Art Is... Expression
Creative Expression:
Character Building: Cartooning, Puppetry & Animation
Line
of
Inquiry:
How
can
the
art
of
expression
help
us
to
make
connections
and
find
meaning
from
life?
Guiding
Question:
How
do
we
build
character
through
expression?
FISH
FACE:
CHARACTER
DESIGN
&
ANIMATION
Stop
Motion
Animation
Lesson
(3rd
&
4th
Grade
computer
lab,
and
6th
Grade
Art
Is…)
Students
will
explore
how
animators
use
facial
expressions,
physical
gesture
and
sound
to
create
characters,
as
they
work
with
a
partner
to
create
an
animated
short.
Students
will
be
introduced
stop
motion
animation
with
a
screening
of
Nick
Park’s
claymation
classic,
Creature
Comforts.
This
animation
assignment
will
help
students
to
learn
about
the
many
different
kinds
of
fish
that
live
in
our
oceans
and
help
to
cultivate
an
appreciation
for
the
diversity
of
life
under
the
sea.
Students
will
learn
about
environmental
issues
that
impact
the
lives
of
fish,
such
as
global
warming,
ocean
acidification,
destruction
of
habitat
and
overfishing
through
Mark
Kurlansky’s
book,
“A
World
Without
Fish.”
Each
student
will
design
a
character,
representing
themselves
as
fish,
and
use
their
characters
to
create
a
short
animated
scene
with
dialogue.
Selected
animated
shorts
will
be
used
as
public
advocacy
tools
to
build
awareness
of
the
importance
of
fish
to
the
health
of
our
ecosystem.
Step
1:
Character
Design
Ask
the
students
to
look
up
the
“word
of
the
day.”
“Anthropomorphic”
is
defined
in
Merriam‐Webster’s
Learner’s
Dictionary
as
“described
or
thought
of
as
being
like
human
beings
in
appearance,
behavior,
etc.
http://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/anthropomorphic
Share
examples
of
well‐loved
animated
characters,
anthropomorphic
creatures
who
have
been
designed
with
human
characteristics,
such
as
Mickey
Mouse,
Tweety
Bird,
or
Nemo.
Tell
the
students
that
they
will
be
designing
a
character
that
will
represent
themselves
as
fish.
Use
the
following
questions
to
help
the
students
to
think
about
the
characteristics
of
a
particular
species
of
fish
that
they
will
use
to
represent
themselves.
WHAT
KIND
OF
FISH
WOULD
I
BE?
•
•
•
•
•
•
What
size
am
I,
big
or
small?
What
color
am
I,
plain
or
flashy?
Am
I
social
or
solitary?
How
do
I
move,
fast
or
slow?
Where
do
I
live,
what
part
of
the
world?
What
do
I
eat,
what
might
eat
me?
•
My
personality
traits?
Shy,
bossy,
funny,
etc.
WHAT
IS
A
FISH?
WHAT
ARE
THE
PARTS
OF
A
FISH?
•
Review
the
definition
and
the
parts
of
the
fish
with
the
illustration
on
the
Free
Merriam‐Webster
Dictionary.
http://www.merriam‐webster.com/dictionary/fish
•
Give
students
a
list
of
interesting
fish
names
to
explore
and
research,
such
as
the
Lionfish,
the
Stonefish,
the
Picasso
Triggerfish,
or
the
Blobfish
(pictured
right).
•
Students
can
explore
the
on‐line
photo
gallery
at
Oceanlight.com:
List
of
Fish
Species
­
Fish
Photos
http://www.oceanlight.com/fish.html
•
Students
should
pick
out
a
fish
that
they
think
would
best
represent
themselves.
Students
may
decide
to
choose
to
learn
more
about
a
fish
that
is
not
on
the
provided
list.
IF
I
WERE
A
FISH,
WHAT
WOULD
I
LOOK
AND
SOUND
LIKE?
•
Students
will
design
and
name
their
characters,
and
begin
to
think
about
how
they
might
move
and
sound.
Character
design
drawings
will
be
posted
and
shared
with
the
class.
Step
2:
The
Script
The
scenario:
The
fish
try
to
persuade
their
two‐legged
neighbors
to
care
about
the
ocean
by
sharing
their
perspective
about
what’s
going
on
today.
Students
will
work
together
to
storyboard
and
write
a
script
that
involves
a
30
second
conversation
between
two
fish
who
address
the
viewer.
The
students
should
consider
the
perspective
and
personality
of
their
fish
characters
when
scripting
the
beginning,
middle
and
end
of
their
animated
short.
The
students
should
also
come
up
with
a
title
for
their
short
film.
Students
will
film
themselves
delivering
their
scripted
dialogue
with
a
Flip
video
camera,
which
can
be
used
as
reference
material.
Step
3:
Animation
Students
work
together
to
pose
and
take
photos
of
their
characters
with
a
digital
camera
on
a
tripod
to
created
the
frame‐by‐frame
photos
that
will
be
used
to
animate
their
characters
(Approximately
10
frames
per
second
for
30
seconds
equals
300
images
total.)
They
will
also
use
Garageband
to
record
their
dialogue
or
add
sound
effects.
Step
4:
Editing
Students
will
use
video
editing
software
such
as
Stop
Motion
Pro
(PC)
or
iMovie
(Mac)
to
put
together
their
animated
images
and
sound,
adding
titles
and
credits.
Step
5:
Screening
Students
will
share
their
finished
movies
with
the
class
in
a
special
screening
that
will
include
peer
feedback
and
reflection
on
the
student
learning.
Artists
will
draft
a
written
artist
statement
about
their
involvement
to
be
included
in
the
screening
program
handout
that
will
also
serve
as
a
self‐assessment.
Step
6:
Sharing
with
the
World
With
parental
permission,
examples
of
outstanding
student
work
will
be
shared
via
the
school’s
website
and
additional
public
venues
such
as
The
Blue
Marble
Project
www.bluemarbles.org
to
raise
awareness
by
giving
children
a
way
to
actively
contribute
to
ocean
stewardship
efforts.
Continue
to
explore
the
ocean
sciences
with
your
students.
LINKS
The
College
of
Exploration’s
Guide
for
Ocean
Literacy:
The
Essential
Principles
of
Ocean
Sciences
http://oceanliteracy.wp2.coexploration.org/
National
Geographic:
The
Ocean
http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/
College
of
Exploration
http://oceanliteracy.wp2.coexploration.org/
National
Oceanic
and
Atmospheric
Administration
http://www.education.noaa.gov/
National
Marine
Educators
http://www.marine‐ed.org/
Centers
for
Ocean
Sciences
http://www.cosee.net/
The
Blue
Marble
Project
www.bluemarbles.org
Additional
animated
films
that
can
be
shared
with
the
class
to
illustrate
character
design:
Finding
Nemo,
Ponyo,
The
Little
Mermaid
and
Flushed
Away