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ILLUSTRATING SCIENCE RESOURCE

BOOKPLANT LIFE CYCLESMark Oliver

THE HOUSE OF ILLUSTRATIONILLUSTRATED IDEAS FOR INCORPORATING CREATIVE PRACTICE INTO THE KS2 SCIENCE CURRICULUM

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PLANT LIFE CYCLES:

Plant Life Cycle Lampshades:The plant life cycle, from seed germination to seedling to flowering, fruiting plant through fertilisation to seed production and dispersal back to germination and so on, can be appropriately illustrated using the circular format of a lampshade. Pupils can select and research the particular plant that they wish to depict, or this can be done through observation in the classroom.

Materials: You Will Need...

Design:

A3 paper printed with templates (included with this resource pack). As heavy as it is possible to print/ photocopy with.Coloured tissue paperScissorsPVA glue and spreaders (or glue sticks if appropriate)Strong card for reinforcing cylinderBlack ink Small brushes (soft acrylic bristles, size 2) or Permanent black felt- tip pens

Begin with the lampshade template included with this resource. This template must be enlarged to A3, preferably onto some heavier cartridge paper (around 120gsm).

Pupils now produce a quick, loose drawing of the plant at each stage of its life cycle as designated on the template, including any other organisms or environmental factors which are a part of this cycle.

This is also an opportunity for pupils to use stylised, decorative illustration techniques to communicate the science of the stages in the life cycle of a plant, while developing art, design and technology skills.

The lampshades are simple to construct and offer many display options when completed.

To see examples of lampshades, please see our project galleries...

PLANT LIFE CYCLES: LAMPSHADES

3PLANT LIFE CYCLES: LAMPSHADES

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Colour is added to these drawings using scraps of coloured tissue paper. Bold shapes can be cut with scissors or torn. The shapes do not need to conform precisely to the pencil drawing, but to create a strong graphic pattern to accompany the drawing and emphasise the subject matter. Tissue can be overlapped and layered to create different colours and effects.

Applying Colour:

PVA glue will produce the most attractive result. If using PVA, apply a thin layer of glue to the appropriate area of the drawing using a spreader, then apply the tissue and gently smooth onto the paper using fingertips or a spreader. Pritt- stick glue will also work for this project and is easier for younger children.

When the tissue paper and glue are dry, the design can be finished with some clear black lines, using black ink and a small brush if possible, or a good permanent black felt tip pen. Pupils carefully retrace their original pencil drawings, adding details where appropriate, to make the subject matter clearer and more legible over the bold collaged colours.


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Construction:

Ideas for adapting this project:

The template can now be cut to size from the A3 cartridge paper. The ends of the strip must be glued together to form a cylinder. The top and bottom rim of the cylinder can be strengthened with a strip of card, so that the lampshade holds its shape.

If the work is to be used as a working lampshade, a wide strip of thick card will have to be glued or taped across the top of the cylinder, with a notch at the centre to accommodate the flex.

Hang cylinders across the ceiling of a classroom like a mobile, so that the sunlight catches them.

Design lampshades to communicate the life cycles of other organisms, or other cyclical scientific processes

(e.g: water cycle, nitrogen cycle)

Film the lampshades rotating to make short animations (as in our examples in the gallery link here)

Make a ‘T.V.’ viewing box for the cylinders, with a window to look at the design as it is turned around

through all of the stages of the life cycle. Fix a spindle to the cylinder using card strips as with the lampshade

construction, to help rotate the cyclinder in the box (see diagram below). This could be used to make short films,

narrated by the pupils explaining the stages in the plants life cycle.

Lucienne Day:Botanically inspired textile designer www.mrstextiles.com/?p=304

References:


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Using Watercolour For Botanical Illustration:Botanical illustration has played an important role in the history of our scientific study and understanding of plants and their life processes. These illustrations are traditionally produced using watercolour, a material which is inexpensive and easy to use in the classroom. Using good watercolour technique can enhance pupils’ drawings of the plants they are

Materials: You Will Need...

Technique:

Palettes for mixing colours

Watercolour sets Dry ‘pan’ sets in a tin are easiest to use and maintain, and can be bought inexpensively from

school art suppliers.

Watercolour Brushes sizes 2 & 4. It is worth buying watercolour brushes with soft acrylic bristles in a couple of

sizes. Stiffer hog hair brushes are good for covering larger areas but make it very difficult to carefully paint a detailed

drawing. They will last if they are cleaned properly.

Disposable pipettes. Not essential, but cheap and very useful for pupils starting out to get an appropriate amount

of water to mix paint into.

Water potsSponges or absorbent kitchen towel for dabbing excess water or pain from the paper.

Medium weight cartridge paper. At least 120gsm to prevent the paper buckling when wet.

Large roll of paper (approx 1.5m x 10m). Fabriano Accademia 120gsm comes in this size at about £15 - £20 and

should cover two classes for the ‘Giant Plant Portraits’ project (see below).

learning about and observing. Their careful observation and consideration enhances science learning, and the finished watercolours can become a classroom resource for display.This resource is designed to provide an introduction to the basic materials and techniques required for the successful use of watercolour, and some ideas for their application in science learning.

Good rules of thumb that are not always considered by children who are new to watercolours. These basic rules of thumb are worth establishing through demonstration at the start of a project:

ALWAYS start with some water, and mix colours into it- do not take paint straight from the pan onto the page.

ALWAYS wash the brush before taking a new colour, or the colours will get muddy.

LET AN AREA DRY before you paint over with another colour, UNLESS you want the colours to bleed for effect.

NEVER USE WHITE for white or pale colours, use water to dilute and let the paper be the white.

PLANT LIFE CYCLES: USING WATERCOLOUR FOR BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION

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USING WATERCOLOURS:1. Start by transferring a small amount of water onto a pallette, either by using a brush or a pipette.

2.Now choose a colour, collect some from the paint pan with a wet brush, and mix it into the water on the pallette.

3.

Use a piece of scrap paper to test the strength of the colour you have made, in case you want to add more.

4.

If you want to mix colours, remember to rinse the brush in water to clean it before taking colour from another pan.

5.

If the colour is too strong, add some water, and dab excess off the paper if necessary with a clean sponge or kitchen towel.


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TIPS:FOR PAINTING WITH WATERCOLOURSStart with the palest, lightest colours, then build the picture up with darker tones. It is easy to make light colours darker or stronger with layering, but very difficult to make dark colours lighter. To do this effectively when drawing from life, identify the lightest parts of the subject and start by painting these.

Make sure there is always enough water on the brush, so that you get a smooth, even coverage. As the brush dries, the marks it makes become ‘scratchier’, which can be used for effect.

Let colours dry on the page before you layer more paint over them, or paint near to them. Wet colours that make contact will bleed into each other. If you wish, however, you can use this colour bleeding for interesting effects...

MIXING COLOURS

Stronger colours, like reds and darker blues, should be used sparingly when mixing, as they can overpower your colour mix. It is best to start with lighter colours like yellows, lighter greens and blues- adding small amounts of the stronger colours until you are satisfied.Black should be used very sparingly, if at all. Usually a colour can be darkened by adding some blue, green or red as appropriate.


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Rafflesia Arnoldii Rafflesia arnoldii the worlds biggest flower. It has no roots or leaves. It lives inside the roots over other plants, usually vines, where it gets in through cracks in their roots or stem.The flowers burst through the host plant’s bark as compact buds. The flowers are up to 1 m in diameter, and their flesh is reddish-brown with white spots.The flowers smell like rotting meat! So they attract flies, which pollinate them. The pollen adheres to the backs of the flies, which do not seem to receive any reward from the plant.

cut along here


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Ideas For Applying Watercolour Illustration For Science Learning:Plant growth journal/ sketchbookGrow a (quick-growing) plant from seed, like coriander, sunflowers or beans and pulses. Pupils can keep a sketchbook to record data about the plant’s growth, as well as making observational drawings every week to show how the plant is growing. These drawings can be enhanced with watercolour, to help distinguish the parts of the plant’s anatomy, which can be labelled as it develops. Final drawing of the plant at its latest stage can be created in watercolour for classroom display, comparison and discussion.This project can be delivered to include a practical science investigation, looking at environmental factors which affect plant germination and growth (light, water, temperature etc.)

Giant Plant PortraitsFor examples of the work in progress and outcomes, please refer to the Illustrating Science blog and the Illustrating Science Project Galleries online.

Work in groups of 4 - 6, in a typical classroom table •formation, to make giant- sized watercolour plant portraits. Cover each table with a sheet of good cartridge •paper (see materials list above for an inexpensive recommendation), hold in place with masking tape. Using a metre rule, divide each table into 6 even sections.Prepare a flowering plant for each table by carefully •removing the soil from it’s root system and cleaning it with water, then placing it on a tray.Each group can now collaborate on a giant drawing •of their plant, each pupil drawing the part of the plant which corresponds to their designated area of the paper. Pupils must work as a group to co ordinate their individual drawings into a coherent whole. Once a loose, light pencil drawing has been completed, the group can finish their plant portrait using watercolour, in the same collaborative way. As each group observes and discusses their plant to make their illustration, they can be encouraged to think about the anatomy and the life processes of the plant: what each part of the plant does; why it is shaped and coloured like it is; what it is called and so on, with the option of research included. Finally, when the paint is dry the parts of the plant can •be neatly labelled, and the portraits given a title so they become fully functioning botanical illustrations.

Blind Botanical Illustrations Using a written description of an unusual and rare plant (an example is included in this resource), pupils produce a drawing of what they imagine the plant to look like. They are encouraged to think about how it grows and reproduces and how this may affect its visual characteristics. Following this, the class can be shown video or images of the plant they have imagined, and make a second, observed illustration from pictures. Their consideration of the plants life processes may inform their understanding of some aspects of its appearance.

REFERENCES:

The Flora Indica Botanical illustration resourcewww.apps.kew.org/floraindica/home.do

The Shirley Sherwood GalleryAt Kew Gardenswww.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/garden-attractions-A-Z/shirley-sherwood-gallery.html

Marianne North Online Gallerywww.kew.org/mng/gallery/index.html

There is a wealth of botanical illustration available to inspire and inform your pupils, some examples include...


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis resource was commissioned and edited by Emily Jost, House of Illustration’s Education Manager, and designed by Mark Long. The contents have been devised and illustrated by Liv Bargman, Mark Oliver and Sion ap Tomos, with additional illustrations by the pupils of Thornhill Primary School.

The project and resource was made possible by generous support from the Wellcome Trust.

With thanks to scientists Sarah Gerver and Kath O’Reilly from Imperial College, London.

With thanks to teachers and pupils from Sir John Cass Foundation Primary School, Thornhill Primary School and Torriano Junior School.

Mark Oliver ‘Plant Life Cycles’ was compiled by Mark Oliver. Mark Oliver is a London based artist and illustrator. He produces drawings, prints and sculpture in response to both commissioned and self initiated research.

His creative practice is informed by his undergraduate studies, and continued interest in philosophy. Recent projects have addressed architectural politics, with reference to Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace, Olympic stadiums and R. Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes.He also publishes comics, zines and artists books via his small press project, Dancing Eye.

www.dancingeye.co.uk/markoliver

resource book - sustainable learning · rafflesia arnoldii rafflesia arnoldii the worlds biggest...

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