Animal Effigy Bowl

For this project, students experimented with clay and made an animal effigy bowl.

Before starting the project, students learned about different ancient cultures that made animal effigies. An animal effigy is an object that is made to look like an animal. The art in these ancient cultures was not only interesting to look at, but also functional. Ancient cultures in South America used their animal effigies for spiritual purposes and had a deep connection to nature and the animals that lived in their area.

Students could make their clay effigy look like any animal they wanted. They used Sculpey clay to make their effigy pot. They learned how to make a pinch pot out of clay, how to sculpt clay in different ways, and how to add texture to clay. They also learned about different properties of clay and important processes you need to do in order to have a successful clay sculpture. After they made the pinch pot, and added details to look like an animal, they painted their bowls with acrylic paint. I then baked them in my oven, and the clay hardened. 

Egyptian Cartouche

While studying Egypt, we looked at Egyptian hieroglyphs and how they used pictures to spell out words or ideas. A cartouche looks like an oval was a horizontal line at the end. Inside the oval were hieroglyphs that would spell out someone's name, and the oval was supposed to protect that person from evil spirits. These would be used by royal people. Pharaohs (their kings) used to be the only people that could wear these. Sometimes they would be included in tombs. 

Students painted gold paint on a printed template of a cartouche. They then cut that out and wrote out their names with hieroglyphs inside the oval. They were given blue and red paint and Sharpie markers to add decorations and enhance their hieroglyphs. 

Egyptian Jewelry

While looking at Egypt, we looked at the jewelry that was worn by ancient Egyptians and how the paintings in their tombs showed how they dressed. Jewelry was worn by both men and women, and usually by rich people. The jewelry was expensive because it was made from gold, turquoise, and other stones. The jewelry also usually showed images that had to do with their religion and showed spiritual icons like scarab beetles, the Wadjet eye, a circle for the sun, and snakes.

Students were shown pictures of ancient Egyptian jewelry and given drawings of traditional designs. They used Sculpey clay to made beads inspired by these traditional designs. Some students loved making all the patterns, and some just wanted to make circle-shaped beads, which is ok too. After they made the beads, I had them use a large needle to poke a hole through the side to allow the beads to be strung on a string. I brought out gold, blue, and red acrylic paint for students to use, and they painted the beads. After that, I re-poked the holes in each bead, baked them in my oven at home, and strung them on a string for students to have a necklace. Making the beads was fun, but the baking and stringing the beads took much longer than I planned. Seeing the students wear their necklaces in class after they got them back made it worth it!

Paper Lantern

While looking at art in Asia, we looked at lanterns. You can find them in many places in China and in "Chinatowns" in America today. They are usually the color red, which symbolizes good luck.

This was a tricky project for students because of all the many different pieces that needed to be glued and assembled. The students first painted a Chinese-inspired pattern on red paper. While we were waiting for that to dry, we cut yellow paper (to look like a light) and glued that as a tube to be the center of the lantern. After that, they folded the red paper with the design on it and cut slits on the fold. That paper was glued to the yellow paper, and a handle, streamers, and decorations were added.

Koi Fish

With this project, students learned about the traditional ways that koi fish have been painted in Japanese culture. Koi fish were traditionally painted in Japan by fishermen who wanted to record the fish that they had caught, and they have been painted for hundreds of years. Koi fish remain popular in Japanese culture and symbolize wealth and good luck.

Students drew their own koi fish on white paper with a pencil following my step-by-step example. They then outlined this with permanent marker and painted them with watercolor paints. The rest of the paper was painted blue and after it dried was ripped at used at waves in the background. They then chose Japanese characters that they wanted to write and painted those on with acrylic paints. After everything was painted and cut out, it was glued on blue paper.

Aboriginal Art

While learning about Australia, we learned about their flag and the art and culture of the Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal people are native to Australia and have created art in many different ways including painting on leaves, wood carving, rock carving, sculpture, sand painting, and dot art.

Dot painting is made from different colors like the traditional Aboriginal colors - yellow (sun), brown (soil), red (desert sand), and white (clouds and sky). The dot paintings were usually about things from nature, especially animals.

Students drew the outline of an animal on black paper then colored their animals. They glued that onto a sheet of brown paper. After that they created a dot painting that included traditional Aboriginal symbols.