Positive/Negative Leaf Prints

Third Grade - Riffenburgh Elementary School

Outline: Lesson designed for third grade class familiar with basic printing techniques. Prepare example, collect a variety of leaves for students to use as references for their stencils and for printing. Introduce warm and cool color schemes. Compare artworks that feature each type of color scheme. Discuss where we might find cool colors (such as a pond or under trees) and warm colors (the colors of the fall leaves) in nature. Explain that students will be creating a printed composition with a cool background and warm details.

Materials:

White construction or drawing paper; Paint (Red, yellow, blue, green); Sponges; Variety of leaves for printing; Construction paper for leaf stencils; Scissors; Thin line black markers; Paper for mounting finished artwork.

Instructional Objectives:

Student will produce a composition using both a positive and negative printing technique.
Student will use warm colors for their leaf prints and cool colors for their stencil prints.

Procedures: Show how to use leaves as a printing object. Use red and yellow paint for printing. When leaf prints are dry, cut them out and add veins with a thin black marker. While the leaf prints dry introduce stencil printing using the positive part of a student created leaf stencil. This will give you a negative leaf shape in the background. Show how to use sponges to create a textured cool color background. When both prints are dry randomly drop the leaf prints onto the cool background. Work one-on-one to crop the print. Discuss how the use of cropping helps create a balanced composition. Students will complete their prints by adding details (veins) with fine line black markers. Cropping can be done while the rest of the class is adding details to their leaves.

Week 1

Introduce warm and cool colors. Demonstrate printing processes: printing the background using the leaf as a stencil and using cool colors; and leaf printing by coating the leaf with warm colors and printing onto a second sheet of paper.

Week 2

Cut the printed leaf shapes. Explore composition by randomly placing warm leaves on cool background. Crop prints and add details.

Week 3

Part of a third week may be needed to complete this project.

Standards addressed:

Communication: Students will discuss the designation of "warm" and "cool" colors and how they can be used successfully in a composition to create a mental/physical sensation in the viewer.

Perception: Students will understand positive and negative shapes and use them in a composition. Students will understand warm and cool colors and use them in a composition.

Application/Creation: Students will create a composition using two different printing processes: one creating a positive and one creating a negative image. They will combine these images in a single composition.

Aesthetics/Art Criticism: Students will discuss a variety of artworks and the use of a cool or warm color scheme. They will evaluate how successfully the color choices reinforce the content of the artwork.

Week 1	Introduce warm and cool colors. Demonstrate printing processes: printing the background using the leaf as a stencil and using cool colors; and leaf printing by coating the leaf with warm colors and printing onto a second sheet of paper.
Week 2	Cut the printed leaf shapes. Explore composition by randomly placing warm leaves on cool background. Crop prints and add details.
Week 3	Part of a third week may be needed to complete this project.