Warm/Cool Landscapes

This is a fun project to do with middle school students to help reinforce both warm and cool colours and the elements of a good landscape: foreground, middle ground and background.

My Grade 6 students did this project and it took approximately 2- 90 minute periods.

For the first class, we looked at some landscape paintings as well as photos of landscapes- have the students point out the foreground, middle ground and background.  Each student then has their own landscape book and chooses a photo to reference.  I tell them they need to do a simplified version of this landscape- get rid of any small details and look for the big, main shapes.

On black paper, they sketch out their simplified landscape in pencil first, then use white glue to pass over all the lines.  Let dry flat overnight.

Here's one dry.

Now, get out the chalk pastels.  We review warm and cool colours and I tell the students they need to choose which sections of the landscape will be cool and which areas will be warm.  

I also demonstrate how to use the side of the chalk pastels and to gently swipe them onto the paper, then blend with their finger. 

I also encourage students to mix colours together for a more interesting, complex look. You can show them how to add highlights to the tops of hills, etc. to create a 3-D look.

Some students hate the feel of the dry chalk, so they can wrap their finger with a paper towel or tissue and blend that way.

Tap off excess dust onto the ground or in the garbage can (don't blow it onto your neighbour...)

Students applying the chalk pastels. When it's all colored and blended, take a small, thin, wet paintbrush and pass over all the glue lines to 'clean' them of any chalk pastel dust that got on them.

Ta da!