Watercolor Textures, ages 12 to 14

The students did random watercolor washes in colors of their choice on quarter sheet watercolor paper. They found their inspiration within the random shapes. They took tissue paper and acrylic medium as glue for texture. Then used watercolor and some used acrylic to develop the images.

Hearts, ages 8 to 11

This is a popular project. I gave the students some conversation hearts. We talked about the shapes and did some thumbnails using different cropping, making sure we could show the sides as well as the top. I also gave the students simple formulas for making shadow colors. We used acrylic paint and did a larger one on heavy paper and a smaller one on 4 x 4 inch stretched canvas.

Quotes, ages 8 to 11

We looked at a book of poetry and picked some phrases that created an image in our minds. An inspiration. Then we looked through boxes of cut out magazine images that I keep for reference and put some paintings together. Many great and personal ideas.  Acrylic on 11 x 14 canvas board.

Value faces, ages 12 to 14

The students chose some photos of faces and we talked about where the shifts in value are. Being able to see and identify the shapes makes drawing a little easier... well, in the long run.

Sunset, ages 8-11

The students looked at photographs of sunsets and we talked about the colors changes. They used "mosaic" shapes and mixed each color for the color transitions. Acrylic on canvas board.