Give a lecture and slide presentation demonstrating the concept of negative space. Begin with Victorian cameos and the classic Betty Edwards "face-vase" optical illusion. Present Arthur Rackham's silhouettes as examples of more detailed work in negative. Supplement these suggestions with any of your favorite works of art that illustrate the use of negative space.
Leave the overhead lights off and seat your model. Illuminate her head with harsh, directional lighting. Make sure that at least half of her face is in shadow. Ask the students to paint the highlight shapes on the model's face using white acrylic paint on black construction paper. Require students to use oversize brushes and emphasize that the paintings should use broad strokes. Guide students through a series of timed, two-minute paintings, then discuss their work.
Introduce the students to cut-outs and stencils. Project slides of successful historical examples of cut-out art, including the cut-out nudes of Henri Matisse and Japanese mon-kiri. Ask the students to point out connections between negative-space painting and cut-out art. Discuss stencils, beginning with the alphabetical stencils used by architects. Point out the narrow ligaments that cut through the letter forms to keep the stencils structurally stable while leaving the letters legible. Project contemporary examples of stencil art including works by Banksy, Random von Nothaus and Shephard Fairey.
Pass out the negative-space paintings and instruct the students to create structurally-stable stencils based on their work. Look at the paintings and plan out the stencil conversions by showing each student where to draw marker outlines on top of the white paint. Then, instruct the students to cut out the outlined shapes with craft knives to make their final stencils.
Project a slideshow of historical examples of screen printing, including European ad posters of the 1920s and the work of pop artists Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. Explain the screen printing process, framing it as a multi-step variation on traditional stenciling. Bring the students into the printmaking lab and ask for a volunteer to share one of her stencils. Use the stencil to apply blocker to a fresh screen. Dry the screen with a blow-dryer and pull ink across it to make a crude example print. Instruct the students to make a monochrome print on paper using the method you just demonstrated.