Art Lesson Plan: Outside-Inside

Submitted by: Traci Wolfensperger, Substitute/ Art Teacher, Waterloo, Iowa
Unit: Drawing from life
Lesson Plan: Outside - Inside Drawings (fruits, vegetables)
Grade Level: Elementary one 1 thru 3 (adaptable to higher grades)
Time: one to two class periods

Objectives:

Students will use observational drawing to study the unfamiliar
Students will use oil pastels to mix/blend colors
Students will be introduced to using drawing as a tool for documenting what we can learn with our eyes

Materials:

Oil pastels -- Pencils -- Scratch paper
White paper: Cut small enough to fit two pieces on one sheet of construction paper for mounting
Construction paper
Glue
Assorted fruits &/or vegetables: Such as, pineapple, mangos, papaya, eggplant & squash
Knife: For cutting the fruits & veggies
Paper towels

Vocabulary: line, contour, shape, color, contrast (outside/inside), observational drawing (art and science)

Resources:

Select from various still life artists who showed careful observation of fruits and vegetables. Enter a Google search for Still Life Fruit and Still life vegetables -- contemporary and master works come up. Severin Roesen - Adriaen van Utrecht - John Simeon Chardin -a few examples

Instruction/Motivation:

Show a few still life with fruit and vegetables. explain that they were done by carefully observing nature. (try to find some that show the inside of fruit and vegetables - some with peeling fruits, etc)
Explain that we're going to study the inside & outside of an object
Demonstrate careful - close observational drawing - showing all contours.
Demonstrate using oil pastels
             Mixing/blending colors
             Using scratch paper to test colors
             Using pencils to scratch through the pastels to create textures

Procedures:

Have students select an interesting view to draw the object from
Drawing the outside first on one sheet. Observe contours. Color with oil pastels - try to match the colors of the fruit or vegetable.
Next have students share what they think the insides will look like -speculate
Then cut the object in half (teacher does this) and have the students draw the inside on another sheet of paper (You may want to practice cutting before class if the object is new to you)
Use oil pastels to color the inside drawing - matching colors as closely as possible.
Once done completed have the students mount their two drawings together on construction paper. Select a color that enhances the drawing.
As a class discuss the differences from the inside to the outside

Evaluation:

Did students show skills in close observation in drawing the outside and inside of their fruit or vegetable?
Did students show skills in oil pastels blending in selecting the colors for their drawing.
Did students effectively contrast - discuss differences - in their two drawings?