Functional Art and Sketchbook Creation

By: Kathleen E. Douillette

Grade: Eighth Grade
Time Allotment: One to three hour long classes

Big Idea: Throughout time and across cultures artist have been creating functional artworks.

Overview:

Summary: Students will create their own sketchbooks that if time allows they will
complete different drawings in. Students will learn about how art can have form and function
and how artists are needed to create many products all over the world.

Artworks and Artists:

Richard T. Notkin: An American ceramicist born in Chicago, Illinois in 1948. He

currently lives in Montana and is known for his pottery, in particular his teapots and large scale
work All Nations Have Their Moment of Foolishness.
 All Nations Have Their Moments of Foolishness

Hexagonal Curbside Teapot (Variation #23) Heart Teapot: Petrol Hostage: Stoneware

Joseph Kosuth: Kosuth is one of the first artists to create conceptual art, and installation
art. He was very famous for incorporating text into his art work. He was born in Ohio in 1945
and studied at the Cleveland Art institute and the School of Visual Arts in New York where he
later taught. He started his work as a painter and then moved into his conceptual works. His
most famous work was his series of installations called One and Three. He installed and
object a photo of the object and an enlarged copy of the definition.
Key Concepts:

Art can have form and function.

Artists are needed to create everyday objects.
Functional objects can be created by artists.

Essential Questions:

How can art have form and function?

What kind of jobs can artists have that are needed?
What are different functional objects that artists create?

Standards:

PA Standards for Arts and Humanities:

9.1.8
o B. Recognize, know, use and demonstrate a variety of appropriate arts
elements and principles to produce, review and revise original works in
the arts. paint draw craft sculpt Print design for environment,
Communication, multi-media
o H. Demonstrate and maintain materials, equipment and tools safely at
work and performance spaces. Analyze the use of materials. Explain
issues of cleanliness related to the arts. Explain the use of
mechanical/electrical equipment. Demonstrate how to work in selected
physical space/environment. Demonstrate the selection of safe
props/stage equipment. Demonstrate methods for storing materials in the
arts.
9.2.8
o E. Analyze how historical events and culture impact forms, techniques and
purposes of works in the arts

PA Standards for English Language Arts

CC.1.2.8
o G. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums
(e.g. print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or
idea.
CC.1.5.8.
o A. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, on grade-
level topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing
their own clearly.

Objectives: The students will

 Knowledge:
Analyze how art can have function
Explore different jobs that are art based
Examine different functional objects that artists can create

Skills:
Create their own functional object, a sketch book
Design the cover of their sketch book to make it their own piece of art

Dispositions:
Recognize the vast number of jobs out there for artists
Connect that art can be both visually pleasing and functional
Develop skill on how to create their own sketchbook

Assessment:

Pre-Assessment: Ask the student if any of them had made a sketch book before or if they
had or have their own.

Formative and Informal Assessment: As review throughout the lesson students will be
asked how to assemble a sketchbook, different kinds of jobs in the art field, and how form and
function can work together in art.

Summative Assessment: Students will be given a rubric and a questionnaire on the

project, this is included.

Instructional Procedures:

Prompt/ Hook: What makes art, art? Can art function? Why or why not? Crafting is art
and it normally functions. The great masters and artists today have debated and pushed this
question. A class discussion on the different views and thoughts of the students on this topic will
take place.

Day One:

Engagement: 10-20 min. To start the class, the teacher will present the prompt/ hook
and help lead and guide the class discussion. A brief power point on form verses function will be
presented after the discussion. This will be bridged with the second topic of discussion by the
question what kind of jobs need an artist? This will begin the second discussion of how artist are
needed in the world for different jobs to help make functional objects that we use every day. This
will also be included in the brief power point.

Development: 35-45 min. After the discussion the class will then learn how to make
their own functional piece of art, a sketchbook. Each student will need the following, 9 pieces of
printer paper 8 x 11in., 1 piece of cardstock, scissors, a glue stick, a pencil, and a ruler. The
students will gather their materials after the demonstration of how to create the sketch book. To
create the sketch book they will first need to fold in half the hamburger way each piece of
printer paper. Students should do this one or two pieces at a time using the back of their finger
nail or the plastic handle of their scissors. Once each piece is folded they should make two
stacks, one with five pieces of paper and the other with four. On the inside paper of each stack
they will need to measure and mark 1 inch from the edge on the center fold. Next on the stack of
five pieces of paper they will hold them all together neatly and cut along the crease to the one-
inch mark. On the stack of four pieces of paper they will need to gently fold the paper in the
opposite direction of the crease without creasing it. They will hold it pinching the paper still
along the crease line being sure to keep the crease of both sides of the paper in line. Then
carefully they will cut along the center crease up to the one-inch mark, creating a slit in the
center of the papers. Next taking the stack of five pieces of paper gently curling it in half and
sliding the stack through the stack of four and aligning them so that they fit together, the slits on
the end sliding to match up with the ends of the slit in the center and then folding the whole thing
closed and re-creasing the book. For the cover of the sketch book they will need to crease the
cardstock as they did the other papers. On the inside of the cardstock they will need to put on the
glue in a picture frame shape with an X in the center and then take the first and last pages of the
book and press them onto the glued cardstock, closing it and pressing on it to insure the bond
between the glue, and then opening it to insure it will open and lay flat. The final step is to trim
the edges if necessary.

Culmination/ Close: As a close student will share different jobs that artists are
needed for.

Day Two/ Three:

Engagement: 5-10 min. To start off the class students will re-visit their thoughts on
art and functionality and relate it back to the sketchbooks they are creating.

Development: 40-45 min. Students will finish their sketchbooks if they have not
completed them yet. Once they have completed assembling their sketchbooks they will design
and personalize the cover of the sketchbooks. On the outside of the sketchbooks students are
allowed to design it however they please as long as they create a balanced composition, on the
inside front cover students must include their name, the month and year, and an if found please
return to. . . phrase.

If the students complete the design of their sketchbook, then they can complete a drawing
exercise. These papers are included as there are three different drawing exercises they can
complete. One exercise is for the students to draw their hand in a crazy position, students should
look very carefully at the shapes that their hand is made up of and look more at their hand than
their paper. The second exercise is for the students to first draw eyes from memory, then from a
photo, and finally from a mirror. Again the student should be observing the eyes more than their
papers. The third exercise it to draw their shoes from observation, trying to capture the detail in
them as much as possible. Again students should be observing and looking at their shoes more
than their papers.

Culmination/ Close: 10 min. To finish the class, the students will do a gallery walk of
the covers of every ones sketchbooks. This will again bring up the form and function of art the
sketchbooks are a very useable object that they have just designed as a piece of art to display to
the class.

Preparation:

Teacher Preparation: The power point for the first day of class contains the information
necessary for the class discussion. Also the hand outs for the students with direction on creating
the sketchbook as well as the drawing exercises are include. Also examples of sketchbooks are
available for the students.

Student Supplies:

Pencils Glue sticks

Rulers Colored pencils
Printer Paper 8 x11 roughly 216 Crayons
sheets Markers
Cardstock paper roughly 24 sheets Erasers
Scissors
Adaptations:

Several adaptations can be made to this lesson depending on the students specific needs.
Additional help can be given to students with motor skills such as different scissors or writing
implements, as well as help using rulers from a fellow student or the teacher. For a student with
a hearing impairment, placing them closest to the teacher and providing them with additional
printed instructions so that they could follow along easily.

Resources:

http://artaxis.org/richard-notkin/
http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2014/02/22/the-teapot-that-saved-the-world-art-
activism-by-ceramist-richard-notkin/
http://www.theartstory.org/artist-kosuth-joseph.htm
http://www.skny.com/artists/joseph-kosuth
 HOW TO MAKE A SKETCHBOOK
You will need:

Pencil 1 Piece of Cardstock paper

Rulers Scissors
9 Pieces of Printer Paper 8 x11 Glue stick

1. Fold each piece of paper in half the hamburger way, only 1 or 2 pieces at a time.
Use the back of your finger nail or the handle of the scissors to crease the fold
2. Split the folded paper into two piles one with 5 pieces and one with 4
3. On the inside paper of each stack measure 1 inch
from the edge on the center fold and place a dot, you
only have to mark the top paper in the stack
4. On the stack of 5 pieces of paper hold them all together
neatly and cut along the crease up to the one-inch mark

5. On the stack of 4 pieces of paper gently fold the paper in

the opposite direction of the crease without creasing it

6. Pinching the paper still along the crease line being sure
to keep the crease of both sides of the paper in line

7. Carefully cut along the center crease up to the one-

inch mark, creating a slit in the center of the papers

8. Taking the stack of 5 pieces of paper gently curling

it in half and slid the stack through the stack of 4,
align them so that they fit together
9. Fold the whole thing closed and re-creasing the book
10. For the cover of the sketch book crease the cardstock
the same way as the other papers
11. On the outside of the first and last put the glue
around the edges and an X in the center
12. Take the first and last pages of the book and center
and press them flat onto the glued cardstock,
closing the book and pressing on it and then
opening it to insure it will open and lay flat
13. On the inside cover include your name, month and
year, and where to return it to if it is lost
Sketchbooks Rubric 8th Grade
5 4-3
The sketchbook has been
Number of Pages and Creases created out of nine pages of
of Pages copy paper and each page was
folded and creased well
The pages have been cut neatly
and fit together cleanly. The
Joining of Pages
pages do not buckle or fold
because of the joining
The cover is folded and
creased neatly as well as glued
Joining of cover
down well, where the book
opens and closes well
The cover design is well
thought out and has a well-
balanced composition. It is
Cover Design
clear that plenty of time and
consideration was taken
creating it
How can art be functional and still remain art?
Did you enjoy this project? Why or why not? Do you see yourself using your sketchbook?
Name: _______________________________________________
The sketchbook is missing one
page of copy paper and each
paged was folded and creased
but could have been neater
The pages have been cut well
but do not entirely fit together
cleanly. The pages fold or
buckle only a little bit because
of the joining
The cover is folded and
creased as well as glued down,
but the book does not open or
close well
The cover design is thought
out and has a balanced
composition. A little more time
and consideration could have
been put into creating it
2-1
The sketchbook is missing
more than one page of copy
paper and the paged were not
folded and creased neatly
The pages have not been cut
well and do not fit together
cleanly. The pages fold and
buckle because of the joining
The cover is not folded,
creased or glued down neatly,
and the book struggles to open
and close
The cover design is not
thought out and does not have
a balanced composition. Little
time and consideration was put
into creating it
Drawing Exercise Rubric
I completed the _________________________________________ Drawing Exercise
2 1.5
The directions were followed
Followed Directions
and thought threw carefully
Careful time and consideration
Time and Consideration was clearly given to the
drawing exercise
It is apparent that the student
looked more at the object
being drawn than at their
Looking
paper, as traditional symbols
are not used and instead the
shapes and details they see
What was your favorite part of your drawing exercise?
What did you learn from this drawing exercise?
What would you change about this drawing exercise if anything?
Name: ______________________________________________
1
The directions were followed The directions were not
roughly but not entirely followed
Some time and consideration
was given to the drawing
No time or consideration was
exercise, but more time and
given to the drawing exercise
consideration could have been
given to the drawing
It is apparent that the student
It is apparent that the student
did not look at the object being
looked a lot at the object being
drawn and rather looked at
drawn rather than at the paper,
their paper. Many symbols are
but some traditional symbols
used to create what they are
are used instead of the shapes
drawing rather than the shapes
and details that they see
and detail that they see
 Drawing Exercise
Draw Your Hand!
For this drawing exercise you will practice drawing your
very own hand! You have them attached to you every day
but how well do you really know what they look like?
First you will need to position your hand in a crazy yet
comfortable position. You want the drawing to be
interesting, but you do not want to get a hand cramp.
Before you begin drawing your hand look for the basic
shapes that create your hand, the different ovals and
circles.
To start drawing pick a spot and work from there, try not
to just draw all of the fingers right away. As you draw try
to look more at your actual hand than at your drawing.
Take Your Time!
Drawing Exercise
Draw Eyes!
For this drawing exercise you will practice drawing eyes
from memory, a photo and from a mirror. These all sound
similar but exercise different parts of your brain. Drawing
from a photo is much easier than from life because you
dont have to convert a 3D form into a flat image, because
it already is flat!
To start take a few minutes to draw eyes from memory, try
not to look around at the people in the classroom. Try your
best!
Secondly choose a photo of eyes from the folder marked
Pictures of Eyes. Take your time and try to replicate the
image exactly as you see it. Choose a spot on the image
and work from there, start with the basic shapes you see
and fill in details from there. Look more at the image than
at your drawing, really look at the image notice that the
two eyes are never exactly the same.
Finally find a mirror and look at your own eyes. Take your
time this will be trickier thank coping the photo but the
same guidelines apply. Remember this is just practice,
dont stress if it doesnt look perfect the first time.
 Drawing Exercise
Draw Your Shoes!
For this exercise you get to draw your very own shoes!
Weather you wear the same pair every day or a different
pair every day you put something on your feet! Now you
will have a chance to draw them in all of their glory!
To start get into a comfortable position where you can see
your feet and draw without moving. Crossing your ankles
and putting your legs parallel to the desk usually works
very well
Once you are comfortable really look at the shoes you are
wearing. Try not to simply draw the shoes as you think
they should look. Draw the shapes that you see, the
different ovals, circles, and lines.
After the overall shape is drawn start adding the details.
Try to see how many details you can get drawn of your
shoe. Remember as you draw to look more at your shoe
than at your paper!
Drawing Exercise
Draw with Your Non-Dominant
Hand!
For this exercise you get to draw with your non-dominant
hand! You always have this hand but you never use it.
Now is its chance to shine!
To start put your pencil in your non-dominant hand, this is
the hand that you do not usually write with. Once you are
holding your pencil, yes it is going to feel weird as you
dont normally use it, you are ready to go.
Then you can begin drawing! You can draw anything. It
might be easiest to start by drawing something simple and
work your way towards something more complex.
Remember take your time this will be tricky, but if you go
slow you will get the hang of it!