oil and chalk pastel jungle birds

All of a sudden it was the last day of the Jungle Jive camp through North Vancouver Arts Council and I had yet to bring out the oil and chalk pastels for the kids to explore.

This group tended to spend a long time creating their artwork and so instead of doing two different projects, I decided to have them use the same working sketch for two different works of art.

I am always harping at students to keep their final working sketches as they can use them over and over with all sorts of different mediums once class is over and so I thought it would be great to actually show them this concept by example

rather than me harping

So each child created a jungle bird of their choice and although they each used reference material, I strongly encouraged them to interpret the reference in their own unique styles.

And so they did!

I ADORE the work created by the students.

9 year old, oil pastel

One of the ways I get the kids to really layer the colors is to tell them that if they have multiple layers of pastel, they can scratch into the work to create interest. In many of these works, you will notice that the kids have gone back into the pastel and added details with a skewer.

9 year old, oil pastel

6 year old, oil pastel

8 year old, oil pastel

6 year old, oil pastel.

9 year old, oil pastel

7 year old, oil pastel

6 year old, oil pastel

For those that finished their oil pastels with time left, I gave them the chalk pastel to try the same picture in another medium. It was a great way for them to see how switching mediums can change the feel of the whole picture.

Some kids though wanted to create a separate picture of another bird and I was fine with that but told them to keep in mind the time limit imposed since it was the last day of camp. They accepted the challenge and completed it with flying colors.

 6 year old, chalk pastel

9 year old, chalk pastel

9 year old, chalk pastel

6 year old, chalk pastel

8 year old, chalk pastel

9 year old, chalk pastel

I think the majority of kids enjoyed the oil pastels more than the chalk but I know they were all very proud of their work at the end of the day. I am so proud of how hard all these kids worked during the week on their art. They were courageous, focused, and always open to my suggestions. What a joy it was to get to spend a week with each and every one of them.