Art and Culture Center of Hollywood
Distance Learning
Integrated Art Lesson Title:
Quilled Autumn Tree
Description and Overall
Focus:
This project will allow students to learn how to create the
interpretation of a deciduous tree using the Renaissance craft
techniques of quilling.
Length of Lesson
45 minutes
Grade Range
Elementary
Objective(s)
Students will discuss how and why seasonal changes have an
effect on deciduous trees. Students will learn about the
Renaissance craft of quilling and then how to use paper rolling
techniques to create a textural work of art.
Materials: PLEASE NOTE:
Some materials must be
acquired prior to this lesson
** See TIME SAVER
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Teacher Provided Supplies and Template:
Tree trunk template (1 per 2-4 students) already cut out
(scroll to the last 2 pages)
Art Supplies:
White paper (you may use heavy copy paper) 1 per
student
Autumn colors of construction paper to be cut into ½
inch strips (20-24 strips per student of various color)
Stick Glue
Scissors
Rulers
Pencils & erasers
Markers and/or crayons (all colors)
** TIME SAVER: ask your best cutters to make ½ inch wide
lengthwise strips from the construction paper sheets the day or
week before the project. You will need 20-24 strips per student.
Introductory activity
Students will discuss why only some trees’ leaves change color
and fall in Autumn. Students will then be introduced to a brief
history of the art of quilling and learn fundamental techniques.
Core activity
Students will integrate the ecological tree cycle with the craft of
quilling. Then they will proceed by rolling and bending separate
coils or scrolls. The project will be continued in stages, attaching
the coils and scrolls to the backgrounds, creating a tree.
Closure activity
Students will complete their visual art making sure that the
elements are fastened securely. Several students will then share
their completed works of art with the rest of their classmates – to
have a fun art critique!
Assessment
Students will have learned about the origins of quilling: the
Renaissance rolling, coiling and scrolling art. They will also have
learned how those techniques can work to create a textural
representation of an Autumn deciduous tree.
Teacher follow-up idea
The classroom teacher can use the websites below to present
more of the information surrounding the artistic world of quilling,
and further science lessons built on ecological studies.
Student follow-up idea
Students can continue to create progressively sophisticated
quilled designs based on other ecological cycles or the spring
stage of a tree.
Book/Web references
Quilling: New Papercrafting Projects with a Traditional Past by
Suzanne McNeill, et al.
www.kinderart.com
www.ecokids.ca
Art and Culture Center of
Hollywood
www.artandculturecenter.org
Lesson plan prepared by Traci Petersen, MFA
Quilling History
Quilling or paper filigree is an art
form that involves the use of
strips of paper that are rolled,
shaped, and glued together to
create decorative designs. The
paper is wound around a quill
to create a basic coil shape.
The paper is then glued at the
tip and these shaped coils are
arranged to form flowers,
leaves, and various ornamental
patterns.
During the Renaissance, French
and Italian nuns and monks
used quilling to decorate book
covers and religious items. Later
in the 18th century, quilling
became popular in Europe
where gentle ladies of quality
("ladies of leisure") practiced
the art. It was one of the few
things ladies could do that was
thought not too taxing for their
minds or gentle dispositions.
Quilling also spread to the
Americas and there are a few
examples from Colonial times.
Trees & Seasons
When winter approaches, our
part of Earth receives less
sunlight, and the air grows
colder. When these changes
happen, trees prepare for
winter. Trees that drop their
leaves seal the spots where the
leaves are attached. Then
fluids cannot flow in and out of
the leaves, which change color
and fall off.
The falling of the leaves does
more than mark the season. It
also helps the tree survive the
cold, dry air of winter.
In the warm seasons, leaves
use sunlight, water and air to
make the tree’s food. In that
process, the tree loses a lot of
water through tiny holes in the
leaves. In winter, the tree does
not get enough water to
replace what it would lose
through the leaves. If the tree
did not seal the spots where the
leaves grow, it would die. When
spring brings warm air and
fresh water, the tree will sprout
new leaves and start growing
again.
Examples & Templates on this PAGE:
Print this template onto card stock and pre-cut for (up to 4 to share) student use.
Cut out only the gray area, leaving the page intact.
Examples of colored paper strips for quilling: