Aren’t these fantastic? I absolutely love how each toucan has it’s own personality. This is the yardstick I use to measure how successful a project is. If the artwork is unique to the artist, then I’m happy.
SUPPLIES:
– Black oil pastel
– Tempera paint
– Sulphite paper
DRAWING THE TOUCAN
To begin, I show my students a few images of toucans and talk about the beak. I demonstrate a few drawing techniques and then, using a black oil pastel, the kids draw their own toucan. I suggest they begin with the eye and then draw the beak. If the beak is large enough, then it almost doesn’t matter what the body looks like; everyone will know it’s a toucan!
I really think not using pencils in this project is beneficial. Using an oil pastel loosens the kids up, encourages them to draw large and if they make a mistake, I tell them that the tempera paints will cover it.
After the drawing is done, the picture should look like a coloring book page; black and white and ready to color.
We use tempera paints and once the painting is dry, the kids go over all the oil pastel lines with a small brush dipped in black paint.
FOURTH GRADE TOUCANS …
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love them!
one question ~ what kind
of paper are you using for this
project?
thanks!
I only use two kinds of paper for all of my art projects…a cheap watercolor paper and drawing paper from Tru-Ray (see right side bar for more info).
It’s a great all-purpose construction paper. It has a smooth finish, is great for drawing or painting and is very inexpensive. All the major art catalogs sell packs of 50 in over a hundred colors. Although I mostly use black and white.
I use the 12″ x 24″ size. Most schools carry this brand.
These are gorgeous! jan
Hey!
I actually do a toucan project (well, last year I did!)…and we used oil pastels. They are so pretty when finished! These are great, too!
here’s mine:
http://oodlesofart.blogspot.com/2008/11/toucans-4th-grade.html
~Katie
I love these!! I’ve never used oil pastel and tempera together… I’ll have to try it! I was wondering why you have them draw with oil pastel and then paint over their lines…. is it just so they will work large and loose? Does the oil pastel resist the tempera at all or does it stick pretty well?
I LOVE these! So vibrant!
Regarding the oil pastel…I use it to encourage the children to draw big shapes. handing over a pencil and eraser would yield smaller drawings and therefore, more time consuming to paint.
The paint covers the oil pastel so if the kids make a mistake, no biggie. So there you go, using the oil pastel has nothing to do with the resist! It’s just a trick!
aww that’s so cute. 🙂
My children are loving your art projects thank you so much, I have posted our Toucan and dog on my blog and there will be more to come.
Thanks for a great blog!
Nicky
New Zealand
I do a tropical bird lesson with my 2nd graders every year but was looking for a new approach – these are adorable!! I started them with the kids yesterday and they look great! Thanks so much for the ideas 🙂
would a black crayon work in place of the oil pastel?
Yup, especially with the drawing steps. An oil pastel will give you a darker line when tracing back over the paint. You could use black tempera paint and a small brush to give you an equally (although slightly messier) effect.
My 4th graders are very excited about this project. Can’t wait until it is completed.