PHOTO TRANSFER GREETING CARD – Pattern, Colour, Contrast

Students use watercolour pencil techniques, patterns and a photo transfer to create a small greeting card.

Required Time

60 Minutes

Grade Level

Grade 4 to Grade 8

Subject

Language Arts
Mathematics
Visual Arts

Vocabulary

colour contrast pattern print

Materials

Crayola Marker & Watercolour Paper - 15.2 cm x 22.9 cm (6" x 9") Crayola Paint Brushes - Small Round Crayola Glue Sticks Crayola Scissors Crayola Watercolour Pencils Green Painters Tape Clear Packing Tape Water Containers Water Basin Paper Towels Cotton Dish Towel

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Steps

PHOTO TRANSFER GREETING CARD – Pattern, Colour, Contrast - Step One

Step One

  1. Fold the paper in half short end to short end.
  2. Tape all 4 sides down on a smooth piece of cardboard such as Bristol board or a piece of cereal box.
  3. Be careful how you place the tape. It will make a white border around your finished design.
PHOTO TRANSFER GREETING CARD – Pattern, Colour, Contrast - Step Two

Step Two

  1. Make sure you know where the top of your card is.
  2. Place the paper with the top facing up.
  3. Use the patterns guide to create your own design. (Downloads - CreatingPatterns.pdf)
PHOTO TRANSFER GREETING CARD – Pattern, Colour, Contrast - Step Three

Step Three

  1. Draw lines and shapes with the watercolour pencil.
  2. Paint a small amount of water into the lines and shapes.
  3. Colour a large area with several colours of watercolour pencils.
  4. Paint water into it to blend the colours together.
  5. Set the paper aside to dry.
PHOTO TRANSFER GREETING CARD – Pattern, Colour, Contrast - Step Four

Step Four

  1. Select the photo you want to use.
  2. Follow the instructions to make a photo transfer. (Downloads - PhotoTransfer.pdf)
PHOTO TRANSFER GREETING CARD – Pattern, Colour, Contrast - Step Five

Step Five

  1. Gently remove the tape from the dry painting.
  2. Use a glue stick to glue your photo transfer to your painting.
  3. Make sure it is smooth and flat.

Learning Goals

Students will be able to:

  • create a greeting card with a design that includes patterns and a photo transfer;
  • use watercolour pencil techniques to create a variety of effects;
  • use contrast to emphasize different areas of their design;
  • demonstrate technical accomplishment and creativity.

Extensions

Have students:

  • work with another class to teach their peers how to make photo transfers;
  • use the photo transfers and other mixed media techniques to create an artwork;
  • share their work with others.

 

Prepare

  1. Prior to this lesson you may want to have students work with watercolour pencils using the Exploring Watercolour Pencils techniques lesson available on this website.
  2. Pre-cut the Marker & Watercolour paper 15.2 cm x 22.9 cm (6” x 9”) - 1 piece per student.
  3. Photocopy a variety of copyright free images such as those found in Dover publications books, for example, 1300 Real and Fanciful Animals: From Seventeenth-Century Engravings, by: Matthäus (the Younger) Merian
  4. Download and display the Colour, Contrast and Repetition posters available on this website.
  5. Photocopy the Creating Patterns guide - enough for groups of students to share. (Downloads - CreatingPatterns.pdf)
  6. Create a sample.

Introduction

  1. Discuss the element of colour and characteristics of colours, for example, warm and cool colours, bright and dull colours, light and dark colours.
  2. Discuss how colours can be used expressively to communicate different feelings, such as calm, happiness, excitement. (Downloads – CulturalColour.pdf)
  3. Discuss patterns and the use of repetition to create them.
  4. Show and discuss your sample.
  5. Demonstrate how to make a photo transfer.
  6. Introduce the challenge.

Activities

The Challenge

  1. Create a greeting card with a design that includes patterns and a photo transfer.
  2. Use watercolour pencil techniques to create a variety of effects.
  3. Use contrast to emphasize different areas of your design.
  4. Demonstrate technical accomplishment and creativity.

The Process

  1. Make sure everyone understands the challenge.
  2. Establish success criteria with your students, for example,
    I know I am successful when I have:
    - created a photo transfer
    - created a variety of effects with watercolour pencils
    - created a design that includes several different patterns
    - created a design that includes a photo transfer
    - used contrast to emphasize different areas of my design
    - created a greeting card that is in good condition
  3. Guide students through the steps outlined in this lesson plan.
  4. Encourage students to think of how they can use contrast to create areas of emphasis.
  5. Observe students as they work. 
  6. Provide individual assistance and encouragement.

Sharing

  1. Place students into small groups.
  2. Ask them to: 
    - Share their greeting cards and take turns discussing the things that are especially effective and why.
    - Talk about how the colours and photo transfer express a feeling.
    - Talk about who might enjoy their greeting card, and why.
    - Talk about what they found satisfying about making the greeting card.
  3. Share ideas with the whole class. 
  4. Ask students to tell how they felt about doing this project.

Assessment

  1. Observe students as they work – thoughtful focus, discriminating, seeking more information, elaborating, experimenting.
  2. Observe students as they discuss their artworks – speaks with a clear voice, looks at audience while speaking, holds greeting card to the side, provides accurate information, answers questions from the audience effectively.
  3. Observe students as they listen – looks at presenter, asks effective questions, supports ideas with evidence found in the artwork.
  4. Use a checklist to track progress. (Downloads - GreetingCard_tracking.pdf)
  5. Have students use the self-assessment form to evaluate their work. (Downloads - GreetingCard_self-assessment.pdf)     

Downloads

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