Submitted by: Kevan Nitzberg, Anoka
High School, Anoka, Minnesota.
UNIT: Typography - Sculpture
Lesson: Typographical
Relief Sculpture
Grade Level: High School (adaptable for middle school)
Click images for larger views.
Objective:
Create a relief sculpture utilizing
letters as shapes
Disciplinary Sources: Art Production, Aesthetics, Art
History, Art Analysis
Disciplinary Concepts:
1)
shapes used in lettering design
can be used as components for various art projects
including sculpture
2)
different styles of lettering can be used towards
creating different effects
3)
lettering can help to convey feeling
4)
negative spaces around the letters may be considered
as additional shapes
5)
compositional interest is enhanced through the
combination of shapes and the spaces that are created around them.
Exemplars: Show students of how letters are utilized
in existing works of art as well as elements of design –
examples might include:
1)
“Love” by Robert Indiana
2)
images of Egyptian hieroglyphics
3)
images of other alphabets: Arabic, Hebraic, etc.
Condition:
1)
complete
worksheets: research typographical / font styles (plan letter
designs on work sheets).
2)
create
templates for letter shapes (2 letters) to size desired –
minimum of 5 copies of each letter to be used (additional shapes
around letters as well as additional copies of the letters being
used may be included) – 10 shape minimum (See note below - for
special needs students)
3)
trace
shapes from templates onto gator board – keep templates in
folders (create an envelope to hold them). Letters / shapes should
not exceed 8” on a side
4)
cut
/ sand gator board shapes: X-acto knives / metal rulers
5)
notch
shapes for fitting pieces together (as needed – notches should
be no wider than shapes are thick, and should be at least ½”
deep)
6)
paint
using acrylic metallic paint (gold, silver, copper, brass) –
only ONE color to be used in sculpture.
Base may be same color, black, white, or a combination of
black and white in a pattern that works with the configuration of
the shapes (base should be primed if using black or white as
color)
7)
After
drying, shapes to be attached to each other
8)
Cut
bases – 12” square particle board (NOTE: base could be
Masonite or any kind of board. If on a tight budget, base can be
heavy cardboard. Painting bases black gives a nice contrast)
9)
Affix
nail–less hanger on back of base – grind off points as they
come through the particle board base as necessary (Other types of
hangers can be used if bases are cardboard... a piece of scrap
cardboard with a hole punched can be glued on as a hanger).
10)
Attach / glue shapes - Cardboard
spacers may be placed between letters to give more relief.
11)
Critique/discuss finished work. Students write a reflection piece
about their sculpture.
Materials / Tools: metallic acrylic paint, gator board (or
recycled corrugated card board), primer, X-acto knives, metal
rulers, drawing paper, scissors, glue (hot glue may also be used).
(Note any kind of cardboard could be used for middle school)
Vocabulary: typography,
serif, sans serif, Roman, Gothic, Book (and other major fonts of
your choice), relief sculpture, negative and positive space, pattern, movement,
rhythm, repetition, contrast, variety, unity, emphasis
Note from
Kevan:
As I have a very
diverse population, I allow as many ways of accessing letter fonts
as students need. Some do in fact freehand the letters while
others rely on the computer to generate the fonts which are then
blown up with either the copy machine or our "Artograph".
Still others (typically some of my more challenged Special Needs
students), will even resort to using pre-made stencils. However, I
do have a worksheet that I have them all complete prior to
creating their templates where they do have to draw out the 2
letters they plan on using in 5 different font styles. That is a
hand done assignment.
Assessment: Rubric
adapted from Marianne Galyk (Kevan uses detailed rubrics)
Rubric
Submitted by Marianne Galyk
|
Assessment Rubric
|
|
Student
Name:
|
Class Period:
|
|
Assignment:
Cardboard
Typography Relief Sculpture
|
Date Completed:
|
|
Circle the
number in pencil that
best shows how well you feel that you completed that
criterion for the assignment.
|
Excellent
|
Good
|
Average
|
Needs
Improvement
|
Rate
Yourself
|
Teacher’s
Rating
|
|
Criteria 1 – Worksheet of letter
designs - planning
|
10
|
9 – 8
|
7
|
6 or less
|
|
|
|
Criteria 2 – Templates for
letter design - cutting of letters
|
10
|
9 – 8
|
7
|
6 or less
|
|
|
|
Criteria 3 – Sculpture assemblage -
aesthetics - use of design elements/principals
|
10
|
9 – 8
|
7
|
6 or less
|
|
|
|
Criteria 4 – Effort: took time to
develop idea & complete project? (Didn’t rush.) Good
use of class time?
|
10
|
9 – 8
|
7
|
6 or less
|
|
|
|
Criteria 5 – Craftsmanship – Neat, clean & complete? Skillful use of the
art tools & media?
|
10
|
9 – 8
|
7
|
6 or less
|
|
|
|
Total:
50 x
2
(100
possible points)
|
Grade:
|
|
|
|
|
Your Total
|
Teacher Total
|
Student Comments:
Teacher Comments:
National
Standards:
| 1.
Understanding and applying media, techniques, and
processes |
2.
Using knowledge of structures and functions |
3.
Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter,
symbols, and ideas |
5.
Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and
merits of their work and the work of others |
6.
Making connections between visual arts and other
disciplines
(OPTIONAL)
|
| Students
apply media, techniques, and processes with sufficient
skill, confidence, and sensitivity that their intentions
are carried out in their artworks |
Students
demonstrate the ability to form and defend judgments about
the characteristics and structures to accomplish
commercial, personal, communal, or other purposes of art |
Students
reflect on how artworks differ visually, spatially,
temporally, and functionally, and describe how these are
related to history and culture |
Students
identify intentions of those creating artworks, explore
the implications of various purposes, and justify their
analyses of purposes in particular works |
|
| Students
conceive and create works of visual art that demonstrate
an understanding of how the communication of their ideas
relates to the media, techniques, and processes they use |
Students
evaluate the effectiveness of artworks in terms of
organizational structures and functions |
Students
apply subjects, symbols, and ideas in their artworks and
use the skills gained to solve problems in daily life |
Students
describe meanings of artworks by analyzing how specific
works are created and how they relate to historical and
cultural contexts |
Students
compare characteristics of visual arts within a particular
historical period or style with ideas, issues, or themes
in the humanities or sciences |
| |
Students
create artworks that use organizational principles and
functions to solve specific visual arts problems |
|
Students
reflect analytically on various interpretations as a means
for understanding and evaluating works of visual art |
|
|
