Breezy palm trees with mixed media

Arts & Activities, June, 2004 by Michelle Crosby

Florida is home to over 120 species of palm trees, many of which grow just outside our art-room doors. The wind often makes the fronds dance and sway. When I suggested going out to draw them, my fourth- and fifth-grade students--always up for a new adventure--eagerly gathered drawing boards and stepped out the back door.

Before starting to draw, I asked my artists to study the way nature arranged the lines of the trunk and branches. As I demonstrated sketching, we talked about the strength of diagonal lines, as well as filling and going off the edges of their papers.

The children spread out across the lawn, found their own quiet place and began sketching. To keep the drawings fresh, I gave them only a single black crayon. They were allowed to make several sketches. With 10 minutes remaining, the students came indoors. I then had them go over the crayon lines with white glue, which would dry by our next lesson, leaving a raised line.

The following class was devoted to dry-brush painting. Our painting materials were simple: a stiff-bristle brush, small amounts of tempera paints in a limited palette, paper towels and water. I had the students paint the negative spaces first. Dry brushing required dipping the brush tips into the color, then wiping onto the paper towels to dry out the brush first. The color was then applied onto the paper surface with deliberate strokes. The white paper was allowed to show through. Some students chose to make layers of color.

The final step was a texture rubbing using a "nub" of a black crayon. The waxy black was rubbed over the glue lines, emphasizing the strength of the original line drawing, and creating shadows. Titles such as "Breezy Palms," "Sunshine Day" and "The Evening Joy" completed the pieces.

Sketching outdoors was a motivating experience for my artists. Several students commented that they felt like "real" artists while working outside. Feeling the wind blow through our hair, as it was through the palms, was peaceful and centering. The dry-brush painting experience was quick and fresh. The technique was perfect for our subject matter.

MATERIALS

* Black crayons

* 18" x 24" white drawing paper

* Drawing boards

* white glue

* Tempera paints in a variety of colors

* Paper towels for drying brushes

* Stiff-bristle brushes

* Nubs of black crayons

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will ...

* study nature's arrangement of line as seen in palm trees,

* become more aware of their local environment by sketching nature.

* utilize color by dry-brush painting.

* emphasize shadow by texture-rubbing with a black crayon.

Michelle Crosby teaches art at Perkins Elementary School in St. Petersburg, Fla.