I invite you to share this fun project with any parent, grandparent, babysitter or care giver that you know. Let’s get everyone colouring this summer!
Here is my drawing, which my idea is based on...
I have personally tested this project out on young school children
and it was a big hit.
[I don’t normally teach kids and this particular work assignment
– going into a school to teach art programs for children in grades 1 through 8
was an experience never to be repeated. I am not gifted at disciplining
children. On one occasion, I stood by and laughed along as two 12 yr old boys
held down another friend and painted his face – it was a funny moment. And
really, what else are boys going to do with paint brushes and paint but put it
where it doesn’t belong? The lad who was painted up enjoyed the attention, just
in case you are wondering, and we all suffered the ‘look’ of the Principal who walked
by at that moment. Oops.]
But back to the fish...this is super simple and the secret to the success is that you create
the fish on a sheet of plastic. Kids really like the novelty of this.
Supplies you need:
·
Some sheets
of clear plastic film (not the frosted stuff) Mylar and Dura-Lar are brand
names you could look for. You should be able to buy the sheets at an art supply
store or an office supply store. Ask an employee for help.
·
A sheet of
white paper per child. Doesn’t have to be special art paper, can be computer
paper.
·
Coloured
Pencils – these do not have to be professional grade. You can use any that you
have on hand and/or you could use watercolour pencils.
·
A pencil
sharpener
·
coloured
sheets of paper such as construction paper or Bristol board
·
tape or
mounting putty
Instructions:
Draw the outline of a fish on a regular piece of paper. You can
get the idea of what I used by looking at my drawing above. Who creates the
drawing depends on the age and ability of the child. If you are working with
young children, it will probably be best if you do this part and they can do
the colouring. If you want to get species specific here, you can involve the
children and look for pictures in books or on-line for inspiration. Some
children will know a lot about fish!
Have the child place the drawing under the sheet of clear
plastic.
Next, using the coloured pencils, the child will trace the
outline of the fish. The line drawing can then be removed from underneath and
passed on to another child.
Depending on the surface you are working on, it might be a good
idea to place a white sheet of paper under the fish work-in-progress. That way
the pattern on the table cloth or counter top will not show through and be a
distraction.
The child continues to colour the fish in any way they wish.
Colouring tip: You can colour both sides of the Mylar. If you put one
colour on one side and another colour on the same spot on the other, they will
optically blend to create a new colour.
Various species of fish can be created. Make big ones, little
ones, all different colours. Create a school of fish!
If girls are not into drawing fish, perhaps they might like to draw
a mermaid, think long hair and a fish tail with lovely bright scales.
The air bubbles can be expanded to make conversation bubbles,
like in cartoons. The kids can have their fish talking to one another. This
part may need some adult supervision. Apparently some fish talk nasty. (Who
knew?)
Here is the fun part – place different sheets of coloured paper/construction
paper or Bristol board behind the fish and see how the drawings change! Orange
paper will have the fish swimming in an orange ocean and by the way, this looks
very cool. J
Using tape or mounting putty, the paper and the fish
drawings can be mounted on a window or on a wall as a mural. Sunlight coming
through the window will also impact the finished look.
This project is addictive – think of tracing real fallen leaves in autumn,
colouring them on the plastic and then creating a falling leaves scene.
If you do this, I would love to see what you create. You can send me a picture - hint hint... :-)
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