Book Illustrations for Small Children
Phase of Development: Early Adolescence
The following matrix describes the key learning area outcomes that were spotlighted in this unit of work. It should be recognised that many other outcomes, from this and other learning areas, particularly English, will also be achieved during the course of the unit.
Learning Area Outcomes
Curriculum Framework | Strand Statements
Outcomes & Standards Framework |
| Arts Ideas |
Communicating Arts Ideas |
| Students generate arts works that communicate ideas. |
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| Arts Skills & Processes |
Using Arts Skills, Techniques, Technologies & Processes |
Students use the skills, techniques, processes, conventions
and technologies of the arts. |
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| Arts Responses |
Responding, Reflecting on & Evaluating the Arts |
Students use their aesthetic understanding to respond to reflect on
and evaluate the arts. |
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| Arts in Society |
Understanding the Role of Arts in Society |
| Students understand the role of the arts in society. |
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Brief Description
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Students were asked to write a small book of approximately 10 pages, no bigger than A5 in size. The book was to be aimed at an audience aged 5 to 6 years old.
The final layout and presentation of the book was to be completed using computers and a wide range of illustration skills that could be enhanced in Photoshop or Corel 8 Photo Paint.
At the completion of the book students were taken to the local pre-primary to share their stories and books with the children.
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Project Duration - 8 weeks
Student Levels - Students' levels in the class varied. Some students had a high level of artistic and literacy skills while others were working at lower than expected levels. Generally students demonstrated a range from Level 3 to Level 6 in all four Arts strands. |
Context
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The School: |
Balcatta Senior High School is a Perth metropolitan senior high school with a high proportion of students from other countries. The school runs a Special Art program, which draws on students who are particularly talented in Art from across the northern metropolitan area of Perth. |
| Class: |
Year 9 Graphic Design class-specialising in graphics.
This class was a student group of mixed abilities and knowledge. Some students were very talented, being Special Art students; and others were from the general school population and had not experienced as much art and graphic work.
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| Student Skills: |
The students had already completed Photoshop and Corel Draw tutorials prior to this program. |
| Resources: |
We had only five computers and one scanner for a class of twenty students, so I needed a project that incorporated technology, illustration techniques, research and appreciation activities all in one, allowing students to work on a variety of activities (not all computer-based) at any one time and at varying levels of ability. |
| Teacher: |
Everal Burke |
Objectives
(For a description of the place of objectives in an outcomes-based environment, click here.)
- Students will select, use and adapt technologies via scanning, Photoshop, Word, Corel 8.
- Students will explore the roles of illustrators and authors of children's books.
- Students will create, explore and develop ideas via story writing, visual storyboards and brainstorming.
- Students will use illustration techniques and media, and explore layout and composition planning to create illustrated story books.
- Through group discussion, presentation to primary children, and observation of their responses to their work, students will respond to the layout processes, media and design principles used to establish their studio work.
Student Reflection and Self-Assessment
Throughout the project, students wrote a continuing Ideas Sheet to document their ideas, plans for what they were going to do, and responses to how successful they were being. This helped ensure good quality work, consolidated their learning and contributed to their self-assessment.
Learning Experiences
Understanding the Role of the Arts in Society
Firstly we looked at the role of a children's author and types of picture books being written for children. We read stories in class and discussed the style and format of writing:
- What characteristics were evident in children's stories?
- What types of stories are written for small children?
- Which are more successful?
- What are the stories you remember from childhood?
Students selected a favourite child's book and illustrator. They then presented the book to the class, and discussed its design and illustration techniques.
| Assessment - Understanding the Role of the Arts in Society |
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Responding, Reflecting On & Evaluating
Then we looked in more detail at the illustrations associated with stories:
- What were the techniques used?
We looked at and responded to layout, lettering styles, covers on books, binding and production techniques. We discussed and listed the successful characteristics of a good book.
- What made characters in a story more appealing to small children?
We discussed the techniques used to appeal to this particular audience.
- How has technology influenced the making and production of a child's book?
We looked at ways of manipulating images on the computer, at lettering, layout and design.
| Assessment - Responding, reflecting on and evaluating the arts and Understanding the role of the arts in society. |
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Creating, Exploring & Developing Ideas
Students discussed and brainstormed themes, characters and plots for stories aimed at pre-primary children.
Then they began to write. Some students found it very easy to tell a story simply, to suit a young audience; others needed to go back and simplify further so that the stories were more appropriate for pre-primary children.
The next step was a process of editing. The students discussed their writing with me and/or each other in order to edit it effectively.
Once the stories were completed students selected the main sentences, actions and characters that could be illustrated.
Students typed their stories into a Word Document for later use and editing. A rough storyboard was created, showing the layout, images required, position of font and development and sequencing of pages.
Using Arts Skills, Techniques, Technologies & Processes
The students worked on cartridge paper, and for final artwork acrylic paper, and experimented using a variety of media-including pen and ink, gouache, pencil, collage and aquarelles. For clues and ideas on techniques they referred to techniques used in story books they had looked at earlier in the unit.
Students made each illustration according to the layout they had created in the storyboard. I encouraged them to scan their work into Corel 8 or Photoshop as they completed each illustration.
| Assessment - Using arts skills, techniques, technologies and processes. |
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Learning Technologies
Students scanned then saved their work onto a zip drive disk in a bitmap format. Then they imported their work into Corel 8 or Photoshop. This enabled students to import text from Word and then to manipulate font, lettering styles, layout of text and then superimpose the lettering over the illustration so it could be easily read.
Once the students were happy with the layout, they created the cover page in much the same manner-except that they were able to manipulate the fonts in greater depth using editing and mode tools.
For students who had more experience/skills in using technology.
Students who were more skilled with computers and the software programs used Photoshop and Photopaint to enhance and manipulate their work on the computer. This created another dimension to the work they had already created, allowing them to experiment with backgrounds, blend out areas for lettering, develop colour and generally enhance the overall imagery of their work.
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Focusing on the Strand of Responding, Reflecting On & Evaluating the Arts, students were able to make judgements about how to further enhance their work to a more professional finish.
Students then saved their work on disk in a condensed format. Their disks then went down to Snap Print for printing. This enabled the students to achieve a better resolution in the final print.
Once they were printed, students pasted pages to 5ml Cardex and bound them together to form a book. By using the Cardex the books had greater durability to be handled by small children. |
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Presentation to an Audience
The class presented the books to the local pre-primary by reading their stories and discussing the illustrations with the small children.
This was the best feedback the students ever had.
Resources
- Corel 8
- Photoshop (Adobe)
- Zip Drives
- Printshop with Digital Printing Set-up, or colour printer with high quality resolution.
- Examples of story books
- Art equipment
- Aquarelles
- Gouache
- UHU Glue or Spray Adhesive
- Ink
- Pens
- Brushes
- Cartridge Paper
- 2 ml Cardex
- Binding material for backing.
Assessment
In assessing the students' work I used a number of strategies:
- Monitoring, observation and anecdotal recording of students' work in progress. (For some examples of general proforma that you might adapt to support your anecdotal recording, go to the Assessment section of this website).
- Student self-assessment: students kept an ongoing Ideas Sheet where they wrote comments about the techniques they were going to use and how their project was developing.
- My formal assessment of students' studio production of their books.
I focused on assessing each Arts strand at various times during the project.
- Using Arts Skills, Techniques, Technologies & Processes
I assessed the students' studio production of the books. They demonstrated varying levels of success in this strand outcome, ranging from Level 3 to Level 6. Some students took advantage of my feedback on their storyboards and their own continuing self assessment on their Ideas Sheets to extend themselves in this strand.
Assessment in the following three strands took the form of my monitoring and observation of individual and group work, as well as students' own self-assessment through their Ideas Sheet.
Student levels on the three strands ranged from Level 3 to Level 6.
- Communicating Arts Ideas
Via my monitoring of students' brainstorming, drawings and storyboards.
- Responding, Reflecting On & Evaluating The Arts
Via my monitoring of students' observational recordings on their Ideas Sheets and of their oral responses.
- Understanding the Role of The Arts in Society
Via my observation of the students' presentations of children's storybooks, and discussion of aspects of design, technique and judgements.
Reflection
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Most students worked extremely well and really enjoyed the project. Students showed the ability to work independently and then come together in a class discussion to discuss developments and progress of work.
The weaker students were able to produce quality illustrations and give their work a very professional-looking finish.
The use of technology, via the scanner, Corel 8 and Photoshop, allowed students to work at a variety of levels, depending upon their ability levels. |
Students learnt about the art of illustration and problems involved in working for a particular audience, while incorporating traditional visual art methods and technology into their studio work.
On reflection, it would have been better to have had more computers and scanners but this is not always possible. For this reason, it was important to manage students' access to the learning technologies by having them scan each illustration into Corel 8 or Photoshop as they completed it rather than waiting until they had completed everything.
Everal Burke
Balcatta Senior High School
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