Taj Mahal Symmetrical Drawings

This is a great lesson if you're studying the art of India or architecture. My goal with this project was to teach students how to make a symmetrical drawing by using the 'folded transfer paper' technique. It's a bit detailed and time-consuming but the results are worth it, in my opinion. You often see this technique used with a butterfly.

We started off the project by looking at photos of the Taj Mahal and discussing the lines/colors and shapes involved in it. I also gave them some background info on it (date built (1632-1653), purpose (it's a mausoleum!), etc.)

Start off by folding a sheet of white paper (landscape format) in half horizontally. 

I projected a photo of the Taj Mahal on the smartboard so students could see the details. I told them to look for simple shapes. Starting from the fold, draw only half of the Taj Mahal. Imagine a dotted line going down the middle of the Taj. Important: use dark drawing pencils for this- like a 4B or higher.

Once the simplified drawing is complete, fold the paper in on itself and rub the back of the drawing with the handle of a pair of scissors.

When you unfold the paper, the image will have lightly transferred to the opposite side, creating a perfectly symmetrical drawing, or mirror-image.

Trace over these lines with a pencil.

Then, use a permanent makrer to trace over all the pencil lines. This step, frankly, is optional. I really like how the pencil drawings looked just as they were and contemplated stopping at that stage. But I didn't. lol

I felt the drawing, at this stage, looked somehow unfinished, so I discussed with the kids what we could add for colour. We finally decided upon using watercolor pencils as they are very neat to color with, so it's wouldn't get too messy and ruin our drawing.

So choose any color and fill in the background- press good and hard for bright colors.

Using simply water and a wet brush, gently paint over the background. 

The watercolor pencil crayon will dissolve and look lovely!

Grade 3 results

Torn Paper Garden Collage

This a great 'towards the end of the year' art activity where you can use up all those scraps of colored scrap you've saved and accumulated all year.

I explained to students that we would be using tearing paper with our hands instead of cutting it using scissors. I demonstrated how to make a few different types of flowers and then had them practice a bit. A few were definitely frustrated in the beginning, and asked if they could 'just use scissors'. But I encouraged them to keep at it and that it would get easier, with practice.

Students started off by creating a minimum of five flowers on white paper. I encouraged them to try different types of flowers, and to vary the size and the height: some short, some tall, some medium. 

Glue these on the paper using a glue stick.

Once the flower heads are all glued on, then attach the stems.

Finally, glue on some leaves.

Happy Mother's Day- Hugging birds

I'm a bit late posting this but here it is nonetheless. 

A quick Mother's Day art lesson with  delightful results that every Mom will love!

I found this super sweet idea of a hugging momma and baby bird on the Hungarian craft website Krokotak.

You can find the lesson HERE and the printable birds template HERE.

I traced the template but left out the eyes/beak so the students could draw 

those in themselves instead- giving it a bit more of their personality.

They colored the birds using wax crayons. They drew on the eyes/beak with markers.

Cut out around the bird and fold the momma bird wings over.

Make sure to color the back of the momma bird wings.

Then the birds are glued onto a larger sheet of white paper. Using a black markers, they drew in details: a landscape setting, sun, clouds, flowers, whatever. 

I encouraged them to think about some things/objects that their Mom likes.

Finally, they colored in the entire drawing using wax crayons or colored pencils. 

They could also write any type of message for their Mom.

The whole project took about 2 periods.

I love the sweet faces on this one!

Cute expressions on these guys as well! It's a mountain in the background :)

Picasso's "Le Coq" in Oil Pastel Project

Students made these funk-ay roosters inspired by Pablo Picasso's pastel drawing of a rooster, seen below.

I was inspired by the post found HERE on the blog "A Glimmer of Light". 

You can see her students' fantastic work there.

Pablo Picasso, "Le Coq", 1938, pastel

The kids started off by loosely sketching out a stylized rooster using black oil pastel on 

brown construction paper.

Then they colored them in using oil pastels- I encouraged the use of a variety of colors in order to make

 them fantasy-like and imaginative, just like Picasso's rooster!