Surfing The Great Wave

Fourth grade students in Mrs. Rhoads Art classroom, at Haslet Elementary, have added a digital component to their most recent artwork. As an introduction to this project, discussions were had about various career opportunities in the “tech art” field. Students were familiar with the process of combining art with the digital world. They were able to make connections to this type of art by referencing popular movies, like Harry Potter, as examples.

Their project began with a study on the Japanese artist, Katsushika Hokusai. He is most famous for his print “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa”, part of the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. Students were inspired to create their own version of the print using watercolors. Students worked on drawing and painting skills as they layered colors to create depth in their piece. Students discussed the way movement is suggested by the repetition of curved lines.

Then it was time to turn their artwork digital by adding not just the suggestion of movement but actual movement as they surfed their wave. Using the Green Screen app by DoInk, students worked in groups to insert themselves into their own “great wave”. This process involved taking a still shot of the painting and importing it into the Green Screen app. With their background set, the artists brushed up on their surfing skills and pretended they were surfing on the wave they painted.

Emily said, “It was fun to draw my own waves and it took a lot of time. When Mrs. Rhoads told us we were going to use the green screen I couldn't wait”. Riley added, “Adding the technology made me like art more and made it more interesting. I liked seeing myself in the picture I drew”. Emily and Riley, two of the fourth graders who will be presenting this project at Techno Expo 2016, were excited to talk about this project and are looking forward to showcasing their talents.