Candy Cane Art

Title of Lesson:  Candy Cane Art

Grade:  4^th Grade

Medium:  Colored pencils, Oil Pastels (white only), Watercolor

Reason for Lesson:  

Elements of Art: Color, Line, Shape

Prep Time:  10 minutes

Preparation prior to lesson:  Gather supplies in Art Closet (4^th grade bin)

Class Time:  45 minutes

Materials:  Water color paper, Pencil, Candy Cane Stencils for each student, colored pencils and Oil Pastels (white only), water color

Art Lesson on Perspective:

• Briefly teach the concept of perspective in art. 
• Have the children look at the candy cane picture and notice how the candy canes look like they are falling off the page.
• Have the children point out how they know that the candy canes are intact even if they don't all show up on the page. This is perspective in art. We don't have to show the entire candy cane to know that the candy cane is complete.
• Our brain fills in the rest of the picture even when the candy cane is not all on the page.
• Also have the students looks closely at how the candy canes look 3 dimensional. How did the artist create this look?
• Remind them of these lessons as they are creating their artwork
• A good book to use to teach the lesson of perspective is the Napping House by Audrey and Don Wood. As the pictures progress in the book the angle changes so that you see the pictures from the top rather than straight on. The perspective of the artwork changes giving a sense of movement. 
• Show the progression of the perspective as you flip through the pages of the Napping House book. You can also show the beginning, middle and end picture to show the gradual progression.

Instructions to Lead Lesson:  

•   Have the students trace the candy cane stencil an odd number of times.
•  Make sure the students overlap the candy canes. Erase the overlapping lines
• Using a pencil draw lines to divide each candy cane into sections.
•  Choose two colors per candy cane and color in each section with colored pencils. 
• To create a 3-D look have the children color the outer part of each section of the candy cane darkly and move toward the center with less pressure to make it look lighter in the center of each section of the candy cane.
• To create a dimensional look, use white oil pastel in the center only. (see example below)
• Once coloring is finished, have students lightly paint the background with one color using watercolor paints.
• A tip for the water coloring at the end of the lesson: Create a water color station at the back of the classroom with a couple colors the children can use to paint their background. When the children finish their coloring they can bring their artwork to the back of the classroom to lightly paint the background.
• When using liquid water color, to create a light background color, you will only need a few drops of water color per cup of water. Play with the amount to create the light color needed. 

Credit:  artsonia.com