Sunflowers inspired by Van Gogh--my first through third graders greatly enjoyed this project.  We used tempera paint to paint sunflowers, after drawing with pencil first.  Then we used oil pastels for definition.  

Animal Collage

My junior high students worked on these animal collages--a project originally created by my friend Natalie Waggenspack.  The project took 11 weeks to finish--but it was worth it!  We started by doing abstract paintings, re-constructing the abstract paintings into collages, then creating noses, and eyes for the animals.  The finishing touch was resin for the eyes that really made the final product pop.

Junior High Op Art

Junior High had fun with these optical illusion wormholes. They used colored pencils and practiced using value to show form. It took several class periods but the results were phenomenal.

Oil Pastel Roses

My junior high students created roses--they first drew the rose, following contour lines.  Then they used oil pastels for the petals and leaves, and finally used tempera paint for the background. Thank you to Natalie Waggenspack for this perfect lesson!