Ms. Lopez in the Art Room

Van Gogh Sunflowers

For this mixed-media project students began by learning about the artist Vincent Van Gogh and looking at different images of his various sunflower paintings.

I purchased sunflowers for use in observation drawings and emphasized to students that they should draw large and overlap the petals of their flowers.  Once the drawings were complete, the students set about using oil pastels to color them in.  We learned about shading and color mixing to show more depth in the overall project.

Last, but not least, the students painted the background of their projects using watercolor paint of a contrasting color such as blue or purple.  Because of the oily consistency of the pastels, their background paint did not ruin the flowers they had already colored.

I especially enjoyed putting this garden of flowers out in the hallway for display.