Symbolic Fans

Grant Middle School 3/10/2013

Day One:

8th Grade Girls practiced drawing traditional Indian symbols repeated and connected into a design that covers your paper.

board on the first day

I created two Mehndi symbol reference packets

-with common symbols and their meanings such as the cross, turtle, and diamond

-how to construct them

-variations on the symbols

girls practicing symbols

Day Two:

Students drew and cut a fan shape out of colored paper, then drew henna designs for protection on the front and giving on the back.

-the compass tool was used to trace and cut circles to make a fan shape

-fancy blade scissors were used to make an intricate edge.

-rulers were used for straight protection lines

Day Three:

Students continued adding symbols of defense to one side and giving to the other side of their fan and fill up the space well.

left side is giving, right is protection

example of space used well

good use of adapting symbols

Day Four:
Students traced their detailed designs with metallic paint.

board on day three of the project

independent careful worker

half traced 

girls shared pallets to conserve paint

student watered down paint
and applied layer over drawn details

student had good control over paint
and could follow fine lines

Final Day:
Students glued wooden sticks between both sides of their fan design to give it structure, then embellished the final fan with folds, ribbon, and rhinestones.

straight lines and symbols for protection

beads and rhinestones were added on the handle

curved lines and symbols for giving

rhinestones were added to accent areas in the fan design

all of the fans drying on the radiator