Katsushika Hokusai Art History Workbook - Ukiyo-e - Famous Artist Biography Unit

This art history packet introduces students to the artist Katsushika Hokusai and the process of woodblock printings. Students learn about the artist through web links and videos, color artwork similar in style to his work, analyze artwork, complete activities. The final project has students choose a landscape and re-create it as a paper collage, using only 3-4 colors of card stock.

25 Worksheets Included: (See Preview File)

• Great Wave Poster (8” x 10”)
• Artist Biography Sheet
• Teacher instruction sheet
• More resources sheet with links to movies
• 3 Coloring Sheets of Hokusai’s artwork including Poppies, Two Cranes on a Snow-Covered Pine and The Great Wave off Kanagawa
• Activity: Examine Chop Marks and Signatures and create your own crop mark or signature
• Activity: Choose an area from The Raging Sea at Chioshi in the Shimosa Providence and create a line design using repetition and variety.
• Art Vocabulary for workbook
• Analysis of Bridge Painting and Detail of Mt. Fiji
• Compositional Analysis of The Kirifuri Waterfall at Kurokami Hokusaica
• Woodblock Print Process for The Great Wave and reflection
• Project Planning Sheet
• Hokusai style Collage Process Video
• Hokusai style Collage Animation
• Steps of Final Project including individual layers
• Artwork example in three colors
• Student Reflection Sheet

• KEYS:
• Chop Mark/Signature Examples
• Line Activity Key with Example
• Bridge Painting/Mt. Fiji Key
• Compositional Analysis Key
• Vocabulary/Notes Key
• Ways to use in the visual art classroom:

Materials:

• 8.5” x 11” Bright Colored Premium Card stock (or whatever colors you’d like to use)
• Scissors or Xacto Knife/Cutting Mat
• Glue Stick
• Double-Sided Mounting Squares (Optional)
• Thin Black Sharpie or other permanent marker
• Pencil
• Grayscale copy of chosen landscape

Techniques & Skills Learned:

• Identifying Value Shifts and Key Features in a Reference Photo
• Simplifying chosen landscape down to 3-4 colors/values and recreating it as recognizable landscape
• Paper Collage
• Learning to layer artwork/values of color
• Read and see example of woodblock printing

Vocabulary:

• LINE
• BALANCE
• SHAPE
• COMPOSITION
• UKIYO-E PRINTING
• WOODBLOCK PRINTING
• CHOP MARK

Ways to use in the Classroom:

• A supplement to other materials and lessons.
• Art analysis
• Early finisher work or TAB stations.
• A Quick sub lesson.

Don’t want to print color copies? Allow students to open PDF file from a google drive on their computers to view colored versions of artwork or project the example using a document camera.

Copyright Fair Use Rationale:

Artist original artwork being used only for demonstration/supplemental information.

Artist artwork featured are:

Historically significant artworks

Readily available on the internet

This workbook was produced in collaboration with MaryJo Rosania-Harvie. Coloring sheets were created by Maryjo Rosania-Harvie for A Space to Create Art, LLC. for exclusive use in this resource.

©2022 A Space to Create Art, LLC

Not intended for resale or sharing on an open/public website without permission.