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Collagraph Camouflage Lesson: Using Texture to create Pattern

In this lesson, I wanted the students to get a taste of printmaking through the use of the technique called Collagraphing, which I have touched upon in a previous blog post titled “Collagraph Printing and How to use it in the classroom.”

Student teaching is an exciting experience where you can test new art processes and lesson plans, such as collagraph printing.  Through my student teaching experience I have found, as an art teacher, that the art room is a place to explore all content area’s. One particular content area I have found sneaking into my art curriculum is the fascinating world of science.

In science, there are so many different animals, insects, habitats, and much more that can be integrated with the art curriculum. In this particular lesson, Collagraph Camouflage, the lesson investigates the use of camouflage by different animals and insects.

Leading questions that I ask my students in this lesson are:

Q: What is camouflage? A: The ability to blend into their environment.

Q: What makes the skin camouflaged or what is helping the animal blend into their environment? A: The texture or pattern of the animals skin.

Q: What is camouflage used for? A: To protect from predators or used as a hunting technique.

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Above are my teacher samples of the collagraph plates of a lizard. With the two lizards, I demonstrated three techniques of gluing three different materials down to the plate. The three techniques/materials are: crumbling up paper, wrapping string in a circle, and placing flat pieces of cardboard in a row.

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During the construction of the lizard plate, or the develop craft stage, students are engaged in a conversation about texture and pattern.

Texture: How a surface of something feels or looks.

Pattern: The surface that has planned repeated shapes or lines.

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These last two images are examples that I have shown the students of what each material looks like after printed with water soluble ink.  I believe that it is important that the students see where the project is going even if you, as the teacher, have little time in the class period to truly dive into process and technique.

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