Gelli Plates, monoprinting, principles, and a critique

I absolutely could not wait to try my new Gelli Plates with my Art 3 students. I not only wanted them to experiment with the plates, but I wanted them to apply knowledge of the art principles. Earlier that semester I had given a pre-test on the principles of art and the results who poor… to say the least… Art 3 is a precursor to AP Studio Art and they must understand the principles and learn to identify them. 

Voila, a lesson is born. Monoprinting, principles, and a critique
Students were reintroduced to the principles of art using many visual examples. Then, in groups, they had to decide what principle(s) the image on the screen was displaying. This promoted discussion within the group and competition amongst all groups because I said winning table would be cleaned up by me :). Not only did they have a tell me what principle was used, but had to explain how it was used. Sometimes they would even point out a principle I missed and had to explain their reasoning for that. 

Next, came the demonstration of the mono printing process. First, I showed two youtube videos on mono printing which you can find on my Printmaking Pinterest page. Then, I demoed where the materials were and how to use them. What I love most about Gelli Plates is that you could use any kind of acrylic paint and other material to "block" the paint. This excited the students more then anything because the whole process is very experimental. 

Materials

gelli arts plates

paint pallets 

pallet knives

brayers

7"x7" printing papers

scrap paper

bubble wrap

found objects

scissors

forks 

Q-tips

I allowed them one day of "play" so they could experiment and make some random pieces. Also, because the plates of 6"x6" I cut plenty of 7"x7" papers for them to use. 

At the end of the "play" day I introduced the project. 
They were to choose 4 principles and create a print for each. They used their sketchbooks to draw out some ideas, but many of them kept experimenting and would decide on the principle after the print was made. This was fine with me because they still had to identify the principle. So either way they were applying that knowledge. 

Finally, after the projects were complete we broke into our critique groups. Students placed a post-it next to each print to identify the principle they used and how that principle is being used. Peer critiqers were to write whether the principle was successful or not, why, and what could they have done differently. 

Overall, it was a successful project. Students learned their principles, argued their ideas, and learned mono printing. Though, I do think you need that day of play because students will want to use their own ideas more then the principles. Also, some of the "play" ones can even be used in their project because they realized they were using a principle of art. 

Critique Groups

I remember my first real experience with a "critique". It was freshman year of college 3D design class. The instructor had us all put our work out on the tables. We had time to walk around and inspect each piece. Then we sat back to "talk". As our piece was put on the spot, we had to explain our solution to the problem. Just when you thought you were finished with your explanation... you were far from it. Kym Dummons would stare at you like, "tell me more". She was the queen of wait time. She didn't have to say a thing, her eyes would pull more information from you. I used to think of it as intimidating, but as I took more of her classes, I realized she was giving you time to think. The same thing applied to the feed back you received from peers during the critique. Once the people who wanted to speak were done, Kym would look from person, to person, to person. I swear she would wait for 5 minutes before moving on. It's like she was summoning our thoughts from us. I learned so much from those critiques. 

I want my high school students to get as much from critiques as I did. They need to understand that the critique is not a way to "show off" their work, but to embrace it. I want them to see that it's okay to make a mistake or to see that their ideas are not stupid. I do many different kinds of critiques in my classes. Many great ideas can be found on my Critique Pinterest page, but I wanted more from my Art 3 kids. So I introduced Critique Groups. 

I divided my students into groups of 4 that were not their "table mates" and by skill level. I wanted to have at least one Advanced, proficient, and emerging student within each group. I determined their skill level based on a drawing test given the first day of class. This way they could have conversations with people that could help them and bring out their inner teacher.  I gave a copy of the critique groups to each person for them to put in their folder. Critique groups are to be implemented during certain phases of a project. For example after the drawing is done before the media and halfway through the project. 

Today's critique took place at the halfway mark. My bell ringer was to get into Critique Groups with their projects and then I explained the following: 

I told them they had 5 minutes to discuss while I monitored. If I saw people just sitting there, I would start some conversation. "What do we think about Joe's picture? What did he do well? How could he make something better?" and so on. Once they saw what I expected they were able to carry on. I also encouraged students to bring their sketchbooks just in case they wanted to show someone a technique. I heard good conversation and helpful tips. I think it uplifted those who needed uplifting and helped those that were highly skilled use their talents to help others. One group even passed the projects around the table so they could each get a good look and talk about each one. I kept the time short because this project is running a bit long, but I am loving the results thus far.