Purpose: To produce final art for the Kids' Fish Art Contest
Outcomes: Students will be able to integrate all art and design principles previously introduced within a single painted or drawn composition, using a variety of technical art production skills, and communicate through their art a knowledge of fish anatomy and habitat.
Subject: Visual Arts, Science, Biology (Ecology)
Group size: Class
Site: Classroom
Time: 100 - 120 minutes
Supplies: pencils, paints or other drawing supplies, watercolour paper or illustration board meeting competition requirements.
References: Young Angler's Licence - Contest winners
A QUICK LOOK
Students will plan, compose and execute their competition painting or drawing.
READY, SET, GO!
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| The 2012 Young Angler's Licences depict the winning artwork from the 9th annula Kids' Fish Art Contest. Artist: You Bin Kang, winner of Grade Group 10 to 12. |
Have students assemble all the studies and reference materials that they have done to date. They might wish to view the previous artwork for the Young Angler's Licence (see Reference above) to see how the artists handled both composition and space requirements. However, please encourage them to be original and creative.
Ask students to prepare a series of composition studies for their competition painting or drawing that considers the following issues:
- In addition to the central fish, will there be other fish, animals or plants in the picture? What will be their attitudes or position relative to the focal fish?
- Will the vantage point be from above, from below or at eye level?
- What physical habitat components will they include?
Encourage students to study various combinations of these elements and finally select a strong composition, which also provides an opportunity to display the key external features of their fish, using artistic techniques.
Do not allow students, under any circumstances, to reproduce materials that are protected by copyright - this is against contest entry rules, and also discourages creativity. Encourage students to be original.
Finally, ask students to select a medium they feel comfortable with, and execute the painting or drawing of their chosen design. Begin this work with enough time for repetitions if something goes wrong or if the student wants to try several different compositions or techniques.
Assemble the final art, and review each piece for balance, composition and perspective, as well as effectiveness at portraying their fish and its habitat.
FOR DISCUSSION
How do the paintings of Chinook salmon and longnose gar differ from one another? What are the major differences in habitat for each fish? What are the similarities in how each fish is portrayed? Are there any unique perspectives that strengthen a particular composition, or highlight significant characteristics of a fish or its habitat?
