Since I have the students drawing for the next several weeks, they are working with different drawing materials in a variety of ways. Let me explain a little more. In Elementary school, it is important for the students to have a WIDE range of experiences with materials to get them exposed to the myriad of possibilities when making art. So, during drawing time, I have them work with pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons, oil pastels, charcoal, watercolors markers and crayons, and glue as drawing material. This is not a complete list but includes many of the materials they use for drawing. With such a variety, students not only gain skills at using the medium, but also learn how to use the medium to be creative.
That said, back to the above project. I decided I wanted to WOW the teachers at both schools, teach the children that they could make GREAT art, and work on a collaborative piece, introduce a new skill, and use a scratch tool as a drawing material. PHEW! All in one.
Project . . . I took a digital image of all the teachers first. After changing the saturation levels, I filtered them to a "cartoon" black line. Next, I projected them and drew an outline using black permanent marker on a 21 x 27 posterboard. Griding it to 3 x 3 inch squares, I labeled them using a letter and number system so I could remember how to put them back together. Each student received 3 to 4 squares to color really heavy with the crayon colors of their choice. They were reminded to color in "heavy" to saturate the card with wax. The following week, after painting them lightly with drawing ink, the students used large paper clips to scratch out recognizable African patterns. (this they had a little bit of trouble with)
The last step was to assemble the squares, glue them down on another posterboard, and finish it by painting it with Mod Podge. (Mod Podge is a new find for me)
The result . . . a wonderful project, a great piece of art, and a memorable gift.



