Drawing With Children

These are some of the finished still life drawings I did with my public school fourth graders.

Using Mona Brookes' Drawing With Children, I drew a still life on the white board, while my students copied my circles, dots, straight lines, curved lines, and angled lines. (This is the simplest version of this particular lesson. You can make it more complex by adding a container of kitchen utensils.)

Then, I showed them a color wheel and explained complementary colors. I told them to choose two complementary colors: one for the table and one for the wall. Some also chose complementary colors for their vase and teapot.

I was also impressed by way they textured their tables (I showed them 2 examples), and the way each child shaped his or her vase differently.