I am always amazed at how they will take the project I have presented and then interpret it in their own original way. I decided to tap into the confidence they each have in their own unique visions and create a mixed media project that focused on intuitive drawing.
At the beginning of the project, each girl picked out a sheet of scrap book paper I had already cut in half and a piece of sheet music, which I had also cut in half.
They glued each of these two sheets down well to their mixed media paper.
I told them not to fall in love too much with these papers as much of it would not show at the end.
Then I proceeded to introduce a bit of soft body acrylic paint in white and cream and asked them to paint "crazy" on the paper, trying not to blend the colors completely. (you could do the same thing by watering down basic acrylic paint if you don't have soft body)
A bit of panic set in as some artist began to lose all of their pretty paper, but I showed them how they could damp a paper towel and wipe away some areas so the paper showed through where they wanted.
Then they each chose a bird reference from a large grouping of photographs I had pulled out before class. Again I stressed that we would not be drawing the birds "lifelike".
In fact, I had each girl lightly draw their bird while not looking at their paper and using a continuous line. I promised they would be able to change the bird anyway they wanted afterwards but the goal was to create a bird in their own unique style.
6 year old
They drew their birds with just a regular school pencil and then went over the lines with a fat water-soluble graphite. Then using a bit of water on a paintbrush, went over those lines to begin creating some interesting tones.
Then while the paper was damp, went over the bird again and added details or changed things as they saw fit with a smaller black water-soluble pencil.
6 year old
Once they were happy with their birds, I gave each girl a box of chalk pastels and told them to add color wherever they felt it was needed. Most caught on quickly that a little bit of color went a long way, while others colored the entire page.
8 year old
Once I saw the girls were finishing up with the chalk pastel, I brought out some watercolor pans. Using their fingers dipped in water, they threw in some watercolor wherever they wanted on the paper.
10 year old
And just when they began to say, "I'm done", I brought out the white soft body paint one more time to soften all the color and bring the bird back out as the hero.
8 year old
The white paint over the chalk pastel and water color did some very beautiful things and the girls quickly began to fall in love with their works. But before they could begin to say, "I think I'm done now", I told them there were a couple of more things they could consider.
8 year old
Like adding some pencil marks or words into the work,
10 year old
using the back of the paintbrush to scratch into the work,
6 year old
or by far the most popular choice, take the black water-soluble pencil, dip it into water, and then splatter the ink onto the paper by tapping the pencil over top of it.
This project was a great way to maintain a high level of excitement since it kept building upon itself. The girls had a great time exploring and discovering how each new medium changed and enhanced their project, When they were unhappy with a mark or decision they had made, they had the opportunity to resolve it by using a new medium or going back to a medium they had already utilized to bring the artwork back to a place where they were once again pleased.
In the end, it's hard to pick a favorite. Each work is quite incredible. I'm quite proud at how each artist embraced the unexpected, even when it could of been heartbreaking in normal circumstances.
For example in the artwork three pictures up, the paper started tearing from the excess water the artist had used. Under normal circumstances this would of been devastating but because this project required students to let the process lead the way, the torn paper became ruffled feathers and the rips actually enhanced the work!
Due to all the layers in these artworks I find something new that I hadn't noticed before every time I look at them, making me fall in love with these wonderful birds all over again.
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