Blacklight painting

Blacklight Unit

Materials:

Fluorescent fixtures ($10 at Wal-Mart suggest getting 2)

Blacklight bulbs (4ft ones at WM cost $12 each. For two fixtures, need 4 bulbs)

Highlighters

White colored Pencils

Reams of colored office paper (they end up nonreactive to UV light)

Ream of yellow/goldenrod office paper

Reams of regular office paper (they are reactive)

Fluorescent paints (can now get from many art suppliers like Blick)

Pens

 Day one. 

Review classroom expectations.

Turn on backlights and let the students explore and look at their belongings.

Talk about blacklight properties, wavelengths, (science component) etc.

Studio- Invisible Drawing

Pass out drawing paper that is reactive to the light.  Pass out white colored pencils and students draw on the glowing paper.  The white colored pencils show up dark on the glowing paper.  Turn off the blacklight and on the regular lights.  The drawing disappears! 

Highlighter drawings

Have any students who have highlighters bring them out.  Trade out the paper for one that does not glow in blacklight…. Draw with highlighters to get a neon sign effect… students really like this one.    

Before and after drawings 

Have students brainstorm over different situations that would best be described with two pictures, such as Bruce Wayne turning into Batman, or leaves on then falling off a tree, day vs. night, etc.  They should pick one scenario, and on goldenrod office paper, draw the first scene in pen in regular light.  Then, when all are finished, turn the black light on, and the second drawing is made directly on top of the first using yellow highlighter.  In the regular light the yellow highlighter is hard to see, and in the blacklight, the pen is hard to see.  Talk about filling up all the space with loose crosshatching or objects. This masks the highlighter drawing better.  Do not completely darken any areas, since the highlighter will not work on that.  When all are finished, turn on the lights and pass the paper to a neighbor.  Turn on the blacklight and the image will change!  Turn on the regular lights again and the blacklight off, and pass papers again... Repeat until everyone has seen everyone else’s drawing.

Day four, five

            Prep day for glow in the dark radial designs.  Hand out non-reactive paper and have students create a simple radial design using pencil.  By folding the paper it is easy to recreate exact copies by rubbing the back and transferring the image across.  When all are done, pass out the fluorescent paint and paint in the designs.  Hang in the room for display. 

Radial design using French Curves:

Get a square paper and fold from corners and sides to find center.

Use ruler to go over the fold lines.

Use a compass to draw a large circle.

The grid formed will aid in repeatedly tracing using the French curves.

Pick  a French curve and a location. 

Draw the center x or the circle x on the tool.  You also need at least one line as reference. 

Copy section.

Move the tool to the next position and realign the marks to the next location. 

Copy section.  If there is overlap or missing section, adjust.

Continue until it is repeated 8 times. 

Repeat the process with different French curves until paper has a completed radial design.

Paint.

Before and after Project                 

1. Brainstorm over different situations that would best be described with two pictures, such as Bruce Wayne turning into Batman, or leaves on then falling off a tree, day vs. night, etc. 

2. Pick one scenario, and on goldenrod office paper, draw the first scene in pen in regular light. 

3. Then, when all are finished, turn the black light on, and the second drawing is made directly on top of the first using yellow highlighter.

 In the regular light the yellow highlighter is hard to see, and in the blacklight, the pen is hard to see.  Fill up all the space with loose crosshatching or objects. This masks the highlighter drawing better.  Do not completely darken any areas, since the highlighter will not work on that. 

4. When all are finished, turn on the lights and pass the paper to a neighbor.  Turn on the blacklight and the image will change!  Turn on the regular lights again and the blacklight off, and pass papers again... Repeat until everyone has seen everyone else’s drawing.

BEFORE AND AFTER  EXAMPLE LIST

Riding bike or skateboard/ crash

Spiderman swinging/ landing on a building

Clark Kent/ superman

Bruce Wayne/ Batman

Bruce Banner/ Hulk

Man turning into Wolfman

Dracula turn into bat

Cake, cake gone

Apple, apple core

Woman pregnant/ thinner holding a baby

Pizza / bite gone

Weakling with dumbbells/ muscular after

Calm to angry

Happy to sad

Peaceful to angry

Day to night

Summer to fall

Fall to winter

Winter to spring

Snowman/ melted

Sitting in a chair/ it breaks and crash

Animal crossing road/ road-kill

Caterpillar/ butterfly

Tadpole/ frog

A tree / losing its leaves

Blowing bubble with gum/ it pops on face