Wind and Water Monoprints

SCHOOL PROGRAM LESSON PLAN – K to 3

Wind and Water Monoprints

Final Project Description:

Four 4x4 inch square prints made through the process of paper marbling with inks. Ink colours rest on the water’s surface and colour the paper in unique and unpredictable ways. Students can work back into their prints with watercolour pencils to add more detail.

Description:

Students will guide the interaction of ink and water on paper, blowing through a straw to move ink into swirling patterns. The ink will lift off onto rag paper, creating a geological/hydrological effect. The purpose of this activity is to use the elements of wind and water to create art in much the same way Germaine Koh connects her work inside the Gallery to the tangible forces of the world outside.

Theory:

Students will (taken from the BC Curriculum PLOs):

-describe and apply a variety of materials, technologies and processes to create images

-create images that feature line, colour and the principle of pattern

-create 2D images that represent ideas and concepts

-respond to artworks – Germaine Koh’s Weather Forces works

-create 2D images in response to objects and other images they have experienced

Creation & Analysis:

Review Germaine Koh’s work, particularly wind speed and water levels. These works read information from the natural world (how fast the wind is blowing and how high water levels are in a given place) and reports a reading to viewers in the Gallery. Explain that this is how scientists gather data about the world. Why would they be interested in this information? This data is useful to other people too – pilots for example, or boaters. Explain why. Why is this work, which does scientific things, in a Gallery where you would expect to find art like paintings or drawings? Explain that Koh wants to remind us that there are all kinds of slow interactions happening out in the world all the time. By bringing this kind of equipment into the Gallery, she gets us to slow down and think about processes like rising tides and wind quality, which are all around us, in constant change and affect everyone’s life.

Introduce the activity. Explain that we are going to observe how water and ink interact, much the same as Koh’s instruments observe wind and water. Each student will have their own water station set up. Go over care and safety – we really don’t want any spilled water. Have a mop handy ahead of time just in case. Run through the whole activity first. Explain that students will have ink droplets poured into their water bath and they will stay on the surface of the water. Explain surface tension – that water and ink are attracted to each other because they are similar substances and this causes the ink to rest on the water’s surface.

Have pre cut paper dots for students to submerge with their brushes and then position the dot in the centre of their bath. The paper ensures the ink pools out in a circle instead of dropping to the bottom of the bath (because it’s heavy).

Once students have added a few droplets to the dot, (decide how you want to add the ink – either having students do it themselves or you adding it. You can use watercolour palettes and small brushes to make ink droplets) Make sure the dots are a reasonable size for small people to accurately hit like a bull’s eye! If the dot moves, have students reposition it with the end of their brush, do not let them use their fingers. Using their brush or a straw to GENTLY blow into, have students experiment with swirling the ink around into patterns.

Once they are satisfied, have them place their paper face down and completely soak with water. Next, gently lift one corner and peel the design off. Colours will fade as they pull more prints, this is normal. If they are very faint, have them reapply inks to pull brighter prints. It would be smart to cut extra paper for this reason. Talk about cycles and relate to silt levels in floods, which we can observe here in Kamloops when the rivers flood.

Review – what did they learn? What were they surprised by? Could they control the ink or was it left to chance? Students can work into their prints with watercolour pencils to add more detail of there is time. They can follow an ink channel with a colour to darken it and follow where it goes, etc.

Prints will need to dry on paper towel or newspaper and be left on the drying racks. They can use the watercolour pencils before they dry. Have a bit of discussion about the results.

Duration:

60 minutes in the studio – 10 mins on approach, 20 mins on working with inks, 10 mins pulling prints, 15 mins to work into prints, 5 mins for wrap up and possible discussion or look at other’s work to end class.

Materials:

Stonehenge paper cut to 4x4 plus extras

Small brushes

Marbling ink

Watercolour pencils

Water

Plastic bin

Palettes

Paper towel or newspaper

Ink dots of reasonable size

Look & Discuss:

-HAVE STUDENTS PUT THEIR NAMES ON THEIR PAPERS! This is important.

Relate the activity back to the wind and water works in the exhibition. Does this activity help students understand Koh’s work and make them aware for a time of the natural forces that shape things outside?

Prep:

-Have bins, water and absorbent material out

-Have paint palettes, brush and ink dots ready

-Organize a drying area away from the main teaching area for wet, finished works – AGAIN, MAKE SURE KIDS HAVE PUT THEIR NAMES ON THEIR WORK FIRST THING

-Set out precut paper and extra

-Have a few watercolour pencils out

Take it further:

Ask students to look at each other’s work at the end of class to see how other students approached their project. How are they similar? How are they different? How has this activity made them consider their surroundings? What kinds of things do artists pay attention to and why might they do this? Ask some prompting questions and get kids to share their ideas. Can science and art do the same things?