value, form & texture

TIME REQUIRED: Two sessions @ 45 minutes

Marbled Greek ColumnsVALUE, FORM & TEXTURE

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E S P A R K L E R S C L U B !2

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

9” x 12” white sulphite

paper

Shaving cream

Tray for shaving cream

Liquid watercolors

Paintbrush

Popsicle stick

Pencil

Ruler (optional)

Black permanent

marker

Black chalk pastel

Scissors

Background paper and

glue (optional)

Your students are going to be amazed by the first part of

this project: shaving cream marbling. It made a few more

samples than I needed because I just couldn’t stop the

magical experience of scraping off the shaving cream to

reveal the beautiful marbled paper underneath. After

creating beautiful marbled paper, students will draw and

add shadows to one of the three classic Greek columns.

ABOUT ANCIENT GREEK COLUMNS The Ancient Greeks used columns to hold up their

magnificent and heavy buildings. They needed the columns

for structural support, but they also wanted the columns to

be beautiful, so they created three types of columns:

Doric: simple and clean.

Ionic: curled scrolls on each side.

Corinthian: floral and ornate.

Join 10 year old Ella as she explains the architecture of

Greek columns: click here.

Ionic capital, north porch of the Erechtheion. 421-407 B.C.E., marble, Acropolis, Athens.

Marbled Greek Columns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cfTbHLXT6w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cfTbHLXT6w


Marbling with Shaving cream

STEP ONE: Spray a layer of shaving cream in the bottom of a

metal pan or plastic tray. It doesn’t have to be

smooth. I used white shaving cream from the

dollar store.

STEP TWO: Use a paintbrush to drip liquid watercolor into the

shaving cream. Use one color or multiple colors

for a different effect.

STEP THREE: Use the end of the paintbrush to swirl the surface

of the shaving cream.

1 2

3


Marbling with Shaving creamSTEP FOUR: Gently lay a piece of paper on the surface.

STEP FIVE: smooth it down so all areas are touching the

shaving cream.

STEP SIX: Lift the paper off and set it down on the

table. Use a popsicle stick to scrape off the

shaving cream. Add the scraped off shaving

cream back to the tray. Allow paper to dry.

TIP: Have wet cloths available at each table

for students to wipe their hands on.

Repeat the process as many times as you

want with the same batch of shaving cream.

Add additional paint each time. The

marbled paper will have less white spaces

with each time, but still be beautiful.

Try different color

combinations!

4

5

6


Once your marbled paper is dry, use the

“Greek Columns” handout on page 7 to

draw a column. Discuss with your students

the similarities and differences they notice

between the three columns.

Use a pencil to sketch your column. You may

want to have a ruler available to draw the

straight edges that you see in the column.

Though the three columns vary in difficulty, I

usually found that students will choose the

project that they anticipate being most

successful at. My guess is that your more

advanced students will naturally gravitate

towards creating the Doric or Corinthian

style column. Let your students know that

whatever column they choose, you expect

them to do their

best work and

take their time

carefully

completing their

column project.

After drawing the

column with pencil,

outline all pencil lines

with a black permanent

marker.

Drawing the column


Adding shadingUse a black chalk pastel to add SHADING to

the column. Decide which direction the light is

coming from, and shade accordingly.

Use the handout on page 7 to help guide the

shading process. Use one finger to blend all of

the chalk pastel.

You could also try using a different colored

chalk pastel other than black to add shading to

your column. Whether you use black or a

different color, add shading with just one color.

Cut out your column.

As an optional last step, mount your

column onto colored paper with

glue.


Greek Columns H A N D O U T

Doric

Ionic

Corinthian

Ancient Greek & Roman Art

BUNDLE


CREATING Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work — brainstorm approaches for design

problem—set goals and create purposeful and meaningful artwork

Organize and develop artistic ideas and work — explore and invent art-making

techniques-care for materials while art-making—document and describe environments

Refine and complete artistic work—revise artwork in progress through insights gained from

peers and discussion

Presenting/producing Analyze, interpret and select artistic work for presentation— Analyze how past, present

and emerging technologies have impacted preservation and presentations of artwork

Develop and refine artistic work for presentation — Analyze the various considerations for

presenting and protecting work in all settings and forms

Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work — compare and contrast

purposes of art museums, etc. and the types of personal experiences they provide

Responding Perceive and analyze artistic work- compare responses to artwork after experiencing the

medium analyze messages in visual imagery Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work — interpret art by referring to contextual info

and analyzing relevant subject matter, characteristics and media

Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work— apply one set of criteria to evaluate more than

one work of art

Connecting Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art- create works of

art that reflect community cultural traditions

Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding

NATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDS-fourth grade

X

X

X

X

X

X

X


CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.2 Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats,

including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

After introducing the students to Ancient Greek columns and architecture via posters, PowerPoint,

etc., students can be asked to answer questions orally to paraphrase what they have learned about

the style of art. Use of the elements of art and principles of design in the form of a discussion.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

After students finish their art, you can have them fill out the artist statement worksheet (located in

Teacher Aids). This information leads them to reflect on the process of art making while forming an

opinion about their own work based on the processes used, materials used, inspirations, etc.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or

speaking.

You can communicate to students that using conventions of standard English grammar when writing

their answers to the artist statement worksheet should be emphasized. This is a wonderful way to

help students see cross curricular connections between subjects!

Common core standards for Marbled Greek Columns

I CAN STATEMENTS FOR Marbled Greek Columns

• Today I will learn about ANCIENT GREEK COLUMNS, so that I CAN draw one of the styles:

DORIC, IONIC or CORINTHIAN.

• Today I will learn about TEXTURE, so that I CAN make MARBLED PAPER with shaving cream and

watercolor.

• Today I will learn about VALUE & FORM, so that I CAN shade my COLUMN to make it appear to

be 3D.


ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST

Student Name:

Did the student make marbled paper?

Did the student draw one of the three main styles of Ancient Greek columns?

Did the student use shading to create the illusion of form?

Main Ideas from:

MARBLED GREEK COLUMNS

value, form & texture

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