Goal (Terminal Objective):

Students will learn to make and embellish a simple hand­made accordion book.

Objective:

Students will design, produce, and embellish a hand­made accordion book that has an individual theme.

National Standards:

Visual Arts Grades 9-­12 Content Standard 1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes

Visual Arts Grades 9­-12 Content Standard 2: Using knowledge of structures and functions

Visual Arts Grades 9­-12 Content Standard 3: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter,
symbols, and ideas

Visual Arts Grades 9­-12 Content Standard 3: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures

Visual Arts Grades 9­-12 Content Standard 3: Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others

Purpose:

The students will learn to make and embellish a hand­made accordion book.

New Vocabulary:

embellish

Materials:

Art Prints

#22-1001 Plastic Eyedropper Pipette Assortment

#22-1000 Craft Bottles

#22-6010 Washable Watercolor Magic

#22-6097 Washable Metallic Watercolor Magic

#56-6010 Natural Hair Brush Assortment

#22-1103 Craft Glue

#22-1403 8 g box Washable Glue Stick

#22-0914 12 ct. Pointed Tip Student Scissors Best-Pack

#23-40xx 50 ct. Construction Paper Pack

#23-5026 25 sheet Watercolor Pad

Bone folder (tongue depressor,1 per student), rulers, ribbon, salt, rubbing alcohol
Embellishments (stamps, pens, feathers, sequins, buttons, collage papers, etc.) Per student: mat board (covers);strip paper (any kind of paper: wrapping, paper bag, construction) for end sheets

Time:

1 period to paint pages, 1 period to construct book, 2­3 periods to embellish

Introduction and Motivation (Set):

Teacher presents samples of various hand­made books. The simplest book is also called a ziz­zag, concertina or fanfold book. Examples of commercial books, especially by Robert Saluda or Nick Bangtok may be displayed. The class may critique or discuss ways in which the books have been embellished. Teacher leads a discussion on the various themes that might be incorporated into a book. Color or any element of design, nature, underwater, poetry are all possibilities for a hand­ made book.

Instruction:

Teacher leads discussion on the purpose of a book. A review of the elements and principles of design should be conducted. Teacher should encourage students to have a theme throughout the book. Since there will be two sides to the book, the students may be encouraged to have related themes on each side.

The teacher should demonstrate the process of painting the paper, as well as the process of both folding the pages and constructing the completed book.

The room should be prepared for a convenient and efficient painting environment.

Activities:

(1) Guided Practice:

1. Students will use 2­3 Sargent watercolors in a transparent wash manner to paint the watercolor strip. Candle wax, crayons, or scratches may be added to the surface to create a resist technique. Salt, splashes of water, rubbing alcohol, or blotting with paper towelsmay be added while the paint is wet to create texture in the paint. When one side is dry, students will paint the other side using contrastingcolor.
2. Students will embellish both sides of the paper. Texture plates, inked stamps,stencils, markers, collaged papers, drawings, and words are a few methods that could be used to design thepaper.
3. Students will make the covers by gluing the mat board pieces to the center of the cover material. The students will trim the corners to a 45° angle and then folding the edges over the back of thecover.
4. Students will make the accordion pages by folding the short ends of the embellished paper over ½” (these ends will be glued between the cover and the end sheets). Students will fold the paper in half and then fold each in half again, folding each in the opposite direction to make an accordionfold.
5. To assemble the book, students will place the cover, folded end of the embellished accordion paper, end sheet together and glue to close. In an effort to make the book stand, students will need to place the “page” at the bottom edge of the book. Students will repeat the same process for the backcover.
6. Option: Ribbon may be added at the opening of the front and back covers, between theend sheet and matt board, to tie the booktogether.

(2) Independent Practice and Check for Understanding: Teacher circulates among the working students visually recording (checklist) students demonstrating understanding of objectives,asking direct questions when understanding isn’t observable, and asking peers to critique eachother. Teacher helps and reinforces students as they work.

(3) Closure: Students display their work.

Evaluation:

Use teacher or class critiques to evaluate particularly strong works and strong qualities within works.

Level One — The finished book clearly expresses a strong aesthetic feeling. There is a sense of exceptional design and a sense of a theme. There is evidence of transparency and creative embellishment. The craftsmanship is excellent.

Level Two — The finished book expresses an aesthetic feeling. There is a sense of the use of good design and a theme. There is a sense of transparency and good embellishment. The craftsmanship is good.

Level Three — The finished book shows the intention to express an aesthetic feeling. There are areas of evident design and an attempt of a theme. The use of transparency and creative embellishment is often confusing. The craftsmanship is variable.

Level Four — The finished book does not express an aesthetic feeling. There is little evidence of good design or of a theme. There is no sense of transparency of effective embellishment. The craftsmanship is poor.

Extension:

Books could become an extension of other disciplines: poetry, illustrated biology study, illustrated Language Arts compositions.

Resources:

http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/paper.html
http://www.universalclass.com/i/crn/9366.html
http://www.musee-matisse-nice.org
http://www.sff.net/people/Brook.West/bind/bindit.html

Books, Boxes & Portfolios: Binding, Construct and Design Step by Step by Franz Zeier: McGraw­ Hill: 1990
Cover to Cover: Creative Techniques for Making Beautiful Books, Journals & Albums by ShereenLaPlantz: Sterling Publishers: 1998

The Decorated Page Journal by Gwen Diehn: Lark Books;(2002)