I try to do one still life project each session.  My goal is to at least introduce students to the idea of drawing what they see, not what they know is there.  This is the first step to moving away from drawing symbols for objects.  Drawing is really about seeing and allowing our eyes and hands to work together.  This takes a lot of concentration and trust.  After about 50 min, even my older students needed a break.  It is hard work!

I am very proud of their efforts!  We finished drawing the still life and began the painting process.  I am really encouraging them to mix their own colors for this project.  I purposely gave them a green that was not quite right for the green squash.  I was so happy when they began to ask how to mix a darker green!  I also didn’t give them any black.  So, we talked about how mixing in the complimentary color (red) would darken the green.  They had fun mixing other complimentary colors to see the results.

This week, we will finish painting the still lives with a focus on seeing the lights and darks and adding details.  This is really an advanced project for some of my younger students.  They are all doing such a great job.