Still Life Flowers

In this art lesson student learned about the famous Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh.  We discussed how we sometimes express our feelings in art and learned that the style of art that van Gogh made was called "Expressionism."

We also learned about the artistic technique of drawing and painting a still life.  A still life is when make a drawing based on a gathering of inanimate objects in the middle of a table; like a vase of flowers or bowl of fruit.  Many famous artists started with still life art before going on to more complicated artforms.  It is a great tool to gain more artistic skill.

We also learned the difference between cool colors (blues, purples, and greens) and warm colors (reds, oranges, and yellows).  You can see these represented in van Gogh's flowers (pictured above).

This was the first lesson we did where the students did their artwork on the tar paper.  I loved the way they turned out.  They started with a chalk outline and filled it in with oil pastel. 

Once the artwork was complete, I put a thin coat of acrylic varnish on top.  When it dries the chalk outlines dissapear; leaving a lot of great contrast.  The dissapearing chalk reveals the black of the paper underneath.