Third/Fourth/Fifth grade: Doodle Paintings

Winterlight

I've been a long time admirer of Courtney Autumn Martin's dreamy Doodle Paintings ever since I saw her drawing them during class. I thought this would be a perfect lesson for my students on encouraging them to let go of their control and "see where your pen takes you" as one of my students commented. They first painted their paper with liquid watercolor and once dried, started with a circle and went from there. This lesson was not guided and the only suggestion I made to students was to create contrast with the circles so they would pop. I love how unique each doodle is and the element of surprise from beginning to finish.  Check out Courtney Martin's Doodle Paintings here  and also check out her children's book illustrations!

First grade: Rembrandt Portraits

                                                         Self-Portrait in Fur Hat, 1631

First graders learned how to use lines to draw value. This was a rigorous lesson as they had to practice drawing multiple value charts using different types of lines (cross hatch, stipple, etc). Once they achieved fluidity with their marks, they sketched Rembrandt's portrait in pencil and used various kinds of marks to achieve the shaded and lit areas of his face. I think they came out beautifully.