How to Make a Snowy Cityscape in 4 Easy Steps

Materials Needed⇒

• 9 x 12 Black construction paper
• charcoal set which includes gray and white charcoals
• white tempera paint
• 9 x 12 white paper for cutting city skyline
• scissors

Easy instructions:

1. Draw a simple city skyline on the white paper.
2. Cut your skyline out of the paper to be used as a stencil-cut only the top line and not each building.
3. Lay it on top of your black construction paper and weigh it down to lay flat with pennies or small rocks.
   With white tempera paint watered down slightly, use a toothbrush splatter technique to make a snowy sky.
   Lift your cut out to reveal a city skyline.
4. Now add details of windows, shadows between buildings and snowy roof tops with several charcoal values ranging from pure white to pure black. You can use a card stock straight edge to keep your lines straight if needed.

Skills used/learned:

• cutting
• drawing (city)
• paint technique- create snow effect with toothbrush and paint
• shading with charcoals

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Teaching Texture with Eric Carle:

We’re almost done creating textures inspired by Eric Carle’s books: The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Very Quiet Cricket Board Book. Each day this week I’ve written tutorials for:

1. Color Wash and Splash Textures-Monday
2. Brush & Scratch Textures – Tuesday
3. Insect Textures– Wednesday
4. Blotting Textures-(You’re Here)
5. Project Completion- Friday

Texture #3: Blotting Textures

Materials Needed ⇒ Card stock or sturdy white paper, yellow and orange paint, scissors, bubble wrap

Note: You can use anything to create texture by blotting as long as it has some raised parts to it. If you don’t have bubble wrap use something else around the house that would leave an impression. If your child desires let them finger paint the smile in the sun  just like in the book: The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Picture Study:

For this part of the lesson, look at the sun and moon images in both books and start the discussion by asking:

• What textures do you see?
• What different colors does Mr. Carle use for the sun? moon? Now would be a great time to talk about warm and cool colors.
• How do you think the faces are made? Do you want to make a face in your sun or moon?
• What feeling does a happy sun give to the story?
• How is the texture of the moon in The very Hungry Caterpillar different from the moon in The Very Quiet Cricket?
• How might you make texture similar to the moon in The Very Quiet Cricket?

Let’s Make Sunny Textures

So far we’ve covered the background as well as the insect for our project. We just need one more “Eric Carle style” component. Sun or moon textures! Obviously, if you’re going to do a moon for a night time project, use shades of white, gray and other cool colors such as blue or purple in place of the yellow and orange for the sun in this tutorial. Start with yellow and make some texture brushing both directions.

 Add a second color, again using brush strokes to create texture. Remind the children not to blend. Once you have done that it’s time for the fun part! Using the bubble wrap or another texture maker, dap it into a third shade of color and then blot the texture onto the color -over what you have done so far. This is a third layer of paint for added texture.

The last step is to let dry and cut out the desired size and shape. This is often hard for children (and adults) to estimate size until placed on the background. So, start larger than you think and you can always trim to the right size later. Use remaining portion to cut the suns rays if you’re not making a moon.

Visit tomorrow to see the entire project revealed and how to put it all together!

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Teaching Texture with Eric Carle:

All week I’m writing about five texture techniques inspired by Eric Carle’s books: The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Very Quiet Cricket Board Book.

1. Color Wash and Splash Textures– Monday
2. Brush & Scratch Textures – Tuesday
3. Insect Textures- (You’re Here)
4. Blotting Textures- Thursday
5. Project Completion- Friday

Today your child will consider what type of insect they want to create. In this example, I plan to create a butterfly to soar around the background we have made so far.

I think this technique is excellent for making insects with transparent wings. Allow your child to look at different insects in the book: The Very Quiet Cricket for inspiration.  I’m taking that inspiration and using it in this example to make a butterfly.

Texture #3: Transparent Wings and Insect Bodies

Materials Needed ⇒ Watercolor Paper, Crayons, Scissors, Glue or Mod Podge

Note: Be flexible here and experiment with textures. The watercolor paper is an easy option but you could also try crayon rubs on card stock with real textures from nature! Many natural objects could easily mimic insect wings such as leaves with veins.

Picture Study:

While looking at the insects in the book, discuss….

• The variety of color used. How many colors can be seen in a dragon fly’s wings?
• Different types of wings of various insects.
• Whether an insect’s wings are translucent or solid.
• That they look textured and whether real insect’s wings are textured.
• What color wings your child/student’s insect will have?
• More possibilities for creating textured wings and insect bodies.

Make Your Own Insect Textures:

To begin making an insect, color wing sections in the colors desired on watercolor paper. With this part of the lesson, the paper offers most of the texture needed. I did my butterfly wings free hand. Even a small child can feel very successful if guided to do patches of color and then you can outline the wing shape for them to cut out!  I often find that children’s artwork is so much more interesting and appealing than an adults! (I would much rather show examples of a child’s work here, but I hope this will at least get you started.)

Finalize the wings with lines for the veins of the wing as desired. Then cut them out.

I added mod podge over the top if the wings just to give it added finish. I love working with mod podge. If you’re using glue instead just omit this step. Let dry on a non-stick surface.

Next, lets take a look at textures for a body for the insect. At this point it’s about experimenting with different brush textures. It’s a good time to add some stamping too! Any sponge or textured material will do! Guide your child in making serval sheets of textures and colors.  Afterward, have them cut out the body for their insect.

Once the children have cut out their shapes they can put the insect together. Some may require being glued to the background. In that case wait to glue till all the project parts can be arranged at the very end. Butterflies, however, are particularly easy to construct by just gluing the wings to the body.

Visit tomorrow to see the next texture revealed!

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