Studio Notan LEARNING HUB
Launch Studio
Student version · Grades 3 to 5

Balance on Every Side

In a notan, dark and light shapes fit together like puzzle pieces. You will cut shapes from the edges of a black square and flip each one outward. Every cut makes the same outline twice: a light hole and a dark piece. Your job is to arrange them so the whole design feels balanced. You will plan on paper, test your plan in Studio Notan, then cut and glue the final one by hand.

A half vase cut from the right edge joins its folded piece into a whole vase in two values, while the sheet on one side and the ground on the other become two faces in profile; above, a circle drawn outside the sheet lands where it was drawn, its hole mirrored just below the top edge.

the sheet’s front a flipped piece, showing the back the ground

Open Studio Notan

I can

  • point to the positive and negative space on each side of my notan.
  • name the kind of balance in a notan, a crest or Hokusai’s wave, and show why.
  • plan three thumbnails and choose one with a reason.
  • build and export two balanced versions in the studio.
  • cut, test and glue my expanded square in paper.
  • give feedback with sentence stems and explain my work in an artist statement.

Words to know

positive space
The shapes you see as the subject.
negative space
The space around and between the subjects.
symmetrical
Both halves match, like mirror images.
asymmetrical
Different on each side, but still even.
radial
Repeating around a center, like petals on a flower.
thumbnail
A small, quick sketch for planning.
motif
A shape that stands for an idea in a design.
artist statement
A few sentences about what you made and why.

What to do

  1. Choose a motif from your life, such as a leaf, a paw or a star. Draw it as a simple outline.
  2. Draw three thumbnails: one symmetrical, one asymmetrical and one radial. Shade each piece outside its side.
  3. Circle your best plan and write why you chose it.
  4. In the studio, set the width and height to 5 inches so the sheet is square. Build your plan and export it from the File button.
  5. Change the same design into a second kind of balance. Resize, refold or copy pieces, then export again.
  6. Trade seats with a partner. Squint at their design and give feedback with the sentence stems.
  7. Cut your plan from the black square. Lay it on your painted paper, flip each piece out, and squint before you glue.
  8. Write or record your artist statement. Name your motif, your balance, a feeling and one change you made.

Challenge

Make a radial design with your motif on all four sides, each one a quarter turn from the last, and ask a classmate to squint and check that it holds still.

Check your work

  • Every piece sits beside its own hole, as its mirror.
  • No corner is cut off, and no piece is missing.
  • My design matches the kind of balance I planned.
  • My motif appears in at least one cut.
  • My statement names my motif, my balance, a feeling and a change.

Think about it

  • Which do you see first on each side, the hole or the piece? Why?
  • What moved the balance most: size, number or distance from the center?
  • How is your notan like Hokusai’s wave or a Japanese crest? How is it different?
  • Which feedback helped you most, and what did you change?

Teacher version of this unit