Glue-Line Relief Pumpkins

     This is my fall go-to lesson that I have been using every year.  Typically I don't repeat lessons year after year because as an artist, I'm always looking for something new and fresh to use in my classroom.  However, I just LOVE how these drawings turn out and they look FABULOUS on the walls for a little fall decor.
     4th graders learned about depth perception and overlapping while creating these spooky pumpkins.  I like the effect of chalk on dark paper, so we started with a black sheet of paper.  The students drew the first pumpkin with a pencil right in the middle.  Next, they drew the two side pumpkins a little bit smaller and behind the first one to show depth and overlapping.  They traced over the pencil lines with a line of glue and waited a week for the glue to dry.  The next class, they colored inside the spaces with chalk pastels (VERY messy, btw) and cleaned up their drawing by wiping off the glue relief line, which is now a black line.  Here are a few completed works of art:

Mary Jane's Pumpkins

 

Grace's Pumpkins

Devan's Pumpkins

Torn Paper Snowmen

This is the second year that I've done this project with my 2nd graders (which is rare due to the fact that I hardly ever repeat art lessons).  Once a year, on a very good day, when I have lots of energy for clean-up, I bring out the chalk pastels.  For this project, we used shades of blues, purples, whites, and grays to create a nighttime winter scene.  I introduce them to the 'horizon line' to divide the sky from the ground.  We color the snow with white & light blue first so our fingers are still moderately clean.  Then, we use dark colors for the sky.  After we are all washed-up and clean, we use white paper to tear three different sizes of circles...1 small, 1 medium, & 1 large.  We talk about the texture of torn paper resembling the fluffy, soft snow.  And lastly, we add buttons to the snow people and dots of glue for the glittery snow! Here are a few great examples:

Wow City!!

      I found this book on Pinterest and asked my librarian to track it down for me.  I like it because it is visually stimulating.  The author is actually an illustrator who decided to write a book after he took his 2-year old daughter to the city for the first time.

      I used this book with my K-3 classes but changed the medium according to grade level.  For example, these are examples of glue-line relief drawings using chalk pastels.  K&1 classes used Crayola oil pastels to add color to their drawings.  The first class, we drew the city using the concept of overlapping buildings.  I showed them how to draw buildings in the foreground and add buildings that look like they are behind the other buildings.  Some little ones got this, and some didn't.  It is a more advanced thinking skill for little artists, but I figure I may as well introduce the concept early so they might remember it when they are ready to manipulate the skill.  Here are some stellar examples:

By Krystal

By Rachel

Oil Pastel/Chalk Pastel Pumpkin Drawings

3rd graders yesterday afternoon learned about depth perception and overlapping while creating these spooky pumpkins.  I like the effect of chalk on dark paper, so we started with a blue sheet of paper.  The students drew the first pumpkin with an oil pastel right in the middle.  Next, they drew the two side pumpkins a little bit smaller and behind the first one to show depth and overlapping.  They colored inside the spaces with chalk pastels (VERY messy, btw) and cleaned up their drawing by re-tracing the oil pastel lines.  Here are a few completed works of art:

Mary Jane's Pumpkins

 

Grace's Pumpkins

Devan's Pumpkins