Lesson At A Glance

Here’s a brief overview of the complete lesson. It’s also on your prep page in the Ready, Set, Go! section (below the lesson).

Colored buttons jump to each section in the full lesson plan below.

10 Minutes – Artists choice

15 min – Use reference to draw and color in oil pastel

10 min – Texture rubbings 

10 min – hang up texture drawings for art show

15 min – Use color to create the most important banana

 15 min – Artists’s choice on top of texture drawings 

13 min – Continue oil pastels of fruit

2 Min – Everyone helps

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SCROLL & TEACH

LESSONPLAN

Each section is a different color. Read over once and then you can SCROLL & TEACH using any device you like. It’s designed to work well with your phone.

All materials are suggestions and may be modified as you see fit. We have tried many items, and these seem to allow the most versatility for the cost.

Greet students as they come in and help them choose a chair.

Kneel down so that you are on their level. Bending over emphasizes the differences in your height, while kneeling makes them feel more important. Have tape and marker ready so you can stick some tape on the table by each student and write their name on it as they sit down.

Encourage students to work with one piece of paper for a while. If someone uses the phrase, “free draw”, explain that artists’ choice is something only artists can do, while free-draw is something anyone can do. You want to use the phrase to elevate the students’ expectations of their work.

Everyone should take their time with the work and make a finished piece of art. Limiting the paper can also help kids focus on the work. If someone finishes in super-fast time, ask them what more they can do to the existing paper. Ask again several times – unless they appear overly frustrated; then you can allow them to move on to a new work.

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Choose a design and draw it using outlines only

A colored pencil allows the student to add oil pastels without graphite mixing into and muddying the colors, but if you only have regular pencils, a 2B will do.

Color, layer and blend with oil pastels

Using two very similar colors on top of each other allows the oil pastels to blend and mix, turning the pastels into a painting. You can also blend with white pastels, paper blending stumps, fingers, and paper towels.

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Get texture! Get color!

Students select one texture and one colored paper for their first rubbing.

You can buy texture boards (available at parent teacher stores or online. Make sure to get smaller pattern textures, not pictures – DickBlickLink  AmazonLink). On a budget, you can use the ends of 2 x 4 lumber (or larger), Stone pavers, bricks, textured tiles, and vinyl wall covering samples. Sometimes these are free if you go to stores that sell these things and ask for outdated samples and scraps.

Use one oil pastel

Help everyone select a color that will show up on their paper color. Sometimes kids will select a combination that doesn’t show up well. Light opaque colors will work on darker papers, and darker colors work on lighter papers.

At first, have students use the side of a stick of oil pastel instead of the tip. If the texture is not showing up much, then they can switch to using the tip.

Do not blend!

 Select a second set of texture and color

Make another completely different texture rubbing. Write names on each work (on back)

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Hang the show

Choose one texture drawing from each student and let them hang them on the wall for an art show. Use loops of painter’s tape in each corner. Everyone should sit down or stand back 6-10 feet and observe.

TT: These are interesting, but they all seem pretty similar except for the paper colors. What is missing?

Let the kids come up with answers. They should find more and more specific things that could be on the “pictures”, like houses, people, flowers, almost anything. Discuss how it is somewhat interesting, but there is not much of an idea to it. Most art is more enjoyable if the artist puts their ideas into it. We also like to look at things we know about, like people, houses and cats. Things like that.

But there’s one thing most people don’t know, but artists usually do, that makes art look the best. That is having a Most Important Spot. People love it when there’s one thing that jumps out first as soon as you look at artwork. It’s like the artist is saying to them, ‘this is my most important thing on this painting’.

Let students discuss what is missing. Try to get them to make suggestions and help them discover that the artwork is missing objects. Things we like to see and draw, like people, houses, trees, flowers, etc.

Introduce The Most Important Spot

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If splitting your lesson into two parts, have everyone use the last couple of minutes to clean up the work space. 

• Wash hands
• Super-wash brushes if used
• Put art supplies away
• Wipe tables & toss trash
• Remove any smocks (last)
• Check for items on floors and tables

Which banana do you look at first?

Choose the one banana you think should become the most important banana

Have students choose and place their finger on their most important banana. It can be any banana they want to make important, but only one.

Color the most important banana any color you want

Encourage the students to make the most important banana a very bright and crazy color so that it will look different than all the rest.

Now choose a color for all the other bananas

The color for all the other bananas should be a very different color.

Suggestions:

• A light color if the Most Important Spot is dark
• A dull color if the Most Important Spot is bright
• A warm color if the MIS is cool
• A cool color if it is warm

Emphasis

Ask students where the Most Important Spot is now. This is not banana wallpaper anymore. Now there is something to look at that first.

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Get your texture artwork

Artists take down their textures and return to their seats.

Artists’ choice to add things

Use oil pastels to create art on top of the texture. They have artists’ choice to do anything they want! Just remind them (often!) to make a Most Important Spot.

When finished, re-hang the work where it was

 While they work, prepare the next step

Place bowls of fruit around the tables on colored papers for the next step. Have one fruit a different color so it stands out. Like a green lime in several lemons, or green pears and one red apple. The colored paper should be similar to the majority of the fruit, ie: yellow or orange paper for a bunch of lemons with one lime.

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Go right into the next step when ready

Whenever an artist is finished, have them continue with oil pastels on 8.5″ x 11″ white cover stock paper in bathtub position.

Draw in pencil first

Draw the bowl using a colored pencil if possible.

Use the colors to make the Most Important Spot

Color in with pastels and blend layers together using white or blenders. Try to make the one fruit that is different, a much more important spot than the others.

Visit and encourage your students

Tell them that you see the Most Important Spot when you can, and encourage them to emphasize that one fruit as much as possible.

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Students clean up their work area.

• Wash hands
• Super-wash brushes if used
• Put art supplies away
• Wipe tables & toss trash
• Remove any smocks (last)
• Check for items on floors and tables

Try to get photos of your student’s artwork. Find a good spot for quick lighting without highlights or shadows from your hands and device. Ideally in-between two strong lights on each side.

Have a bunch of amazing supplies ready, and cut a few things apart before-hand in a way that make you look amazing.

Print all of your PDFs from the lesson plan and cut any references apart as needed.

Week 25: Color Wheels

Students will review radial balance and create basic color wheels. They will also learn how opposites make browns and greys, using these mixes on a fun cartoon painting of a cow.

Week 26: Artists’ Choice Fun

Students will enjoy a full lesson where they get to make their own choices. Instead of just letting them loose to play, we provide a framework that helps them make good choices while still being in charge. They’ll choose cards for subjects, such as “animals” or “flowers”, and cards for color schemes, and materials to use. The first project uses reference and observation, while the second half uses imagination.

Use this button to view our parent’s blog. Share the link: http://parentart.org, with your student’s parents so your they can read about the lesson each week.