Kids can create a crayon resist picture with nature as their inspiration.
By Melissa Jordan [Melissa is an art educator at Black River education center Sullivan, Ohio.]
Objectives:
- Students will observe the different colors in fall leaves.
- Students will create a multi-color fall leaf in the crayon-resist technique.
What You Need:
- 9×12 white paper
- leaf pattern to fill 9×12 paper
- crayons (red, yellow, brown and orange)
- watered down green tempera paint or green watercolors
- a book that explains why leaves change color. (ie: Why Do Leaves Change Color)
- real leaves with lots of color
- large bulletin paper and brown paper to create a large tree. (teacher will do this)
- safety scissors
- watercolor brushes
What You Do:
- Teacher will read book and lead discussion on fall and why leaves change colors.
- Show students real leaves to show them the different colors leaves can be. Try to show them a leaf that has all the fall colors with green peeking through!! Ask students what color they see.
- Show students that leaves have veins and that they form little trees! Pass around leaves if they cannot see this.
- Demonstrate the project to the students:
- Trace leaf pattern onto 9×12 paper. (You can use a real leaf for the pattern).
- Cut out leaf.
- Draw veins on leaf. The veins can be as simple or as complex as each individual student is able to do.
- Now color the leaf with fall colors by pressing hard. Leave some parts of the leaf white where they want some green to show through.
- When students have pressed hard and colored 75% of the leaf they can paint the green wash over the leaf. It is magic–the white areas soak up the green paint like a sponge. The crayon areas resist the paint–I tell the students those parts are protected!!
- I show the students what will happen if you don’t press hard with crayons so they will be inspired to do a good job.
- Put on drying rack.
- After your demo, let the students do the project.
- When leaves are finished, teacher can paint a large tree with brown tempera paint and display all the leaves together on the tree. Some of the leaves can be falling or at the bottom. The kids love to see how their leaf is part of one large tree!!!
Have fun—your students will!!!
