Stained Glass Critter

Art 207-08 Group 3
Neil Scicluna, Stacy Wiley, and Joy Ball
Date of Presentation: 05/04/04

Objectives:

• Students will learn about the origination of stained glass. 12th century cathedrals.
• Students will learn how to write their name in cursive symmetrically.
• Students will learn how to make a stained glass image.

Student Materials:

1. Black Sharpie felt marker
2. Starch
3. Tissue paper scraps
4. 8”X10” piece of wax paper
5. Paintbrush
6. Masking tape

Teacher Materials:

1. Examples of artwork
2. Examples of stained glass in Europe

Vocabualry:

• Symmetry
• 12 Century cathedrals
• Stain Glass

Procedure:

1. Introduction: Discuss the history of stain glass up to the 12th Century, and (if needed) review the process of cursive handwriting.
2. Fold wax paper lengthwise (hot dog-wise).
3. Write name in cursive along the fold, covering most of the wax paper
4. Trace name onto other half of the fold.
5. Create a critter from the name.
6. Apply starch all over the wax paper with a paintbrush.
7. Apply scraps of tissue paper, covering entire area (overlapping is okay). It is advised to use a light color as a base, then apply other colors all around.
8. Apply masking tape frame around the edges.
9. Clean up.

Visual Procedure:

1. Write name and trace onto other side
2. Apply tissue paper with starch
3. Make frame with masking tape

Closure:

Hang up on wall and discuss the importance of 12th Century stained glass.

Comments and/or suggestions:

If critter cannot be seen well, let the artwork dry, then retrace critter with black paint and a paintbrush. This is a simple, but creative way to make stained glass. If possible, show some visuals on how the glass is produced.

Summary of the artistic development of children in the third and fourth grades:

There is one major change in the artwork of children this age, their work becomes much more realistic. They become dissatisfied with the geometrical shapes they once used for drawing people. As they begin to notice the world around them, their artwork becomes a closer representative of what they see. Their drawings begin to show that the sky meets the horizon and that objects can overlap to create new spatial effects. Because they concentrate more on producing realistic art, they give more attention to smaller details such as hair, clothing, and even drawing figures in action. Children in this age also display the beginning usage of shading in their artwork as well as representational colors.

During this period, students may exhibit many stages of development in a single artwork, however they can improve in their realistic abilities by closely observing the objects they wish to draw. By gaining visual information via objects, landscapes, other artists works, photographs (etc.), students will feel more confident about producing a realistic image.

At this stage, children can gain valuable knowledge by being introduced to the color wheel. Experimenting with tint, shade, analogous colors and complimentary colors, students will be able to produce more realistic settings such as landscapes, houses, trees, and people. This is a very important stage of children’s artistic development because those who do not master the skill of realistic art successfully (in their minds) may become frustrated and choose to give up entirely.

Historical background of stained glass:

Legend says that while shipwrecked sailors were on the beach, they built fires containing a sand and soda mixture. The sailors would set their cooking pots on top of these fires overnight. The next morning, the fire's heat would melt the sand and soda mixture. The result was colored glass. Another legend of the invention of stained glass was in Egypt. This legend says that Egyptian potters accidentally discovered glass when firing their vessels. The first appearance of colored glass was in the first century A.D. when the Romans glazed glass into windows. The first multiple pieces of colored glass used in a window was at St. Paul's Monastery in Jarrow, England, founded in 686 AD. These windows show fired glass paintings, which utilize line and tonal shading. They are made of bright, varied colors of glass. Stained glass became commonly used in cathedrals starting in the 7th Century, and it became a sophisticated form of art by the 12th Century. Stained glass in now used in churches, homes and for many other decorative uses.

References:

https://www.stainedglass.org
https://www.sgm.abelgratis.com/virtgall.htm