4th Grade Cactus Paintings

4th grade started a Unit on pattern and texture and designed a patterned pot for their cactus plants. The first week we worked on observation drawings in their sketchbooks and planned out a pattern for their vase. I placed my succulent plants on the tables for inspiration for the shapes of their plants and vases.

The next week we started our final drawings on water color paper and drew our design in pencil first and then went back and outlined in it with oil pastels. I encouraged the kids to color in some of their pattern with the oil pastel so they could play with the oil resist technique. I also encouraged them to add detail to their cacti by including texture and challenged them to try overlapping some of the plants. Once they were finsihed outlining they started painting with tempera cakes.

<< This sketch blew me away. I felt bad after he spent so much time on the detail in his sketchbook and had to redraw it all over again on nicer paper.