Autumn Leaves and a Van Gogh Sky

This is a great lesson for teaching observational drawing, color contrast, watercolor techniques and art history. And the best part: almost all students succeeded  in creating a beautiful painting! 

I taught this lesson to first through third grades. We began by completing observational drawings of leaves. These were then outlined with a black glue(Elmer's glue mixed with black tempera paint). During the next class, we painted in the leaves with warm colors. I showed students how to blend the watercolor paints to create intermediate colors. For the final class, students learned about Starry Night and created lines in the background that demonstrated movement. We also discussed how cool colors are opposite warm colors on the color wheel and how placing them next to each other creates contrast. 

This is a great seasonal project that introduces so many important design principles in an easy and fun way!

Winter Penguins

We began this project as our one winter art project of the year, even though we haven't had snow in Texas for several years. The first step was a discussion about lines in art and how they can be used to show movement. I told the students this was for a cold weather artwork so we would be using the cool colors- blue, green and violet. Students created a variety of swirls to show a cold and windy sky. I showed students how to hold and angle the brush so they could do thick or thin swirls. For the second class, we watched the intro to Happy Feet so students could have a little fun but also examine the shapes and colors of a penguin. I then led a guided drawing of a penguin which was painted over in black. The final class we added a light violet ground, a shining aluminum foil moon and the penguins. We used oil pastels to blend a shadow on the penguin and also under the penguin to add a bit of depth. The result: adorable winter penguins! 

Fishbowls

Students in PreK and Kinder created these fun and vibrant fish tanks to learn about color, shape, movement and repetition. We began by attaching tissue paper to a 9"x12" white paper using glue water. These were later cut into fish shapes and a black eye was dabbed on to complete the look. The fish bowls were blue and green watercolor paintings where we talked about different types of lines and created a pattern to show movement in the water. The table was made by piecing together square pieces into a mosaic like pattern. 

Autumn Leaves in a Van Gogh Sky

This is a great lesson for teaching observational drawing, color contrast, watercolor techniques and art history. And the best part: almost all students succeeded  in creating a beautiful painting! 

I taught this lesson to first through third grades. We began by completing observational drawings of leaves. These were then outlined with a black glue(Elmer's glue mixed with black tempera paint). During the next class, we painted in the leaves with warm colors. I showed students how to blend the watercolor paints to create intermediate colors. For the final class, students learned about Starry Night and created lines in the background that demonstrated movement. We also discussed how cool colors are opposite warm colors on the color wheel and how placing them next to each other creates contrast. 

This is a great seasonal project that introduces so many important design principles in an easy and fun way!

Monet and Water Lilies

Students in 4-6 learned about French Impressionist painter Claude Monet and created these watercolor paintings in his style. We started by drawing out a series of water lilies and lily pads. Students learned about foreground, middleground and background and were required to include this in the drawing to create depth. Next, the drawing was outlined in black for contrast and lines were added to imply movement. The final step was using watercolor paints in the three cool colors- blue, green and violet. 

Glitter Fish

Students in grades 1-3 created these fun artworks to learn about seascapes. During the first class, we looked at The Goldfish by Paul Klee. We discussed the use of lines and symbols in his seascape and also how he shows EMPHASIS and MOVEMENT. Students then used cool color crayons to create their oceans- using symbols and lines to show the movement they see in the water. The next class we read the book Pattern Fish and compared the many different patterns in the book. Students looked at pictures of many different types of fish and then drew their own using lines and patterns. We painted the fish with warm colors to create a contrast with the cool colored seascapes and help with emphasizing the fish and making them stand out. The final touch was finger stamping some small fish into the background and adding a little glitter to help the fish stand out. This is a highly effective lesson to teach about warm/cool colors, emphasis, movement and patterns!

Winter Snowmen

Students in grades PreK and Kinder created these fun winter snowmen. We began by painting the background with a purple and blue pattern. Students looked at The Starry Night and saw how artists can use lines to create movement. During the next class, students used cut out shapes to create a snowman. To create more interest, we placed the snowman on the side of the page to leave space for stamping snowflakes during the last class. This is a fun winter project that taught movement, pattern and emphasis in an easy to understand way! 

Starry Night Leaves

Students in PreK and Kinder created these fun autumn paintings. We began by doing leaf rubbings with crayons on a large white paper. I also showed the students how to do a rubbing with multiple colors. These were then painted around with blue paint to give the illusion that they are falling from the trees. During the final class, students learned about Vincent van Gogh and the painting Starry Night. Students added swirling lines to create a fun sense of movement.