Leonardo

1
Leonardos Sketchbook

• Teaching Leonardo An Integrated Approach
• Presented by
• Nichelle Wilson-Parish
• nwilson_at_theschool.columbia.edu

2
Leonardos Quotes

• "The five senses are the ministers of the soul.
• "Every part is disposed to unite with the whole,
  that it may thereby escape from its own
  incompleteness.

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• This talk presented an integrated Leonardo
  notebook project designed by high school and
  middle school art, history, math and science
  faculty.
• SCIENCE
• dissecting animals and producing drawings which
  rendered and identified organs
• creating simple machines
• measuring the proportions of the human body.
• MATH
• studying the Fibinacci sequence
• drawing rectangles based upon the golden mean
• learning 1 and 2 point perspective,
• measuring and drawing geometric forms and
  calculate their volumes
• HISTORY
• looking at the city of Florence during the
  Renaissance from a social and economic
  perspective
• LANGUAGE ARTS
• descriptive writing

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Creating the Leonardo Sketchbook

• Objective
• Leonardo Da Vinci kept loose folio pages upon
  which he recorded all the notes and sketches that
  form his famous sketchbooks. Once a grouping of
  pages were completed, he would bind them into
  simple book forms. During this course, students
  will learn to think and work like Leonardo,
  exploring topics on loose sheets and binding them
  into a notebook.
• This lesson is in two parts. Students will create
  a journal of work on loose leaf signatures that
  will be bound into a journal at the end of the
  course.
• Give students the pages during the beginning of
  the course. Work can be kept in large envelops
  until the binding project. The book will be bound
  at the end of the course.

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The Project

• Tear down or cut and fold parchment paper to the
  desired size of the finished book. The folios
  should be shaped like a large, blank greeting
  card. Example a 9x12 journal should have
  pages cut to 9x 24, then folded in half.
• Students will complete all the drawing and class
  assignments on these loose pages. For the final
  book, the pages will be placed one inside the
  other and stitched through the center At the
  beginning of the course, give each student
  several blank pages and an envelope.
• Assignments will be completed on these pages and
  kept in the envelope. Additional pages will be
  given out as needed.

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Drawing Assignments

• Nature Drawing (from observation)
• Imagined creature drawing
• Mechanical drawing (from boat or from mechanical
  objects in class)
• Blind contour drawing (hand)
• Modified contour drawing (hand)
• Leaf drawing (using contour)
• Silverpoint drawing of seashell
• Tonal drawing of torso (using chiaroscuro and
  sfmato)
• Memory/Observation drawing
• One point and two point perspective drawings
• Backwards writing (at least one example)
• Art History images/pages with notes
• Gesture drawings of figure (using ink, conte,
  etc)
• Anatomy drawing from model (with muscles
  labeled)
• Geometric shapes using crosshatching with math
  project
• Facial expression drawings ( Gerard) (2)
• Geometers notebook pages with math (2 pages)
• 2 Dissection drawings (done in science class in
  conjunction with dissection)

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Optional Assignments

• Michelangelo back drawing (crosshatching)
• Master Study using a grid
• List of seven traits of Leonardo with your
  commentary
• 15 quotes from Leonardo Sites with quotes by da
  Vinci specifically http//www.brainyquote.com/qu
  otes/authors/l/a129571.htmlhttp//www.quotationsp
  age.com/quotes/Leonardo_da_Vinci/http//www.bartl
  eby.com/100/ http//www.quoteland.com/
• A drawing of an invention of your own design with
  notes
• Contour/crosshatched drawings of vegetables,
  faces etc.
• Applied perspective drawings of cityscape
• Silverpoint drawing from observation or master
  study
• Drawing of an animal in motion

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Constructing the Book

• Have students assemble the finished pages, one
  inside the other. Give students a blank page to
  place on the outside of the stackthis page will
  be the cover of the notebook.
• Once stacked, fold all together and crease the
  spine.
• Open the book to the center page.
• Place the corrugated cardboard under the spine.
• Use the punch or awl to punch three or five holes
  in the center of the spine, one in the center,
  and one about 1 from each edge. (three holes are
  more simple, but five are more stable)
• Using the Linen thread or dental floss, stitch
  the book together using a simple 3 or 5 hole
  signature stitch, as illustrated in the
  instructions from Cover to Cover .
• Be sure to tighten the strings before tying the
  knot. Place a small amount of liquid glue
  directly on the knot to insure it will not come
  loose.
• Students may now decorate their cover. Remind
  them to put their names on the covers. They
  should have a distinct front and back cover.

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Samples
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Student Samples
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Materials

• Paper
• Pergamentata Natural, Wynstone Antique Imitation
  Parchment Paper, Parchment-type stationary, or
  any off-white drawing paper. Regular drawing
  paper can be given a tea or coffee wash to give
  it the appearance of antique parchment.
• Karma Cover and Text
• Stonehenge Grey
• Silverpoint -silver jewelry wire, available at
  any jewelry craft supplier. Purchase a few
  lengths about the thickness of a pencil lead and
  cut to about 1 sections. These can be taped on
  dowels or pencils for use as drawing instruments.
  Use as you would an ink pen for cross-hatching.
  Silverpoint cannot be erased. It goes on with a
  beautiful silver line that ages to a darker color
  with time.
• Powdered Graphite or Vine Charcoal - for
  reductive drawing/sfumato technique. Available in
  a jar from art supply catalogs. Smear onto paper
  with a tissue. The prep is a little messy \
• Conte or Yarka crayons, white, black, umber and
  sepia
• Powdered graphite
• Vine charcoal (preferably the large sticks)
• White Chalk
• Tissues
• Kneaded erasures
• White drawing erasures
• Spotlight
• 3-D object for drawing, preferably white (a
  plaster sculpture. Lightbulb, spraypainted
  bottles or seashells for example)
• Workable fixative spray or hair spray
• Binding the book
• Sewing needles and Waxed Dental Floss
• Book Tape

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References

• Japanese Bookbinding Instructions From A Master
  Craftsman by Kojiro Ikegami
• Cover To Cover Creative Techniques For Making
  Beautiful Books, Journals Albums by Shereen
  LaPlantz
• Leonardo Bibliography
• Books
• Bambach, Carmen C. Leonardo da Vinci, Master
  Draftsman. New York Metropolitan Museum of Art,
  2003
• Gelb, Micheal J. How to Think Like Leonardo
  Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, New York
  Delacorte Press, 1998
• Marani, Pietro C. Leonardo da Vinci The Complete
  Paintings, New York Abrams, 1999
• Leonardo da Vinci. New York Barnes and Nobles,
  1997
• Michealangelo and Raphael in the Vatican, Vatican
  City Ufficio Vendita Pubblicazioni, 1993
• Herbert, Janis. Leonardo da Vinci for Kids His
  Life and Ideas, Chicago Chicago Review Press,
  1998
• Mason, Antony. Famous Artists Leonardo da Vinci,
  London Aladin Books 1993
• Fairbrother, Trevor and Chiyo Ishikawa. Leonardo
  Lives The Codex Leicester and Leonardo da
  Vincis Legacy of Art and Science, Seattle
  University of Washington Press, 1997
• Cianchi, Marco. Leonardo The Anatomy, Florence
  Giunti, 1984
• Farago, Claire. Leonardo da Vinci Codex
  Leicester A Masterpiece of Science, New York
  American Museum of Natural History, 1996
• Videos
• AE Biography Leonardo da Vinci Renaissance
  Master 1997
• Websites
• The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci
• http//www.visi.com/reuteler/leonardo.html