As Dogwood fifth graders started their final year of elementary school, they thought about the legacy they would leave behind. Art teacher Kayla Whitsett helped them find a legacy art project that will be here after they head to middle school. The students made copper fish that now hang on the new Dolphin wall that students see as they enter the building from the car line.
“I was excited to make the fish so that at the end of the year I can come back and show my parents my art on the wall,” fifth grader Nick Soucia said.
First, students learned about the art of embossing metal by using repousse and chasing. The classes discussed famous works of art that were created with these techniques, such as the mask of Tutankhamun. After that, students created a sketch of the fish they wanted to create and filled it with zentangle patterns. During the next class, students cut a piece of copper foil in the shape of their fish, then used the repousse and chasing techniques they learned to stretch the metal in and out, which created texture over their patterns.
“It was fun engraving the patterns we did on the copper foil,” fifth grader Ellie Hoover said.
When they finished embossing the copper, they added India ink and buffed the metal to reveal their design. They also added colored ink to different parts of their fish.
“The students were so responsible working with a material that they were unfamiliar with,” art teacher Kayla Whitsett said. “They were focused. You could hear a pin drop.”
The students had fun working with a different medium while helping to create beauty in the school.