CHINESE LANDSCAPES

Our updated Art Course of Study has assigned a continent of focus for each grade level. Asia has been the focus for fifth grade and we've had fun learning about this ancient culture. 

Chinese landscapes were a great way to show students new techniques for creating. We began by tearing some manila paper so that it resembled mountains.  This was a controlled tear in that we twisted and tore the paper in the desired direction. If you tear the paper against the grain, this works great. Black chalk was added on the torn edge and black was pushed vertically to emulate silk. Students then traded papers with a friend for variety and continued to do 3-4 more layers, being careful to add less chalk so that each layer was a little lighter. We used the paper towel to soften the sky so that it wasn't so stark white.  We were going for a peaceful, foggy/misty look. 

Branches were added and next we began the cherry blossoms. I gave each table magenta and white paint that was only slightly mixed. They used the eraser end of a pencil to print the blossoms. The finishing touch was their names written with Chinese characters. 

To introduce this lesson, we talked about these types of paintings being created to instill peace to the viewer during tumultuous times. We also discussed to cherry trees in Washington D.C. being a gift from Japan to help to build a better relationship between the countries.