Young Audiences of Northern CA Calligraphy Residency

Artist: Maureen Hurley
Discipline: Introduction to Calligraphy & Graphic Arts

Goals of Residency/Teaching Philosophy

Goals: For teachers: to spark ideas for the creation of an integrated curriculum, using visual arts and language arts. For students: this calligraphy residency will teach the art and history of fine hand lettering, and instill in students, the historical and aesthetic tradition of the art of calligraphy.

What is your approach to working with children?

I am an active published artist, performer/writer and educator. The excitement of, and proximity to creativity carries over into the classroom and ignites students and teachers alike with a desire to learn a difficult skill. Sharing this inspiration in the classroom allows me to create an arts community and foster a nurturing and safe space for students of all ages to explore divergent thinking skills.

What approach do you use to teach them skills in your arts discipline?

I love integrating core curriculum into my lessons, whether it be language arts or visual arts, social studies or science. I share my artistic process with students and instill in them my teaching philosophy which includes a sense of excitement, playfulness, and a burning desire for exploration and experimentation. I use specific models, class demonstration, group and one-on-one instruction, review process, critique/compliment sessions, and portfolio assessment.

Learning Objectives
(what do you want students to know by the end of the residency?):

Objectives: During this six-session residency, students will practice various skills in the visual and written graphic arts. At residency’s end, students will have a grasp of the mechanics of fine art lettering, and with the skills they’ve learned and the handouts I’ve given them, they will be able to continue learning long after the residency is over. I often ask them to teach a sibling or friend after class so they have a sense of ownership in the learning process.


Six-Week Residency Outline

CALLIGRAPHY SAMPLE LESSON PLAN

DAY ONE One hour workshops

Prep School supplied butcher paper, artist supplied materials & handouts. I will need occasional access to school copy machine.


Intro. to Calligraphy. What is Calligraphy? Calli-graphos = beautiful picture/writing.


Show samples of my work and show historical samples of calligraphy from around the world.


I will give a brief history of the western alphabet: Phoenician to Greek to modern Latin/Roman alphabet: parchment to paper: scriptorium to the Gutenberg press.


(If there’s time, we’ll also review Phoenician alphabet. Students will write their names in Phoenician symbols on Avery labels to glue onto their folders. Otherwise, this is a Day 2 activity. If time, I will show some Chinese, Arabic & Cherokee alphabet samples beginning with Cro-Magnon cave paintings. Discuss pictographic alphabets.
Alternate hand/symbol exploration lesson plan may be inserted on Day 2 if residency is longer than 6 sessions.)


Introduce Italic Chancery Cursive (Humanist) easiest to learn, easiest to read.


Discuss materials. Make individual calligraphy folders. Distribute handouts/wide rule binder, and graph paper. Discuss right side/wrong side of paper. Pass out 2.5 mm Sanford felt-tip calligraphy pens. We will save all our practice sheets so we’ll have a portfolio to measure progress.


Demo on board on butcher paper (3-6’ lengths with poster size felt markers. Discuss 45° angle, 5-pen widths for body of letter.


Activity: Begin basic construction “c e o” shapes. The standard 2.5 mm Sanford pens make letters approximately one line tall on wide rule binder paper.


Go around room and individually demonstrate correct pen angle, size, letter angle. Lots of praise. (If time, begin the “a” shapes. Usually Day 2 activity.)


Closure. Discuss process. Raffle off demo letters on butcher paper. More praise.


DAY 2


Prep butcher paper. Distribute supplies, pens, handouts/wide rule binder paper. Reiterate historical info (annotated.) Show samples. Pass out historical alphabet chart & other handouts.


Activity: Warm up/review of pen angle, pen size, practice “c e o” shapes.


Introduce the “a” triangle shape. If time, do the “b – p” triangle shapes.


Discuss ascenders/desenders (each d g q ) are 5 pen-widths tall for the body and five pen-widths tall for the ascender/descender = 10 pen-widths total. Roughly 2 lines on wide rule paper.)


Circulate around the room and individually demonstrate correct pen angle, size, letter angle. Lots of praise.


Do a historical review of Phoenician alphabet. Have them guess the pictogram drawing behind A, B, C, etc. Also discuss/show cuneiform/Egyptian writing, if time.


(If more than 5-6 sessions: make stylus & do cuneiform tablets on clay or salt dough. Ties in nicely w/ 5th and 6th grade social studies curriculum. Write cartouche names in Egyptian sounds. Have worksheets ready for both activities in case there’s interest.)


Activity: Write names in Phoenician symbols on Avery labels. If time, write a secret message in Phoenician or Moabite. Trade, translate secret messages.


Share samples. Students write Phoenician names on board. Discussion. Surprises.


Closure. Discuss process. Raffle off demo letters on butcher paper. More praise.


Homework: invent a new alphabet. Write brief message & name. If not as homework, then, use as Day 3 or 4 activity.


DAYS 3 & 4 (Same format as Days 1 & 2. How much material we cover depends upon class age, class size, motivation, and student hand motor skills.)


Review letters demonstrated so far; special request reviews/ demos, etc.
Intro. “ b” & “p” with ascenders/descenders. Circulate. Catch/correct their weak letters.
Intro: l k i j Circulate. Special letters: f (15 pen widths) t ; (6 pen widths) bowtie top.


If there’s time on Day 3 Intro. m/ n lines.... I try to push to demonstrate most., if not the entire alphabet by Day 3… then Day 4 or 5 is for practice, review, and intro. of Capital letters; usually Roman.)


intro.: u v w y and x z.


Activity Students translate invented alphabet homework. Share names on board. (This may be done at end of class.)


Activity m- or n-line (to build rhythm.)


Activity: alphabet sentence Alternate: haiku, or one short poem. Discuss page layout, lined guides, etc.


Closure. Discuss process. Raffle off demo letters on butcher paper. More praise.


Homework: invent several monograms.


DAYS 5-6 (Same set-up as pervious days).


Review of problem letters by request.


Intro. of Roman Capital letters (7 pen-widths, 35º angle) vs. 45º angle.


Introduce varying pen sizes (1.5 mm to 5 mm) and applying appropriate guide sheets for pens.


Activity: final alphabet sentence on unlined paper. No mistakes, even letters, lines, etc. Redo several times if necessary.


Activity: Share monograms on board either at beginning or at end of class. I prefer at beginning.


Activity: final project 1) poetry broadside, or 2) unique holiday or greeting card (inside & outside drawing/text.


If time, intro. other alphabets: Carolinian (King Charles invented a readable alphabet), insular uncial (means inch tall) and half-uncials, Gothic or black lettering, etc.


If time, I demonstrate using quill, reed and metal nib pens with dip ink. I used to routinely include this in my classes but open ink jars and carpets makes teachers (rightfully) nervous.


If time, share final work of classmates. (usually put on display for later viewing.)


Homework: practice alphabet sentences and letter/word spacing. No pen, then use a double pencil (2 pens/pencils taped together) as a pen. Remember pen widths.


Closure. Wrap up. Give students a chance to discuss what they’ve learned.


VAPA Standards:
ARTISTIC PERCEPTION: Students will process, analyzie, and respond to art leading to the development of writing including paleolithic cave paintings and rock carvings, medieval illuminated manuscripts and modern calligraphy. They will use their knowledge to describe similarities and differences in works of art and calligraphy.


CREATIVE EXPRESSION: Students will apply artistic processes and skills, using a variety of media. They will demonstrate skill in the manipulation of imagery and lettering. They will create an expressive composition based on historical objects and ideas in a two-dimensional composition that reflects unity and harmony and communicates a theme.


HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT: Students will analyze the role and development of writing through the visual arts in world cultures, noting human diversity and ingenuity. They will Identify and describe various fine, traditional, and folk styles from historical periods worldwide.


ESTHETIC VALUING: Students will identify selected principles of design elements used in a work of art and assess their own art, using specific criteria, and describe what changes they would make for improvement.


CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS: Students apply what they learned in the visual arts across subject areas. They develop competencies and creative skills in problem solving and communication. They will develop an acute sense of visual literacy. They will identify and design icons, logos, and other graphic devices as symbols for ideas and information.



Resources:


Dictionaries often give lots of history on each letter, its shape origins and meaning.


I also have various handouts I’ve developed on lettering. My teacher, French professor Adele Friedman, was a calligraphy student at Reed College. I also use many of my illuminated MSS facsimiles of Irish and Anglo-Saxon chronicles, and historically accurate coloring books from Bellephron, etc.


Websites on the History of Calligraphy:


European Calligraphy from Encyclopedia.com
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/calligra_EuropeanCalligraphy.asp
History of Calligraphy http://people.westminstercollege.edu/students/nla5489/history.html
Revival of Calligraphy (19th - 20th Centuries) from Encyclopaedia Britannica
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=119419&tocid=53216&query=revival%20of%20calligraphy


Vocabulary: calligraphy "kalli-graphos", alphabet, ideogram, pictograph, petroglyph, symbol, cuneiform, cartuche, monogram, graffiti, writing;


pen-widths, line-widths, ascenders, descenders, miniscule, majuscule, serif, sans-serif, pen / nib, quill, ink, stroke/direction/angle;


Italic, chancery cursive, humanist, Roman, capitalis, Phoenecian, uncial, half-uncial, insular, Carolingian, Gothic, black letter, font, n-line, m-line, leading/kerning;


fresco, iilluminated manuscripts, vellum, parchment, papyrus, papermaking, manuscript, book, scroll, scribe, scriptorium, typography, Gutenberg Bible.


FIVE DAY CALLIGRAPHY SAMPLE LESSON PLAN


DAY ONE One-hour workshops
Prep butcher paper, supplies. Xerox handouts.


Intro. to Calligraphy. What is Calligraphy? Calli-graphos = beautiful writing.
Show samples of my work and show historical samples from Classical and Medieval mss,


Give a brief history: Phoenician alphabet to Greek to modern Latin/Roman alphabet.


(If time, review of Phoenician alphabet. Write names in Phoenician symbols on Avery labels. Otherwise, it’s a Day 2 activity.)


Introduce Italic Chancery Cursive (Humanist) easiest to learn, easiest to read.


Discuss materials. Make folders. Distribute handouts/wide rule binder paper. Right side/wrong side of paper. Pass out Sanford calligraphy pens.


Demo on butcher paper with poster size felt markers. Discuss 45° angle, 5-pen widths for body of letter.


Activity: Begin basic construction “c e o”.


Go around room and individually demonstrate. Correct pen angle, size, letter angle. Lots of praise. (If time, begin the “a” shapes. Usually Day 2 activity.)


Closure. Discuss process. Raffle off demo letters on butcher paper. More praise.


DAY 2
Prep butcher paper. Distribute supplies, pens, handouts/wide rule binder paper. Reiterate historical info (annotated.) Show samples. Pass out historical alphabet chart & other handouts.


Activity: Warm up/review of pen angle, size, practice “c e o”


Introduce the “a” triangle shape.


Discuss ascenders/descenders (each d g q ) are 5 pen widths for the body and five pen widths for the ascender/descender = 10 pen widths total. Roughly 2 lines on wide rule.)


Go around room and individually demonstrate. Correct pen angle, size, letter angle. Lots of praise.


Do a historical review of Phoenician alphabet. Have them guess the pictogram behind A, B, C, etc. Also discuss/show cuneiform/Egyptian writing, if time.


(If more than 5 sessions: make stylus & do cuneiform tablets on clay. Ties in w/ 5th Gr. social studies curriculum. Write cartouche names in Egyptian sounds. Have worksheets for both activities.)


Activity: Write names in Phoenician symbols on Avery labels. I
f time, write a secret message in Phoenician or Moabite. Trade, translate.


Share samples. Students write Phoenician names on board. Discussion. Surprises.


Closure. Discuss process. Raffle off demo letters on butcher paper. More praise.


Homework: invent a new alphabet. Write brief message & name. If not homework, then, use as Day 3 or 4 activity.


DAYS 3 & 4 (How much we cover depends upon class age, class size and student motor skills.)


(Same format as Days 1 & 2.)


Review letters so far; special request demos, etc.
Intro. b & p with ascenders/descenders. Circulate. Catch/correct their weak letters.
Intro: l k i j Circulate. f (15 pen widths) t ; (6 pen widths) bowtie top.


If time on day 3 Intro. m/ n lines.... I try to push to demonstrate most., if not the entire alphabet by Day 3.. then Day 4 is for practice, review. and intro. of Capital letters; usually Roman.)


intro.: u v w y and x z.


Activity Students translate invented alphabet homework. Share names on board. (This may be done at end of class.


Activity m or n line (to build rhythm.


Activity: alphabet sentence Alternate: haiku, or won short poem. Discuss page layout, etc.


Closure. Discuss process. Raffle off demo letters on butcher paper. More praise.


Homework: invent several monograms.


DAY 5
(Same set-up as pervious days).


Review of letters by request. Intro. of Roman Capital letters (7 pen widths, 35° angle)


Activity: final alphabet sentence. No mistakes, even letters, etc. Redo if necessary.


Share monograms on board either at beginning or at end of class. I prefer beginning.


If time, intro. other alphabets: Carolinian, half-uncial, Gothic, etc.


If time, share final work of classmates. (usually put on display for later viewing.)


Closure. Wrap up.