Art Masterpiece -Leonardo da Vinci Inventions
Grade: 6th Key words: shape: simulated three dimensional shape, geometric shape, organic shape, line, simple machines simulated three dimensional shape: shapes created on a flat surface that show perspective creating the illusion of three dimensions. Abstract shape: created by the artist by derived from actual objects or experiences geometric shape: squares, circles, rectangles, triangles, etc. organic shape:irregular shapes of freely-developed curves resembling those found in living organisms simple machines: inclined plane, wedge, screw, wheel and axle, lever, pulley Activity: Lost notebook page invention Meet the artist: (5 min)-refer to the power point when presenting He was born in 1452 in Italy to a lawyer father and a peasant mother. This was a Property of Knox Art Masterpiece
revised 2/11/2014
time called the High Renaissance. Great advancements in learning was taking place, not just art, but in science as well. As a child, he was apprenticed to an art master of the day, Verrocchio. One day Da Vinci drew some angel’s faces, and Verrocchio threw down his own paint brushes exclaiming jealously that he would never paint again. He was a very curious person who questioned everything from what causes tickling to would a fly’s wings sound different if coated in honey. Science was a huge interest to him as well. He made plans in his notebooks for airplanes, bicycles and submarines centuries before they were ever made. He would make these plans in his notebooks using mirror script, in which he wrote backwards, so that a person would have to look in a mirror understand what was written. At a time when most people did not bath often, or at all, he was meticulously clean. This caused many people to think he was eccentric. He knew that being clean kept a person healthy in an age of rampant disease and plague. He was a strict vegetarian and was known to buy birds in a market just to set them free in order to watch them fly. Da Vinci never married and never had any children of his own. He became extremely popular, royalty from France and Italy would commission his work. He would travel to these places lightly choosing to only bring his notebooks, and always, the Mona Lisa. His artwork has the notoriety of being the most vandalized in history. During the next few centuries, there were many wars in Europe. During these wars, many used his sculptures (there were many) as target practice. None of his sculptures exist today. After becoming partially paralyzed, he finally died while being employed by the King of France at the age of 67.
Discussion (10 min)-refer to the powerpoint presentation for images of his inventions. This discussion will be different from others in the Art Masterpiece program in that you are analyzing a collection of sketches made by a single artist. Before you examine the invention slides, tell the kids they will be developing their own inventions so they can be thinking as they are looking at da Vinci's inventions. How did da Vinci combine art and science? Where do you see evidence of nature in his designs? Many of his designs are based on basic geometric shapes. Where do you see geometric shapes? Property of Knox Art Masterpiece
revised 2/11/2014
Where do you see simulated three dimensional shapes? Where is there evidence of simple machines? (inclined plane, wedge, screw, wheel and axle, lever, pulley) Where do you see organic shapes? How did he use line in his drawings? Do you think he ever actually made any of these inventions? Which invention is the most interesting to you? Where do you think he got the bones to draw from? (He cut open cadavers (dead bodies) to study anatomy. At that time, if he was caught it was a crime punishable by death. ) Project: Lost notebook page invention Supplies needed: Tagboard 9 x 12” White tissue paper 10 x 15” Glue wash (make using glue and water 1/3 water and 2/3 glue) Cups for glue wash foam brushes-6-8 per class mirrors pencils rulers-class set protractors-class set black ball point pens colored chalk-brown and yellow popsicle sticks for mixing wash parent letter Advance Preparation Cut tissue paper to 10” x 15” (cut one large piece into quarters.) Copy and cut parent letter. Set up a glue wash station-mix of 1/3 water and 2/3 glue. Mini Lesson (5 min) Why do people invent things? (to make life easier to take over a task they have to do, or to improve upon something already in existence.) Brainstorm some ideas of inventions. If the kids are struggling with invention ideas, have them think about their daily chores or a task they have to do (i.e. brush their teeth, feed the dog, take out the garbage, wash dishes) How did things work before electricity? What things in nature could be Property of Knox Art Masterpiece
revised 2/11/2014
translated to an invention (i.e. bat wings to a flying machine). Some kids will get caught up on making something that actually works. Remind them that inventors do hundreds of redesigns before they get something that works. They are just coming up with an initial idea. Their invention doesn't have to really work. ***You may even want your teacher to mention these questions the day before you come in so kids can be thinking about inventions*** Process: (40-60 min) This lesson has three components; making the invention design, mirror writing, and antiquing the notebook page. Invention design: Using a pencil, lightly draw a line across the lower 1/3 of your tagboard. This space is to be left blank for the description of the invention and how it works. Sketch a design for an invention in the upper 2/3 of the tag board. This should be a physical invention with multiple parts they can draw and label. They should think about how to incorporate simple machines into their invention. Have them think of how da Vinci represented his ideas. It cannot be something like a video game. Make sure to add lots of detail like da Vinci did and label elements of your design. They can also sketch multiple perspectives of their invention and show parts involved. Once the design is sketched, they should go over the sketched lines with dark pencil lines so it will show through the “antique” process. Mirror writing: On a scratch piece of paper, have the students write a rough draft description of how the invention works. Line up the tissue paper along the bottom of the tagboard. Holding the tissue in place, you should be able to view the invention through the tissue. Gently copy the description of how your invention works onto the tissue paper with a black ball point pen. The writing should fit into the space left blank when designing the invention (bottom 1/3 of the tagboard area). Don't push too hard with the pen or it will tear the tissue. You also want to sign your name. Flip your tissue over so the writing is face down. Your writing should show through the tissue and be written in mirror script (backwards). Hold a mirror up to your words to check if you can read it through the mirror! Antiquing: Take your tissue paper and crumple it up into a ball, then gently smooth out the tissue. Take your tagboard and tissue paper to the glue and chalk station. Attach the parent letter to the back of the tagboard. On the front of the tagboard, use the Property of Knox Art Masterpiece
revised 2/11/2014
side of a chalk in either a brown or yellow color and gently rub the tagboard all over to create an aged look. It should be just lightly shaded. Using the glue-water wash, paint the entire surface of the tagboard with the wash. Cover the entire tagboard without saturating it too much. The majority of the chalk should stay in place. If the brush is beginning to turn too brown from the chalk, switch out brushes. Line up the tissue with the bottom of your tagboard making sure that your writing will be in the bottom 1/3 of the tagboard where space was reserved for the writing. Place the wrinkled tissue pen writing side DOWN on the glue surface and gently pat down to adhere to the tagboard. You can also use a smoothing motion to get out any air bubbles. If there are parts of the tissue that have air trapped underneath, you can put a light coat of the glue wash on those areas to press out the air. Let the project completely dry before doing this step. The teachers will need to let the kids do this before they file their art into their portfolios. This final step will not be completed during your session due to the time required for the project to dry. When the project is completely dry, carefully tear off the white tissue paper that overlaps the edge of the tagboard. You can also have the kids tear bits of the edge of the tagboard off so it looks like this was a page of ancient paper ripped out of a notebook. It is okay if the tagboard peeks through or the tissue overlaps the tagboard. It doesn't need to align completely.
Property of Knox Art Masterpiece
revised 2/11/2014
Simple Machines
Simple Machines
Property of Knox Art Masterpiece
revised 2/11/2014
