Op art in complementary colours

You need:

1. drawing paper 14 by 14 cm
2. ruler
3. pencil
4. piece of cardboard, 6 by cm
5. markers
6. black paper for background
7. scissors
8. glue

Check during the introduction of this lesson what students already know about primary and secundary colours. What are the primary colours? How do you make secondary colours out of them?

Show a picture of the colour circle and tell about complementary colours: the colours who are opposite to eachother in the colour circle. Blue and orange, yellow and purple, greed and red.

Divide the drawing sheet in four squares of 7 by 7 cm. Cut a shape from a piece of cardboard and trace it four times in the squares. Draw vertical lines with a pencil with 1 cm between them. Colour the shapes and backgrounds like a checkerboard with complementary colours and one in black and white. Cut the squares and paste them on a black sheet.

Colourful chicken

Made by Danjel, 12 years old

You need:

1. drawing paper A3 size
2. oil pastel
3. tempera
4. brushes
5. coloured paper for background

Children draw a horizon line on their paper. Then they draw a big chicken, partly below the horizon. They have to colour it with oil pastels in bright colours. Paint the background with diluted tempera paint.

Comic strip hero

You need:

1. picture of a comic hero on A6 size
2. drawing paper A3 size
3. ruler
4. pencil
5. markers or colour pencils
6. scissors and glue
7. coloured paper for background

Ask kids to bring a picture of their favorite comic strip hero. Bring it back or enlarge it to A6 size on a copier. Create a 1 cm on the picture using a ruler and a pencil. Number each square starting across the top from the left corner.

Draw a 2 cm grid on the large drawing sheet. Number in the same fashion all the squares. Begin drawing the line created by the picture in each square. Sometimes it helps to go over the outline of the head with a pencil so you can see the line clearly. As you do this the head will begin to show up as an exact copy of the picture. Finish the drawing this way. Use colour pencils or markers to colour it. Outline everything with a black marker.

All works are made by children of 10-11 years old

Dutch flower bulb fields

You need:

1. white drawing sheet from 20 by 10 cm
2. markers
3. fine black marker
4. ruler
5. pencil

Situated less than 30 miles from Amsterdam, the town of Lisse is widely regarded as the center of Holland's bulb district. Each spring, the area's sandy coastal plain becomes a sprawling blanket of fantastic color as millions of Dutch tulip, hyacinth and daffodil bulbs emerge in perfect rows. Show the kids pictures of these fields like these. Google on 'bollenveld'.

Draw a horzion line about 2 cm from the upper edge. Put a dot in the middle of this line, the vanishing point. Draw lines from the bottom and sides towards that vanishing point. Colour the bulb fields with bright colours. Colour walkways between the bulb fields. Colour the sky. Draw with a black fineliner some buildings on the horizon, like farms, windmills etc.

Hidden butterflies

You need:

1. white drawing paper A4 size tempera paint
2. brushes jar with water
3. paper towels
4. glue
5. scissors

Divide the paper with small stripes in different sections. Colour the sections with mixed colours using two different colours tempera and white. In the example is chosen for red and blue and white, resulting in different tints of purple and pink. Do not dilute the paint, to be sure to get bright colours.

Fold a second drawing sheet and draw one or more butterflies against the fold. Cut these butterflies. Paint them in the same colours as the background, leaving an edge from 1 cm white. When dry, paint white stripes around the body of the butterfly and around the decorations.

Paste the background on a larger piece of white paper. Then paste the butterflies. Paste only the body and fold the wings a bit up for a 3d effect.

Made by children of 10 years old

Doodle for Google: I love football!

You need:

1. Google logo
2. colour pencils
3. markers

2010 is the year of the World Championship Football in South-Africa. So the Doodle for this year has to be a doodle for football lovers. Several countries, including the Netherlands, can send in their doodles. Price: a trip to South Africa and your doodle for 24 hours on Google sites of participating countries. That's a price all our students wanted to win! Here a few results.

Doodles are made by children of 10-12 years old

Hairstyle

You need:

1. drawing paper A4 size
2. indian ink
3. dip pen
4. drawing board
5. black construction paper

Ask children a day before you want to do this lesson, to do something special with their hair. For girls this might be easy, they can braid their hair, make a ponytail or use accessoires. But boys too can style their hair in different shapes, just using gel! In preparation for this lesson kids have to practice drawing with indian ink and a dip pen.

Children have to draw the back of another child. To organize this, they all have to sit in a row around a big table. On this table you put the indian ink bottles. For children who are lefthanded, place some stools besides them to put on their bottle of ink. See schedule.

Give all students a drawing board, drawing sheet and a dip pen. Tell them to draw the back of the classmate in front of him/her. It is important not to draw a contour line of the head, but make this contour out of as many hairs as you can!

This drawing has to be finished in one lesson, because of the fancy hairstyles! When finished, paste the artworks on a black background. Write with silver marker the artist and the name of the person who's hair is drawn.

All drawings are made by children of 10-11 years old

Special skeletons?

Made by children of 10-11 years old

You need:

1. white copy paper A4 size
2. black construction paper A4 size
3. cutter
4. cutting mat
5. glue
6. scissors

Fold the paper in half lengthways. Write your name in bubbly letters against the fold. Then cut carefully around the outsides of the name. Keep the paper folded at all times. Use a cutter for the negative areas. When finished, unfold the paper to reveal the name in reverse. Paste the name on a black paper. Dan knippen ze de naam uit - pas op dat je de vouw niet doorknipt--, vouwen de dubbele naam open en plakken deze op een zwart vel papier. Turn the sheet a quarter. What do you see? A special skeleton? You name in Chinese? Or an alien?

Turning around with circles, like Sonia Delaunay

You need:

1. white drawing sheet, cut at 21 cm by 21 cm
2. markers or colour pencils
3. coloured paper for background
4. compass
5. glue

Sonia Delaunay (Gradizhsk,1885 – Paris, 1979) was an Ukrainian-French painter, married to srtist Robert Delaunay. Her work includes paintings, textile design and stage design. In her work she used bright colors, obtained by the reflection of a prism or streetlights. This pure colours and shapes have an innovative impact, but especially an emotional power in itself. In her life she has experimented with many styles, including Orphism, cubism and abstract art. (Wikipedia).

All kids get a square drawing sheet of 21 by 21 cm. On this sheet they draw concentric circles with a compass. The eyes of the circles always have to be at the edge of the sheet. The circles are coloured with markers of colour pencils in maximum 5 colours.

When ready, cut the drawing in four squares of 10,5 by 10,5 cm. By rotating the four parts, a beautiful composition can be made. Paste those four pieces on a coloured background, leaving 1,5 cm between the squares.

All artworks are made by children of 10-11 years old

People like Joan Miró

You need:

1. drawing paper A4 size
2. markers
3. black waterproof marker
4. coloured paper for background
5. glue

Joan Miró's (Spain, 1893-1983) work contains paintings, sculptures, textile works and theatre. His paintings contain many playful and colourful organic forms. in his work you'll see basic colours as blue, green, red, black and yellow. The bright coloured surfaces are bordered or crossed by black lines. The unrealistic shapes, bright colours and lines resemble the work of children. Recurring themes are heavenly bodies and ladders. Many of the images in his paintings have eyes. In this way the work looks for direct eye contact with the one who looks at it.

Show several works of Miro on the digital board. Discuss the striking things: bright colours, many eyes, forms are bordered or crossed with black lines, different lines, different forms.

Tell the students about the difference between geometric forms (forms of mathematics, such as square, circle, triangle, etc) and organic forms (natural forms, free forms) and draw examples of them on the digital board. Discuss different line types and draw them on the board too.

The task is: draw an animal or a human being with waterproof black marker. Don't sketch first, draw directly with the marker! Your figure should consist of organic and / or geometric shapes. Divide large fields in forms or make them smaller with different lines. Colour your drawing with bright colours. Decorate the background with lines, shapes and coloured eyes. Paste the work finally on a coloured background.

All works are made by children of 10-11 years old

Printed nameplate

By Anne, 10 years old

You need:

1. one piece of linoleum from 14 x 14 cm
2. drawing paper
3. lino knives
4. mat
5. block printing ink
6. flat piece of glass
7. linoleum roller
8. lino press

Children draw their name in mirror image on the linoleum. They draw something of their own choice, or decorate their name. Use lino knives in different sizes to cut away the background and lines in their drawing if necessary. Shake the bottle of blockprint carefully to be sure oil will mix with the rest. Drip the paint on the glass and roll it out with the lino roller. Make several prints of your work. Choose the best one to be your artwork.

Symmetrical flowers

You need:

1. transparent drying hobby glue
2. liquid watercolour
3. brushes
4. white cardboard cut in squares of 20 by 20 cm

After a short explanation about symmetry, students draw a symmetrical fantasy flower on their cardboard. When ready, the lines have to be traced with glue. After drying (take a day for this), the several flower parts are painted with liquid watercolour. The glue will resist watercolour.

Foodscape, like Carl Warner

You need:

1. drawing paper A3 size
2. (food) magazines
3. scissors
4. glue

The English photographer Carl Warner (click on this link and amaze yoourself!') is known for his terrific photos of landscapes who are made of food. Warner is born in Liverpool in 1963. He draws from childhood, creating imaginary worlds inspired on the artwork of Salvador Dali, Patrick Woodroofe and Roger Dean. Warner went to art academy to become an illustrator, but he realized soon that he could achieve his ideas better and faster by using photography. First he photographed landscapes, still lifes and people. Then he entered the world of advertising. He now designs and photographs food landscapes ('foodscapes') for companies in the food industry.

The ‘Foodscapes’ are made in Warner's studio in London. Warner works together with a stylist to search for the right food and to make the exposure and composition of the stuff. He works with layers, from background to foreground. Each element is then put together in post production to achieve the final image. “I tend to draw a very conventional landscape using classic compositional techniques as I need to fool the viewer into thinking it is a real scene at first glance, it is the realisation that the scene is in fact made of food that brings a smile that brings a smile to the viewer, and for me that’s the best part.”

Show several photo's of Warner's foodscapes on the digital board. Discuss those photo's: what do you see? What food do you recognize? Look especially to the photo with the rising sun: what food is used to suggest the sea? How come we sea salmon as the sea? What is the beach made of? And the mountains? After this children are going to make their own foodscape in the style of Carl Warner. Thye search for food in magazines and cut it out. Encourage children to consult each other. Sometimes you don't see anything special in a photograph, while your neighbour sees an interesting part of a landscape! Place the cut out parts on the sheet and slide it until you are satisfied and then paste all parts.

All work is made by students of 11-12 years old

A view from a porthole

Made by Selin, 8 years old

You need:

1. drawing sheet A4 size
2. black construction paper
3. markers
4. compass
5. glue

Imagine you're in a submarine and you look through the portholes... What do you see? Draw this under water scene and colour it with markers. Outline everything with a black marker. Choose the best part of the drawing and draw a circle of 15 cm around it. Cut this out. Draw circle of 17 cm on the black sheet and cut it out. Paste the drawing on the black circle. Use a silver marker to make the srews around the drawing.

Help, my name disappears!

You need:

1. white drawing sheet A4 size
2. ruler
3. compasses
4. markers

In this lesson one point perspective is combined with an optical illusion.

Place the paper horizontally. Draw a small dot on the right side of the sheet, about half way. Take a ruler and draw five lines from the dot to the left side of the sheet.Draw five lines from the dot to the top of the paper and five lines to the bottom. Use a compass to draw increasing circles around the dot until the sheet is full. Draw your name in blockletters between the lines; use the width of three blocks. Make the letters threedimensional by drawing shadows on the left sides and undersides. Colour the front of the letters. Colour the shadows with a darker colour. Colour the blocks alternately with two colours, like a checker board. You may also use one colour and leave the resting blocks white. Outline the letters with a fine marker to be sure letters will really pop out of the sheet.

Fruit and veggies in popart style

Made by students of grade 6

You need:

1. piece of cardboard 9 by 9 cm
2. drawing paper 20 by 29 cm
3. colour pencils or markers
4. fine black marker

Draw a frame of 1 cm around the drawing sheet. Draw within this frame six squares of 9 by 9 cm, with 1 cm between the squares. Draw a cartoonlike piece of fruit or vegetables on the cardboard and cut it out. Trace it in the six squares. Colour the fruit or veggies with colour pencils or markers. To make the fruit pop out of the paper, the backgrounds have to be drawn with a fine black marker in different patterns in.

Daydream land!

By Kim and Carlos, 11 years old

You need:

1. white drawing sheet A3 size
2. colour markers
3. chalk pastel
4. hairspray
5. paper strips in the colour of the window frame

A familiar picture for the teacher: you do your best to teach an interesting lesson, while the students stare dreaming out the window. What they see might not be so interesting: a street where every now and again a car passes or some boring buildings. Use your imagination! What would you like to see when you look out the school window? What does your daydream land look like? Do you see flying pigs? Are there popstars waving at you? Is there an airplane flying through the streets? Draw it! Colour your drawing with markers and outline it with a fine black marker. Colour the background with chalk pastel and fix it with hairspray. Cut strips in the colours of the window frames of the school and paste them on your drawing. Hello, daydreamland!

Decorated snake

Made by Kim, 11 years old

You need:

1. coloured paper A4 size
2. black construction paper
3. tempera paint
4. nails with different sized heads
5. paper towel
6. scissors
7. glue

Draw a snake on black paper and cut it out. Cut this snake in pieces, making straight or curved lines. Lay each cut piece directly on your background, in order not to lose a piece. Glue all the pieces one by one on the background with a millimeter space between them. Pour tempera paint on saucers and dip the head of a nail in the paint. Stamp dots, following the snake, in the colours you like. Use different sized nails if you like.

The most beautiful fish in the sea

By children of 7-8 years old

You need:

1. white cardboard A1 size
2. tempera paint in blue, white and green
3. brushes
4. jar with water
5. salt
6. markers
7. picture of the rainbow fish
8. scissors
9. glue

The book 'Rainbow Fish' is translated in Dutch as 'The most beautiful fish in the sea'. That's why I called this lesson this way.

Ask two or three children to paint the background for this group project. In this project the backgrounds are painted by children of 12 years old. Paint one or two A1 sized sheets with diluted tempera paint in several colours blue and green. Sprinkle salt on it when the paint is still wet. Let dry. Staple the two sheets together.

Read or tell the story of the Rainbow Fish, written by Marcus Pfister. The story tells of a fish with shiny, multi-colored scales. He is always fond of his scales. But one day, a small fish asks him if he could have one. Rainbow Fish refuses in a very rude way. The other fish are really upset about his behaviour and don't want anymore to play with him. Feeling upset, his only friend left, the starfish, tells him to go visit the mysterious octopus for advice. Rainbow Fish finds the octopus and asks what he should do. The octopus tells him that he should share the beauty of his scales with his friends. When he encounters the small fish a second time, the Rainbow Fish gives him one of his precious scales. Seeing the joy of this little fish, Rainbow Fish feels immediately much better. Very soon Rainbow Fish is surrounded by other fish requesting scales and he gives to each of them one of his shiny scales.

Children get a copy of the Rainbow Fish; of course children can draw their own fishe too. After drawing scales in it, they have to colour their fish with markers. Tell them to leave one scale white: Rainbow Fish will give his scale, a beautiful glittered one.

Cut the fish. Paste all fishes on the blue painted cardboard.

Seeking the name

You need:

1. drawing sheet 20 by 20 cm
2. pencil
3. colour pencils or markers
4. black fine marker

With this project kids learn about radial design as well as symmetry. First fold the paper so you have eight equal triangles. Then write your name in bubble letters inside one triangle. Be sure to touch the top and bottom of the triangle. Outline the name with a black marker. Go to the window and trace the name with pencil in the seven resting sections. Outline the names with black marker. Colour the letters and spaces between them. You can do this in different ways: the letters with colour markers and the negative spaces with colour pencils (see example below), or negative and positive spaces both with markers (see example above). When ready, you've made an incredible symmetrical design! Seeing the name inside the drawing is very difficult ... you have to seek it!

Made by Danjel, 12 years old