The Magpie by Claude Monet
4th and 5th grade students were asked to look at Claude Monet's The Magpie. They learned a bit about impressionist art, and about light and shadow. The lovely thing about Monet's depiction of snow, is the way he uses color to show shadows. Students were asked to create a snowy scene of their own, and to keep track of where the sun was coming from, and what sorts of shadows would result.
The other fun part of this assignment was in learning about two different watercolor techniques. To create a snow filled blue sky, they first tried out their hand at "wet-on-wet" watercolor. Then they sprinkled salt in the wet paint, and saw it magically change the whole effect.
The other fun part of this assignment was in learning about two different watercolor techniques. To create a snow filled blue sky, they first tried out their hand at "wet-on-wet" watercolor. Then they sprinkled salt in the wet paint, and saw it magically change the whole effect.