#5 Drawing Blossoms of Lilac, Dogwood or Freesia
Grade Level 3 - 6
Description/Objective
Students draw a branch of spring flowers while listening to music or environmental sounds. The completed drawing is painted with watercolor. Students discover the basic structures of a flower and learn to be focused.
Time
Two 1-hour sessions - Drawing, 1 hour and Watercolor, 1 hour
Materials
First Session - Drawing
Fresh spring flowers - 1 vase of 3-4 flowers for each group (3-4 students per group is ideal) (Could ask students to bring flowers from their own garden or ask florist to donate flowers)
Magnifying glass (1 per group)
10" x 16" white construction paper or white exact vellum bristol paper (1 per student)
#2 Pencils and white mars plastic erasers (1 per student)
Music or environmental sounds tape
Second Session - Watercolor
Liquid watercolor (quantity and colors depend on flowers)
Small plastic 2 oz. restaurant cups
No. 7 watercolor brushes (1 per student)
12" x 18 " green construction paper (1 per student)
Music or environmental sounds tape
Procedure
First Session - Drawing
1. If you are doing this project in the spring, ask the students if they have noticed all the trees and flowers in bloom. Make a list of familiar spring plants.
2. If possible, give each student or group a flower to dissect. Use a magnifying glass to study the smaller parts.
3. Demonstrate on the board drawing the front view of one blossom. Draw the top petal first and the petals that are behind last. Explain that overlapping means when one petal is in front of another petal. Demonstrate drawing only part of the petal that is behind. See drawing below.
4. Put a vase with flowers at each table. Give each student a piece of 10" x 16" white construction paper, a #2 pencil and an eraser.
5. Explain to students that drawing takes focus. If they are quiet and draw one part at a time they will love drawing. Encourage them to draw lightly so that they may easily adjust (erase) their pencil markings. Start the music or natural sounds recording now.
6. Have the students start by drawing one front view of an enlarged blossom anywhere they wish on the paper. This will give them a successful start.
7. The students then draw a section of branch under or above their flower, adding blossoms and more branches as they go.
8. Have the students draw side and back views of the flowers.
9. Draw the leaves closely observing the shape and edge of each leaf.
10. Remind students that artists rearrange elements in their drawing for composition and interesting negative shapes. Negative shape is the space around objects.
11. When the drawing is finished, have the students decide if they want to add watercolor paint to their drawing or create another drawing in a second session.
Second Session (if available) - Watercolor
1. Use liquid watercolors. Pass out #7 brushes and small restaurant cups with diluted premixed pink or peach color for the petals. Tell the students to paint their blossom drawing one petal at a time.
2. Pass out one color at a time. Give the students green for the leaves and brown for the stems. Two shades of a color look beautiful if you have time for additional preparation.
3. Mount dry work on green 12" x 18" construction paper with glue stick or stapler.
Subject Matter Integration
LANGUAGE ARTS: Use the attached "Spring Word Bowl Poetry" list and have the students write spring poetry.
SCIENCE: For science resource information read "Knee-Deep in a Wildflower" from Hands-On Nature, Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Also discuss the parts of the flower and the process of pollination in conjunction with the dissection. Discuss the different seasons with primary grade students.
Variations/Extensions
Instead of using a pencil, use a "sharpie" fine tip marker. Artwork can then be reduced and reproduced for
notecards.