Stencils and Leaves

I was inspired by this project from Artsonia.    I liked how the project was on a skinny piece of paper.  (Note to self:  Later we must use even skinnier paper, landscape direction to make comics.)  The Artsonia students sponge-painted in the stencils with tempura, but after two weeks of sending out ART SHIRT ALERTS, I just wanted to get back to using oil pastels or colored pencils or something.   

Sketch a half-leaf on folded cardstock, and cut it out and unfold to reveal a stencil. The idea of cutting a hole in the paper was hard to grasp, and I did not anticipate what would happen.  Though I showed them exactly what I was doing and how the stencil  looked when complete, several students added a stem that reached to the bottom of the little piece of paper, resulting in a re-do or a tape fix.  No, no, DRAW the stem in later - the stencil needs no stem.

Figure out how the leaves will "fall" down the page.  (We did this project on posterboard.  I recommend using some other paper for this type project.)   Then we colored them in LIGHTLY PLEASE with fall colors.  I found that if you color with the yellow last, and kind of harder over the top of the other colors, it blends all the colors nicely.  If you color hard to begin with using the other colors, then coloring with the yellow pulls the other colors off the page, resulting in frustrated young artists. 

Now go back and outline and vein with black  Add a drop shadow. (I forgot to tell the Sm'Arties to use a drop shadow.  Maybe the moms will see this post and show their Sm'arties)  Accent the leaves with white.  Wow!  Doesn't that look cool?  Earthgirl went back and added the drop shadow under each leaf so I could take before and after pictures.             

Before adding drop shadow

After adding drop shadow

Now add swirls to represent the wind - black, white accents, then a little glitter glue accent, too.  Can you really see the wind?  No, but you see the effects of the wind.  Quote John 3:8.  For extra credit, quote it in King James version: " The wind bloweth where it listeth..." ) I forgot this part, too.  No extra credit for Miss Sm'Artiepants.

The girls found a tree frog on the window screen.

 He wants to be a Sm'Artie, too.

 

School's out!!!!!