Cave Painting UNIT 1

All Grades ART ~ Lesson A CYCLE 1

!! Students will create a cave painting using charcoal and acrylic. Printing"the"Handout" guarantees"families"see" Before the Lesson: the"“home"follow@up" assignment”"and"have" 1.! Review Lesson and Art Handout (below) to understand philosophy and ideas. terms"and"visual"aids" 2.! Print “Animal Template” (below) on card-stock and cut out for"studying"during"the" 3.! Print “Handout” (below) week.""" 4.! Review materials list below and make sure you have everything ready. 5.! Review In-Class section below to make sure you understand the activity. 6.! Optional: Print “ Visual Aids” (below, images are the same as Handout)

Materials Needed:

!! 1-2 Colors of Acrylic Paint !! 1 Paintbrush per student !! 1 Water Jar per student !! Animal templates (see below, print enough so that each student can have at least one animal at a time). !! 1 11x17 sheet of sketch paper per student !! 1 Willow Stick or piece of charcoal per student Check$with$your$local$ !! 1 Handout on paper, in color per student (or per family) co7op$director"to" !! 1 Large fan know"what"supplies"are" !! Roll of paper towels already"on@hand"and" which"ones"you"need"to" !! Bottle of cleaning spray procure"by"buying"or" !! 1 Smock per student borrowing."""" !! 1 set of Visual Aids on paper, in color (see below, images are same as Handout Feel$free$to$substitute$ materials"when" Classroom Preparation (always plan at least 30 minutes): desired/needed."""

•! Cover the floor with plastic. •! Set up tables throughout the room, covered with plastic. •! Set up your table with the supplies and handouts, neatly laid out. •! For each student, place 1 sheet of sketch paper, willow stick, paintbrush, and water jar on the table. (Have acrylic paints ready to the side.) •! Have smocks ready at door to put on students before they enter! "Introducing"terms"and" skills"is"important,"so" In-Class: students"study"the" terms"during"the"week."" •! Welcome the students. •! Show them pictures of cave paintings (Visual Aids below), pointing out the shapes within the animals. Ask what other shapes they can see around the room. Explain that students are going to use “shapes” to create a cave painting! •! Demonstrate how to place the shape (animal template) on the paper, rub the charcoal over the shape, then remove the shape to reveal the outline of an animal. •! Instruct students to repeat this process several times on their paper, drawing in warriors if they would like. Students will also have their own ideas! Encourage them to be creative with the parameters.

The$Rolling$Acres$School $$$$$$$©"2014"Kenneth"and"Alecia"Rolling.""All"rights"reserved." •! Time allowing, give students 1-2 colors of paint to add color to their cave Consider"playing" paintings. classical"or"chant"music" •! Walk around and allow students to work during"the"quiet"work" quietly. time.""" •! 5-Minute Warning: Have students finish up and direct them to hand washing, making sure there is a supervisor or hall-monitor at all times with students.

Clean-Up:

•! Place projects in the air-path of a large fan to dry. " •! Return supplies and tables to storage area and follow clean-up checklist. " •! Tell parents and students that they may pick up their projects at the end of the day. "

Samples of Student Pictures:$

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Sample"pictures"allow"you"to" see"what"other"students"have" created."If"you"see"you"need"to" substitute"materials"or"if"you" have"an"idea"for"adapting"the" project,"feel"free"to"be"creative!""

The$Rolling$Acres$School $$$$$$$©"2014"Kenneth"and"Alecia"Rolling.""All"rights"reserved." Classroom Visual Aids:

The$Visual$Aids$are$ optional.$You"may" print"one"full@color"or" print"a"larger"version" (11”"x"17”)"for"a"larger" display."These"images" could"also"be"used"on" the"History"Display" board"for"your"co@op"or" home.""

Picture Credits: Top: This painting is estimated to be between 25,000 and 35,000 years old. It is the first cave in which prehistoric paintings were discovered; Bottom: “Cave of Atlamira”: Relief with charcoal, published by M. Sanz de Sautuola in 1880. "

The$Rolling$Acres$School $$$$$$$©"2014"Kenneth"and"Alecia"Rolling.""All"rights"reserved." Art Handout: Cave Painting Definitions" for"terms" Schola Rosa: Co-op & Home Curriculum should"be" memorized.""" General Principle: Order Specific Skill: Finding Shape Medium: Charcoal and Acrylic

Definition of Order: a state in which all components or elements are arranged logically, comprehensibly, or naturally (See any dictionary.)

What does this definition mean for art? To achieve order in an artistic composition, the artist might try to arrange things in a way that anyone could understand. To do this, the artist might think of how other people see the world and its beauty. The artist then might attempt to capture that beauty and its natural order on paper. We can look at a cave painting that is over 25,000 years old, and we can see what the artist was painting. We can understand it because it has order that is logical, comprehensible, or natural. The Cave of Altamira shows a herd of bison, the order of which is naturally recognizable to us.

Achieving Order in Art by Recreating Shape: For understanding the importance of shape, here is a quote from Aristotle’s Categories, 2.8: “The fourth sort of quality is figure and the shape that belongs to a thing; and besides this, straightness and curvedness and any other qualities of this type; each of these defines a thing as being such and such. Because it is triangular or quadrangular a thing is said to have a specific character, or again because it is straight or curved; in fact a thing's shape in every case gives rise to a qualification of it.” We see then that perhaps one of the first steps to achieving order in an artistic work is to represent shape correctly. What shape is a bison? If this shape is drawn incorrectly, no one in future will know that the artist was drawing a bison.

Charcoal and Acrylic: We are using charcoal and acrylic this week to give students a sense of the media used by our ancient ancestors. Coals could be collected from the hearth to draw on the cave walls or on pots. Various paints could be created from things in nature, such as berries or plants or bark or rocks. Living and non- living things could be smashed and mixed with a little water or animal fat to create paint. This was then used to paint cave walls, house walls, clay pots, and more. $ Home$Follow7Up:$ Each"art"handout"includes"a"“Home" Have your children spend time drawing and doodling, Follow@up,”"so"your"family"can" using objects in their natural environment (e.g. leaves, trees, continue"the"art"discussion"at"home." people, etc.). Ask what shapes they see in what they are trying to There"are"also"useful"tips"for"applying" draw. You do NOT need to be a professional artist to help them the"terms"and"skills"to"your"home" with this! You can prompt them to remember what the art teacher culture"and"everyday"life."" talked about at the co-op and encourage them to apply the lesson. Picture Credits: Top: This painting is estimated to be between 25,000 and 35,000 years old. It is the first cave in which prehistoric paintings were discovered; Bottom: “Cave of Atlamira”: Relief with charcoal, published by M. Sanz de Sautuola in 1880.