A Startling Silhouette

Materials

White construction paper

Watercolor paints

Paintbrushes

Water

Cups

Black markers

Instructions

1. Demonstrate how to mix watercolor paints on paper to achieve a blend of colors. Mix colorssuch as orange, red, and yellow or blue, green, and purple.

2. Show the children how to soften the blend of colors by wetting a clean paintbrush and movingthe brush across the paper in a sweeping motion.

3. Ask the children to begin painting, encouraging them to cover their entire paper with colors,blending them.

4. When the children have finished, set their paintings aside to dry.

5. When the paint has dried, have the children draw a picture in pencil over the painting. The pictureneed only be an outline; no details are necessary. If the child's background color is a reddish-orange, suggestions might include a mountain top or a sailboat on the water; if the backgroundcolors are a blue-black blend, suggestions might include a house or the thick trunk andbarren branches of an old tree. Older children could add a pack of coyote to the mountain topor a vulture to the tree branch.

6. When their drawing is complete, have the children color it in with black marker, creating a silhouette.

7. Have the children share their work and display it in the classroom or hallways.More to doMore art: Hang white paper on the wall and turn the lights out, then create shadows on thepaper using light; invite the children to trace the shadows or silhouettes.Science: Experiment with shadows using the overhead projector, a bright light, or sunlight.