Great Bend High School’s art class, taught by Ms. Haley, is currently working on a tattoo flash page that students will soon make stickers from. I will disclose the steps of the tattoo flash page and talk to students about how they’re project is turning out and the process of it all.

The students are given their first sheet of drawing paper which is their rough draft. Next, they create a theme for their page and the designing process begins. The requirements are:

• At least 4 of your drawings should be the size of your fist
• Must have some kind of shading to highlight the project’s value
• Must have 6-10 drawings total
• Complete a rough draft and complete the final copy

Then, after all of the above has been completed, students work through the transferring process. There are three different transferring methods. The light box method, using transfer paper, or the drawing paper method. 

The light box method is where you set your drawing on a glowing box and trace all the previous drawings on it. The transfer paper can be set on top of your drawing paper and easily traced with the slight transparency of the transfer paper. The drawing paper method collides great with composition. (As you cut out your drawings to rearrange them for a balanced composition, your tattoo flash page should look organized and balanced.) Then, trace the cut outs, glue them on the page in your arranged composition, and take it to the lightbox for tracing. 

I think this project, students enjoy more because they get to pick their theme and design.

Freshman Paige Stacey, in Ms. Haley’s 4th hour Intro to Design class, said, “I like this a lot because I got to choose the theme and I get to do what I want to do without having someone tell me what to draw. It’s kind of like free.” 

Also a Freshman, Olivia Boone, said, “I like it a lot. I think it’s fun to do things we like.”

Since the students have gotten into the drawing project, the classroom has been found quieter during work time. 

Stacey agreed saying, “Yeah we are. Probably because we were able to choose something that we were interested in.”

“I do think so because it’s a personal preference,” Boone said.

Students should currently be finishing their rough drafts and starting the transferring process. 

“We started out with the paper and we got to pick the theme. Mine is mainly line drawings. Then I started making different types of my theme. My page is coming along pretty good, I’m doing mine over dirt bikes. I mean they look pretty good but I think I might need to add a little more pictures because I have lots of extra space and flash pages usually have no extra space,” Stacey explained.

“I’m almost done but it looks good. My theme is traveling. I’ve sketched my designs and I’ve outlined them and cut them out.”

Students will be finishing the project in the next week and everyone is excited to see the outcome.