Saturday, December 8, 2012

Zebras with Watercolor and Salt Landscapes




















This project was inspired by some wonderful cut and torn landscapes at  Angela Anderson Art Blog and New City Arts.

Since I'm in the middle of my Animal Art Fun class I decided to utilize the colorful textured watercolor backgrounds against the graphic look of a black and white zebra. My class created the backgrounds first using a variety of liquid watercolors. They had the opportunity to use sponges and salt to create unique textures. The magic of salt always seems to win out - it's highly addictive! The children followed a direct line drawing lesson to create their zebras using Sharpies and/or black paint. While we looked at pictures of African Savannas for inspiration for the landscapes, most of my students preferred a clean lined graphic background as opposed to a more literal landscape created using torn paper. I love the results! Well done kids! (Ages 6-10)

10 comments:

  1. These zebras are beautiful.
    I love the colorful background.
    The salt creates interesting textures.

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  2. Very good idea to compare the background and form. I love the effects of salt on watercolor. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

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  3. Looking forward to seeing Jenna's : ) these pieces are fantastic..

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  4. Beautiful idea.The zebras provide a lovely contrast to the colour and texture of the background. Thank you.

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  5. These are beautiful! The contrast of the black and white geometric patterns in the zebra and the organic colorful background is great. There are so many elements that can be taught through this project -- very nice! -- Mollie K
    (artwithmsk.wordpress.com)

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  6. Will the salt work on regular tempera washable paint? or only watercolor paint?? They look gorgeous!

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    1. I've never tried it with tempera. I'm thinking it's too thick of a medium to get the same effect. Maybe give it a try a bit watered down.

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  7. I love the textures of this zebra project. I was inspired by your students' creations while searching for ideas for my African Art unit. Here are the zebras my students created:
    colorsofmyday.wordpress.com/2013/06/29/4th-grade-african-zebras/

    Thank you for the inspiration!

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  8. These are very wild and psychedelic works. Beautiful and fun works.

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I appreciate your comments and feedback!