Animals that swim
Art Making Activities
Activity 1: Multi media design using rubbings, watercolour paint and salt (Stage 2 students)
Look closely at the artwork Stranded daydream – phenomena and notice the colourful shapes and patterns the artist has created. Are the sea plants and sea creatures created using cool or warm colours?
Using textures found around your environment, make rubbings on the larger paper with warm coloured old wax or oil crayons (use without their wrappers) . Put this paper aside. Using plenty of water, paint another piece of paper with blue watercolour paint. Sprinkle salt across the surface of the wet paint and allow to dry overnight. You should get some interesting markings if successful. This will be your seawater background.
Draw organic shapes such as seaweed, sea creatures (e.g. sea anemomes & starfish) on your previously made (rubbings) sheet and then cut and glue these on to the watercolour paper.
If desired you could add some extra shapes cut from solid colour paper squares or tissue paper. Lines can be drawn later using pencils or pen to emphasise patterns and details.
Activity 2: Scratchfoam prints or alternative to this is potato cut printing (late Stage 2/Stage 3)
Think of a scene in which a large fish is about to be hooked on a fishing line. Draw the fish (with lots of patterns) and the hook, line & sinker onto a scratch foam plate (packets of pre-cut sheets of styrofoam) using a sharp lead pencil. Press firmly so you can clearly see your impressions. Think about the background water as well and draw lines like zigzag patterns (see pattern used in artwork titled, Fish) for waves or a swirling pattern directly onto the scratchfoam plate (around your fish). You can add seaweed or rocks as well but don’t make the design too complicated! Using a rubber roller, a rolling plate (perspex/glass/plastic) roll out some water based printing ink so you have a nice even coating of ink on the roller. Roll ink lightly over the scratchfoam so that it is completely coated (may need to get more ink on the roller). When it is ready lift the inked plate carefully from the table and put onto a clean surface. Lay colour or white paper over the inked plate carefully lining up the foam so that you have a regular margin around the print. Press down and rub with hand or dry roller over the back of the paper. Good to also use a print baron for pressing down. Lift corner to check ink has all been printed and then peel off paper and leave somewhere to dry. You can go make to ink the foam plate again and make another print or you can wash the foam under cold water and dry to use again later. It might be possible to swap your fish design with another student and try printing theirs.
