anthony m. lee
1649 W. Greenleaf Ave. Unit GW, Chicago, IL 60626
1.
asian art research
773.773.2370
vajrapan@interlog.com
8 Buddhist Symbols, 8 Daoist Symbols – bajixiang
Creation of a set of personal symbols representing aspects of students’
lives, city of Chicago, Illinois, the school, the area, their family.
2.
Simplifying images – Picasso style
Taking a picture of anything and drawing it again and a again, simplifying
and minimizing the number of strokes needed or elements required – visual
précis – copying ink brush painting.
3.
Single line painting
Similar to 2, but transforming image into a single continuous line – see
image of Bodhidharma in zen ink painting style.
4.
Regress characters
Taking roman letters or numbers of other symbols and simplifying into as
simple as possible while maintaining recognition
5.
New view – meaning in form
Using English words and letters to make a word form that represents or is
more representative of the meaning. Slide that looks like a slide. Mountain
that looks like a mountain. Can also be used using roman letters
transformed to look like representative words – A is for Apple, etc.
6.
Modern characters – fill in the new
Making Chinese style characters for new inventions and concepts, e.g.
MP3, television, CD, movie, words that are composites in Chinese.
7.
Hyakuninisshu – with songs, information – see attached
Make a carta set with the group with songs, or symbols representing the
song artists or song lyrics or both on different sides, learn the New Years
game, singing the openings of the songs. Or use nursery rhymes. To make
it difficult ensure that card section is the end or somewhat different from
the sung section. To make it more difficult do not sing the first part.
8.
Characters regression – decomposition
Form English words into Chinese style character shapes. Create a system
of placement and order for reading governing.
1
anthony m. lee
1649 W. Greenleaf Ave. Unit GW, Chicago, IL 60626
9.
asian art research
773.773.2370
vajrapan@interlog.com
Art allusion by breaking up a symbol – date the parts
Take a painting or piece of porcelain and deconstruct the symbolic
elements. Detective work allows general dating.
10.
Porcelain meanings – personal motifs
Create new repeating porcelain style motifs or bands that represent
personal style or interests or school or region (e.g. City of Naperville).
11.
Interpreting paintings – creative writing exercises
Take a Chinese or Japanese print or painting or hand out copies of
different ones and have the students create a story from the imagery. Have
them describe the history behind the imagery or the future.
12.
Making painted pottery – paper plates to plaster molds
Use PET coke bottles to make a plaster vase or use paper plates and
decorate in Chinese style or personal style using bands of decoration –
relates to 10
13.
Reverse glass painting
Using plastic or acrylic panes and tempera or quick drying oil paint easy
subjects using reverse glass painting technique whereby the painting must
be planned as the colours build in the reverse.
14.
Dragon robes / Kimono in paper
Use an easy tape or glue joined model to make dragon robes (Qing Manchu
style) or Japanese Kimono and decorate in groups.
15.
Joined Styrofoam sculpture – Buddhas, Terracotta warriors
Using sections of Styrofoam corresponding to a template or draft designof
a 3D image to create a large sculpture in groups – the groups have to
adhere to the plans on all sides or the sections will fit together poorly.
16.
Family Mandala / Mandala story
Family figures used to form a mandala or an organizational form with
decorative borders. Using photos or photocopied images in a faux
Buddhist mandala style.
2
anthony m. lee
1649 W. Greenleaf Ave. Unit GW, Chicago, IL 60626
17.
asian art research
773.773.2370
vajrapan@interlog.com
Ink painting
This can be done with wet brushes on a chalk board that has been erased,
but not cleaned so the chalk powder remains. Or with brushes and proper
ink, etc. If paper is at a premium, use newspaper to practice. 4 standard
flower forms are the easiest to start with – see attached.
18.
Spatial exercises with painting elements – floral and landscape
Provide each person with photocopy of bamboo or other floral elements
which are then cut out and a picture formed using their own ideas about
spatial relations, rather than copying a template.
19.
Name seals
Create seals of student names using roman letters. Self drying art clay can
be used to create the real seals in intaglio.
20.
Non verb poetry in 7’s
Chinese style classical poetry in couplets of seven characters each side.
Use seven English words, eliminating all verbs, prepositions, articles, even
pronouns if seemingly unnecessary. Could be used in conjunction with 8 to
form pairs of scrolls.
21.
Haiku poetry
Japanese poetry of 5 – 7 – 5 syllables in 3 lines. Ideally, first line should set
the imagery, second line is description, third line is related but inspires a
wider view of the subject.
Back aches and toes hurt
I never liked this driveway
Naperville winter
22.
Dictionary name search and development
Use a Chinese dictionary to transliterate Western names into Chinese –
Maria = MA LI AH (Horse, Mile, Asia) Robert = LUO BA (Building eight)
23.
Monster mask replication
Learn the parts of features that make up bronze age mask motifs and
dragons, using pencil draw half a face and then fold and rub to create the
second half.
3
anthony m. lee
1649 W. Greenleaf Ave. Unit GW, Chicago, IL 60626
24.
asian art research
773.773.2370
vajrapan@interlog.com
Paint a T shirt vase
Use a white T-shirt and treat it like a vase using bands of decoration in
either blue on white or the five colors of early porcelain – blue red green
yellow aubergine.
25.
Cardboard Neolithic pottery
Long thin strips of cardboard are built up rope fashioned to form the body
of pots that can be decorated with home made pigments. Walls can be
smoothed out using toilet paper papier mache.
26.
Team teach recognition – group teaching method
Two sets of students form a group, e.g. 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A / 1B, 2B etc. All 1
students are taught one fact or series of facts about subject, and must
return to teach the rest of the letter group. Then all 2 students come
together and are taught a separate fact. All information when pooled in the
letter group should be able to get through a series of tasks.
27.
Pictionary teams
Team pictionary game with extremely easy words such as “chair” in the
speed rounds, more difficult concepts such as “beauty” in regular rounds.
No symbols can be used. Work in teams to solve – teams then use winning
images to form new characters and build a vocabulary.
28.
Breakdown letters into new kana
Deconstruct letters into new simplified writing system.
29.
Cartoons and iconography
Comix and cartoons use tons of iconography to allow an understanding of
what is going on. Reinforce history lessons by having the students create
comic strips of historic events or concepts.
30.
Samurai armour
Construction project using corrugated cardboard to create a full suit of
Japanese armour to be decorated in teams.
4
anthony m. lee
1649 W. Greenleaf Ave. Unit GW, Chicago, IL 60626
31.
asian art research
773.773.2370
vajrapan@interlog.com
Fan paintings
Corrugated and paper are used with satay skewers pushed into a triangle
of corrugated cardboard to make a hand fan painted by the students.
32.
Personal Kamon
Personal history or family interests or imagery are used to create a samurai
family style crest or kamon.
33.
New Years decorations – Lanterns, shell game
Paper lanterns for Chinese New year from cardboard or construction paper.
Tubular form or fish form.
Shell game is made with circular forms painted by the students to make a
class set of shells which are used in a matching game.
34.
Janken-poi atchimitehoi
Rock paper scissors with a twist.
35.
Foxes wedding
4 part harmonized song
Bears – Bon Bon Bon Bon, Bohn bohn, bon bon bon
Deer – beeba beeba beeba beeba beeba beeba beebaba
Birds – Lalalalala Lalala Lalala
Foxes – ME DETAI YA O MEDE TAIYA
Each group comes in one after the other soft 4 bars, crescendo to high 4
bars, descendo 4 bars, each group drops off in descending (bears last)
order 4 bars.
36.
Classical text memorization
Section of classical text in translation ( or a long poem or speech) is given
to students who must learn to memorize and recite from memory and offer
back verbatim. Increases understanding of the rigours of Confucian
examination system.
37.
Tanabata Tree ( 7/7 celebration)
Tanabata is the celebration of the marriage of the Weaver Maid
constellation with the Ox Herder across the Milky way. Tradition says it is
5
anthony m. lee
1649 W. Greenleaf Ave. Unit GW, Chicago, IL 60626
asian art research
773.773.2370
vajrapan@interlog.com
the one night a year when the two can meet. Japanese children and adults
prepare a bamboo tree or branch with decorations and wishes for the next
year on slips of coloured paper (tanzaku) which are attached to the tree.
The shooting star or star image are used profusely.
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