(WT) Psalm 8 ~ Starry Night Art Workshop

Rotation.org Writing Team

Psalm 8: When I look at your heavens

Starry Night Art Workshop

Summary of Activities

Using a Crayon Resist and Watercolor technique, students will create their own "Psalm 8 Starry Night" based on Van Gogh's famous painting, "The Starry Night." They will use Psalm 8 imagery and text to express God's message to us as read in the psalm, and as experienced in a nighttime sky.

About the Art in this Lesson

"Crayon Resist" with a watercolor wash can produce a unique and vibrant picture of the nighttime sky like the one described in Psalm 8, and captured in Van Gogh's famous "The Starry Night."

This particular art technique beautifully matches our scripture's description and meaning.

Swirling glory and majesty. Vibrancy and light.
God embracing us with honor and glory.
And, us looking up and reaching out in wonder and praise!

That we get to hitch the meaning of this psalm to one of the world's most famous painting is a blessing! They will surely see this painting throughout the rest of their lives and they will likely view night skies... Hopefully it will bring to mind Psalm 8!

What makes this lesson even more suitable? It is easily scalable, broadly graded, produces real art that students will proudly display, and reinforces the central images and meaning of Psalm 8. We are thrilled to share this lesson with you, and invite you to add your comments below.

About the Crayon Resist Technique

"Crayon Resist" refers to the fact that watercolor paint will not "stick" to the area of a drawing where crayon has been applied. By drawing "outlines" of stars/moon and swirling skies, then adding streaks of white crayon in key areas, the drawing appears to "glow" after students brush watercolors over the crayon drawing. There are many ways to do the "crayon resist" technique, and we believe the following instructional video by "Mr New's Art Class" on YouTube, describes one of the best.

Suggestion: Show the "How-to" video to your students! It has some great suggestions about recreating the vibrant stars and moon that Van Gogh's Starry Night was famous for.
This will encourage them to draw something more artistic than this →

The Lesson Plan below suggests the steps students should follow in creating their drawing - for example: first writing scripture and doing a "silhouette" (placing themselves in the picture).

Key Points About the Technique:

Encourage students to "draw heavily" with their crayons, to leave a thick layer of wax, but leave some white space around the crayon for the watercolor paint to fill in.
Encourage students to strategically color with white crayon around objects they want to "glow."
Use real water color paper (white) that will absorb the watercolors and remain flat as the paints dry.
Use a white crayon to spell out key phrases and words from Psalm 8, of the student's choice. Remind the students to press well and retrace to be sure.
Encourage students to put themselves "looking up" in the nighttime sky by adding their "silhouette" into the painting. (See silhouette images attached to this lesson.)
Use a modest number of colors for the watercolor wash, so that the painting doesn't turn brown. (Suggestion: nighttime sky colors - black, blue, purple)
Consider using specialty crayons, such as, glitter colors, for dazzling stars.
Remember that we are not trying to "recreate" Van Gogh's painting, but rather, to use it as an inspiration for our own "Psalm 8 Starry Night." As the video demonstrates, we can capture the majestic and light of God's heavens without simply drawing conventional looking stars on a blue sky. Van Gogh's painting is famous because it is an impression of majesty, glowing, and with a sense of movement. It's how one "feels" when you contemplate the stars, and not "what stars look like." Think about what the words "glory" and "majesty" mean in the Psalm, how the Psalmist is describing how God's presence streams and surrounds us, and try to capture those meanings in your technique.

Scripture for the Lesson

Psalm 8

Lesson Objectives

See the Bible Background at Rotation.org for this set's complete list of objectives.

Preparation and Materials

Read the Bible Background (for important insights into Psalm 8) and read the scripture.
Watch the "How-to" video (9:30 minutes). Create a way to show this video in class.
(For YouTube download instructions see here.)
Optional: Decide if your lesson has time to include showing students the Music Meditation video "When I Look to the Sky" (4 minutes).
Since this video includes copyright-protected music, use the keepvid.com option of these instructions. And make sure to buy the song from iTunes so that you are legit in paying the artist.)
Print out the attached reference copies of various "Starry Night" images (in color) and the silhouettes (in black/white). Cut out the silhouettes if you plan to use them as templates for students to trace.
Try out the materials so you know how hard the students must press with the crayons.
Note: If you create a sample, do not show it to the students. Showing a sample has been known to dampen student creativity as students attempt to create one “just like the teacher.”
Gather the following supplies:
- An easel, chalkboard, or whiteboard with the appropriate marker
- Equipment to show the video
- Bibles
- Heavy white watercolor paper - 75 lb. or heavier (i.e., a larger number is better)
- Crayons (be sure to have multiple crayons in each color)
- Watercolor paints, brushes (not the foam-type), and bowls of water
- Glow-in-the-Dark paint and small paint brushes (optional - see note at end of lesson)
- Blow Dryer (and volunteer for Blow Drying Center - which should probably be away from the classroom to reduce the noise.)
- Zipper Bags and Paper Towels (large enough to fit the watercolor paper). Optional, in case paintings are still wet.

Lesson Plan

Open

Do: Encourage the children to briefly tell you about their experiences with stargazing.
Say: Today we will be creating night time starry sky pictures. What we create does not have to look like this, but I would like to show you some examples from various artists.

Do: Share pictures of the nighttime sky, including Van Gogh's The Starry Night, identifying Vincent Van Gogh as the artist.

Ask these questions:
How do you suppose Van Gogh felt about the nighttime sky?
When you look at the stars and moon, and into the vastness of space, what thoughts go through your mind?
Do you feel small compared to the vast size of the sky?
Too small to be important? Insignificant?

Say: There's a wonderful song in the Bible about looking into the nighttime sky. It's called Psalm 8. After we read it together, I want you to answer this question (write it on the whiteboard): "Does the writer of Psalm 8 think he is insignificant? " I wonder if you will be surprised at the answer.

Do: Make sure that everyone has access to a Bible. Point out that Psalms are easy to find in the Bible as they are located in the middle. Read Psalm 8 together.

Do: Point out the second part of verse 5: "crowned them with glory and honor."
Say: The Psalmist — which is what we call someone who writes a psalm — says that God crowns us with glory and honor. It turns out that the Hebrew word the writer is using for "crowned" means "surround." The Psalmist compares how he sees the night sky surrounding the earth, with how God "crowns" — literally "surrounds" us. When you next look up at the night time sky with lots of stars, think about this comparison. Say to yourself: When I look at the nighttime sky, it reminds me that God surrounds me! Sort of a comforting feeling!

Do: Refer to what you wrote on the whiteboard.
Ask: Do you think the writer of Psalm 8 thinks he is insignificant?
(Point you are trying to make: The Psalmist starts out wondering about his place under the vastness of the stars and moon — in verse 4: "what are human beings?" But he then concludes that the nighttime sky reminds him that God surrounds/embraces him, just as the nighttime sky surround the earth. The Psalmist is honored by God's majesty and his place in God's Creation — he is not forgotten, not insignificant!)

Say: The nighttime sky — the works of God's fingers — are a message to us!
Ask: What is that message?
What are some of the words which come to mind when you hear Psalm 8?

Do: You may wish to re-read portions of the scripture: verses 1, and 3-5. Write their replies on the whiteboard. Don't forget the synonyms for key words they may want to include (crown = encircle, surround, embrace, for example.) See the Bible Background for its helpful word study and synonyms which unlock the Psalm's meaning.

TIP: Do not belabor the Bible study or discussion. You will have plenty of time to share more thoughts and ask more questions DURING the creative process up next!

Now move into the activity phase of the lesson...

Say: Let's make our own Psalm 8 Starry Night creation.
Do: If possible, show Mr New's Art Class Video about how to draw a Starry Night with the Crayon Resist method. It has a number of technique suggestions. If you can't show the video, demonstrate the technique.

If you have time, you can also show and inspire your young artists with the music video "When I Look to the Sky" created for this lesson set and posted to YouTube.

Draw with crayons

1. Have students first pick a phrase from or about Psalm 8 that speaks to them, then write it using a WHITE crayon along the bottom of their drawing (or among the swirls they might create). This will ensure the phrase has room and prominence in their drawing. Press well and retrace!

Note: Choosing and writing the phrase with white crayon may take some time. See the "time adaptations" at the end of this lesson to shorten this step.

2. Next, have the student add THEMSELVES to their drawing. Have them do it by creating an outline, which they can later fill with crayon, much like the tree is filled in in the how-to video. Show them the silhouettes. Note how their "pose" can reflect the Psalm's joy and praise, and their own. This will ensure that students capture the essence of the Psalm —that they have an "honored" place in Creation, and see the nighttime sky as a message from God.

3. Now have your student begin to create the nighttime sky, the moon and the stars, majestic, glorious, honoring, "alive" with the message of God's presence. If you have shown the instructional video, they will have an idea how to begin. If not, show them how to draw with the crayons, leaving "white space" between the crayon lines where the watercolors will fill in. If you have plenty of time, suggest they "experiment" on scrap paper.

Do: This is an important time to teach the words and meaning of Psalm 8. Circulate, share, ask questions. Be sure that everyone hears you say: the Psalmist feels amazed when he looks up at such glory, and realizes he has been made part of it! It speaks to his place in the vastness, and inspires him to realize that God loves him.

Keep time, and encourage everyone to finish their crayon work so that they will have enough time to apply the watercolor wash.

Watercolor

Pause for discussion and do not rush in to applying watercolors just yet.

Refer again to Van Gogh's "Starry Night" to see what colors he used. Reference your other images too and leave them where students can see them.
Remind students not to soak their painting, and to be cautious about mixing colors so that their painting doesn't turn muddy. Less is more!
Suggest what colors can be found in God's night sky (blue, black, purple, for example).
Remind them that they don't have to paint every square inch of the paper.
Blot any excess watercolor to hasten dry time.
Have a volunteer with a blow dryer standing ready at a "drying station."
If you have purchased a small bottle of "glow in the dark paint" from the craft store, let them apply it in areas where there is no crayon. Thicker is better.

As their Starry Night creations lay drying, conduct a "tour" and invite each artist to explain the feelings and ideas their painting is meant to convey. At the end of class, if the paintings are still damp, place them in a zipper bag with a piece of paper towel facing the paint side.

Close with a prayer to God that every time we stand beneath the night time sky, we will look up and feel his presence surrounding us with honor.

Notes about Glow-in-the-Dark paint (if using)

Not all glo-in-the-dark paints are equal. Some glo better and last longer. You want paint that contains Strontium Aluminate. The glo paint is only for "highlighting" so you don't need much. Online "glo" product retailers tend to have the better products. Glo paints glo best when applied to white backgrounds, not colored or black. As seen in the example here, the "glo" effect is more prounounced in areas where the underlying paint was lighter/white. Tell your students to leave certain areas blank for later highlighting with glo paint. It may appear clear as it goes on. Use "acrylic" glo paint if you can as it will go on thicker. Use a hairdryer on cool to hasten drying.

The "glo" effect is cooler in person than in a photo...

Adaptations

For those short on time:

Prepare the watercolor sheets in advance by writing phrases from the Psalm on them with white crayon. Let the students choose which phrase-sheet they want to work on.
The How-to Video is approx 10 minutes, so an option would be to show only the section relating to how to create the night time sky, which runs from 2:08 to 5:34 (3:26 minutes). Then resume it the video at 7:24 to see the addition of white crayon as well as the watercolor painting portion, ending the video at 9:22. (A total time of 4:58 minutes. )

For younger students:

Ahead of time, trim the watercolor paper to reduce the size of the drawing area.
The teacher can pre-write phrases from the Psalm on watercolor sheets and let the students pick which phrase-sheet they want to use to create their "Starry Night." Teachers can also help draw the silhouette and add a few "swirls" to the drawing with the student's permission.
Read the Psalm to non-readers. Suggest only reading verses 1, 3-5, and 9.

Written by Carol Hulbert and the Rotation.org Writing Team
Copyright 2017, Rotation.org Inc.