I went to a few flea markets and junk piles to find some old doors. I then cut out sections and mounted them to bases. Our painting panels were used matt board “drop-outs” (centers cut out of matt board and given to a recycling center).
I encouraged students to hammer on the matt board, scratch into it and paste scrap paper over it to simulate textures. We cut out a round section from another board and glued it over the knob area. This gave us a raised surface. We enhanced the illusion with shading. Students learned how to create a wash for faded paint effects. We also learned about hard-line definition areas with cracks in the wood, the keyhole and other details. Two students could work on each side of the door. The tendency for the matt board to start to break down actually worked to our advantage.
Care was taken so the board was the same size as the door. This heped students make he transfer from reality to image. It was also help to critique work in progress for side-by-side comparisons.
Gr. 5 Adding the first layer of color.
How can 4th and 5th graders do art like this? It isn’t the age, it is the attitude. learning climate, patience and respect people can have for creativity that makes it possible.
Grade 5
