Stencilled Underwater Scenes

This project will extend the way your students are able to use the programme MSPaint. By introducing another technology - stencilling - they are able to think in a very simple way whilst extending the boundaries and possibilities.

Materials

• cardboard stencils of under water and water creatures
• some scanners enough so that there will not be a bottleneck while waiting for their images
• a computer per one or two students (management of class sizes)
• MSPaint on each computer

Method

• Buy some very cheap cardboard stencils from a Two Dollar Store. This way you will be able to afford two or three stencils per student and they will be small enough to fit two or three to a page.
• Ask the students to trace around them on a sheet of A4 paper.
• Ask them to darken the outlines very clearly with a black felt tipped pen
• Teach them how to scan by demonstrating and have them scan until they are all capable.
• Organise with them until they have their stencilled shapes in a folder on the computer
• Because you are asking them to scan three shapes at a time, you will need to show them how to save the first page with the three images as the first resource page
• Ask them to reopen and crop each stencil so that you have three stencils labelled 1,2 and 3
• Now open MSPaint and create a new page for the drawing stage at its maximum capacity
• Paste each stencil onto the drawing stage and position them so that they are in the appropriate place.

They can be:

1. swimming
2. on the sea floor
3. or floating
4. or hanging from the sealine as a jelly fish would
5. on the beach
6. on the bottom of a boat
7. on the end of a hook
8. through the window of a scuba vessel

Now that you have the basic shapes on the drawing stage have the students:

• Colour the stencils
• Ask them to put a lot of time and effort into giving the critters features. The students can choose to realism or they can make them into funny cartoon characters
• When they have created their characters they may need to go back and rescue the outlines with the Paint Brush Tool
• Once this has been done ask the students to create a back ground so that these sea critters have a context within which to swim
• To compose the picture students may need to create seaweed or coral.
• In the background the students might create a context by freehand copying the stencils so that they create a school of fish or a swarm of soldier crabs.

Once the work is finished have a

1. Silent Walk Around
2. Appreciative Dialogue
3. Sliding presentation in digital frame as a semi permanent exhibition in the office or front reception area of your community centre

The students will have learned these skills.

1. How to scan an image and transport it into MSPaint
2. How to use a stencil within the context of a composition
3. They will have increased and enhanced their skills in MSPaint
4. They will continue to learn the Seven Elements of Design

If you would like to chat about this project, make suggestions or show your students work please post to the discussion boards.

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