Leonardo’s Sketchbook

Teaching Leonardo: An Integrated ApproachPresented by

Nichelle Wilson-Parishnwilson@theschool.columbia.edu

Leonardo’s 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.”

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 perspectiveLANGUAGE ARTS

– descriptive writing

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.

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 9”x12” journal should have pages cut to 9”x 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.

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)• Geometer’s notebook pages with math (2 pages) • 2 Dissection drawings (done in science class in conjunction with dissection)

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/quotes/authors/l/a129571.htmlhttp://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Leonardo_da_Vinci/http://www.bartleby.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

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 stack…this 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.

Samples

Student Samples

MaterialsPaper

• 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 • Thumb tacks and corrugated cardboard strips

ReferencesJapanese Bookbinding : Instructions From A Master Craftsman by Kojiro IkegamiCover To Cover: Creative Techniques For Making Beautiful Books, Journals & Albums by Shereen LaPlantz

Leonardo BibliographyBooksBambach, Carmen C. Leonardo da Vinci, Master Draftsman. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003Gelb, Micheal J. How to Think Like Leonardo: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, New York: Delacorte Press, 1998Marani, Pietro C. Leonardo da Vinci: The Complete Paintings, New York: Abrams, 1999Leonardo da Vinci. New York: Barnes and Nobles, 1997Michealangelo and Raphael in the Vatican, Vatican City: Ufficio Vendita Pubblicazioni, 1993Herbert, Janis. Leonardo da Vinci for Kids: His Life and Ideas, Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 1998Mason, Antony. Famous Artists: Leonardo da Vinci, London: Aladin Books: 1993Fairbrother, Trevor and Chiyo Ishikawa. Leonardo Lives: The Codex Leicester and Leonardo da Vinci’s Legacy of Art and

Science, Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1997Cianchi, Marco. Leonardo: The Anatomy, Florence: Giunti, 1984Farago, Claire. Leonardo da Vinci Codex Leicester: A Masterpiece of Science, New York: American Museum of Natural

History, 1996VideosA&E Biography “Leonardo da Vinci: Renaissance Master” 1997

WebsitesThe Drawings of Leonardo da Vincihttp://www.visi.com/~reuteler/leonardo.htmlLeonardo da Vinci’s Machineshttp://www.museoscienza.org/english/leonardo/invenzioni.htmlSchool of Athens: http://www.newbanner.com/AboutPic/SOA.html