled. The second problem may be that the paint is too dry. A spread or smashed brush stroke will be formed and the raise dome will not occur. This is easy to remedy by adding a LITTLE water to the paint, mixing it and repeating the process. The size of the stippled, dot of paint is your choice; however, if it too small, it will take forever to finish the project. Keep all the dot sizes constant throughout the project. 2. So far one dot of paint has been applied to the food item. Be sure to leave a little space between the dots of paint, so the wet paint will not bleed together, negating the stippling effect. Only after the paint has dried, go back and fill in between the previous dot applications.

3. Leave the highlights and any shading until much later. Using the pure color (in my example it was orange) continue to stipple the entire top portion of the rind where the light source is hitting the object. As the stippling moves to the shaded side of the food, start to slightly separate the dots allowing some of the complementary (first coat of paint) color to show through. With out changing the main food color, the complementary colors will mix optically with each other and reduce the intensity of color in that area. This is the whole point of first coat and second coat of paint and stippling. 4. Looking closely at the examples at the beginning of the power point presentation, on this topic, you will see that the complementary colors were mixed, neutralizing the color and making the transition from light to dark more gradual. During this process it is VERY important to leave some of the first coat of paint showing through the dark side. A smooth gradation from light to dark is a desired effect. 5. When it is time for the highlight area, a new hue could be added to the original food color (in my example, yellow was added to orange). This will help with the highlight effect. Finally, white could be added to this color combination as the highlight is further developed. During the process of applying the paint, always try to create smooth transitions or gradations from one colored area to another. 6. When stippling the membrane of the food item, merely add more white to the rind color for the light areas. Add the color s complement to neutralize the darker areas and always leave some of the first coat showing through in the dark areas. ACTIVITY: 6 (approximately 6 days) The students will be able to start stippling their project Students projects Tempera paint #4 brush, round Water container Palette, aluminum pie tin Teacher shaded drawings 1. After the teacher demonstration, the students will start to stipple their painting. 2. It is important for the teacher to move around the room to check the student s understanding and progress. I always displayed, on the bulletin board, student work at the end of class. This helped the other students see the achievable goals. I would change the students examples daily, building self-esteem in a number of students

3. There is a strong possibility that the matt board may warp during the stippling process. Tell the students to NOT BEND the matt board to try to straighten out the warped area. If they do, there is a great possibility that the dots of paint will pop off the matt board surface. When the projects are completed and if they are warped, a wet sponge can be rubbed over the back side of the matt board and placed between two (old) drawing boards with weights on top. I always liked to place a sheet of newsprint under the face of the painting so no marks from the drawing board could be transferred to the painting. 4. After the first day of painting, I drew single, large (18 x 24 ) examples of the various food items that the students were painting and shaded them with charcoal. I displayed them on the bulletin board. I used them during a review of the Five Qualities of Proper Shading. The students were able to them as a reference resource. ACTIVITY: 7 (approximately ½ day) The students will be able to understand sponge painting the background Student projects Tempera Paint Sponge (6 x 3½ x 1 ) cut into six sections: Final size (2 x 1¼ x 1 ) Palette, aluminum pie tin Brush #4 Water container Water Food block-out 1. The teacher will demonstrate the sponge painting technique. First make a blockout for the food item. 2. Take a small piece of newsprint paper, a little larger than the food drawing and place it under their food item. Trace the food item, curled skin and any other part of the food that was drawn. With scissors, cut out their traced food item. With small pieces of masking tape (roll the masking tape into a donut shape) attach the newsprint cutout and cover the painted food item, leaving the remaining matt board exposed. 3. The colors used will be similar to those used to paint the main food item. Example: An orange is the main food item; the background will be painted with combinations of orange and blue (complementary colors). Black may be added to darken certain areas. (The power point presentation, on this topic, will help clarify this point.) The table or shelf that the food item is resting on will be painted next. The table/shelf area will be painted lighter than the background and duller, with a reduced intensity, than the main food item. This is done so the main food item will be more prominent in the painting. Once again, the

power point presentation will help clarify this point. The area under the table/shelf will be painted darker in value. It may even have a cast shadow that would help the appearance of the table/shelf coming forward. 4. In starting to paint the background, the color combination needs to be dark in value, as stated above, to set off the lighter valued food item and the shelf. Wet the sponge and heavily squeeze out all the water. Using the palette, set out small amounts of the various colors that will be needed. In my example, orange, blue and black were used. Use the small edge of the sponge to mix the various colors together. Have a scrape piece of paper ready to test the paint infused sponge. You are testing to be sure that there is not too much paint (or too little) on the sponge. Be sure that you have secured the block-out over the food item. Just dab the sponge down on the scrape paper once or twice. If the paint quantity is right start to dab or tap the sponge on the background area. To lighten a color such as, making a dark brown more orange, be sure the paint is wet (on the matt board) and merely dab the sponge in the palette in the orange paint and straight on to the wet painted background. The colors will mix on the painting. Any further adjustments (making it darker or lighter) can be made this way. In doing this, always be sure that you are working into wet paint. 5. The shelf will be painted in a similar manner. The lines separating the masonry blocks were painted with a brush. ACTIVITY: 8 (approximately 3 days) The students will be able to start sponge painting their background. Student project Block-out Tempera paint Palette, aluminum pie tin Sponge Brush #4 Water container Water 1. After the teacher demonstration on sponge painting, the students with start to sponge paint the background on their project. They will start by blocking out their main food item as demonstrated. 2. The teacher needs to move around the room and assist the students as necessary. If several students did not understand any part of the process, I always grouped them together and did another demonstration. This was better than saying the same thing five times in a row.