Pastel / Crayon and dye / Batik

Schools nearly always have a good supply of crayons and pastels. Their rich colours and ease of use, make them a versatile classroom tool. They are also easy to store and clean up!


STARRY NIGHT
These were completed by painting the background in acrylic paint, then using broad strokes or dashes in pastel to replicate the movement in Van Gogh's Starry Night.

These are samples from year 10-11 year olds I worked with during a class study on Matariki (The Maori New Year, and a significant constellation of stars that mark the duration of this). Some focused on creating works very similar in theme and colour to Van Gogh's original, while others experimented by using a different colour palette and silhouettes. The results were beautiful.

 

PASTEL QUIRKY CITY-SCAPES

These were done with year 3-4 students using pastel. The detail with the black pastel needs to be done last, or student's tend to end up with a smudgy mess. These bright and funky artworks certainly livened up the classroom!

CHALK PASTEL CITY SCENES

The same class also experimented with creating city scenes using chalk pastel. Most pupils had never worked using this medium. Smudging white pastel to create reflections in the water resulted in these small but effective artworks. 

CRAYON AND BLACK DYE PORTRAITS

These were completed by year 3 pupils. They drew from life and did a portrait of one of their peers. We studied the features and 'science' of the face first, before sketching their initial design in chalk. they then crayon over their picture...avoiding the chalk lines. Once finished, carefully screw up the work to 'crack' the crayon and allow spots for the black dye to seep into. Unfold and dye black.

BATIK FISH

These were done with a year 4 class. The first step was to draw their design onto paper. This is then traced onto calico using chalk. The design is painted or squeegie bottled on with either wax or we used flour and water (because school's are always on a budget!) Once dry, you dye the calico. We used school dyes but you can use fabric dye if you are making cushion covers etc. Then pick off the wax!

DANCE! 

Year 4-6, Pastel and dye backgrounds. Cut black paper silhouettes. 

TONAL PORTRAITS

These are a great way to get children thinking about tints and tones. We started by exploring the colour wheel, and children had to select 3 pastels that were different shades of a primary or secondary colour. I photocopied a photo for them to work from, so they could explore where the light and dark areas should be. Best completed with children aged 9 +.

SUNFLOWERS

Year 3 children completed these using the same crayon and dye technique as described in the above portraits. They drew from still life, some focusing on the complete scene, and others looking at a section of the flower in detail.

KORU

Year 4 students undertook this art project looking at the koru and exploring warm and cool colours. They were completed in crayon, and the border designs were dyed, and spray painted using a cut out koru template.

FISH AND POUNAMU

OK...I can't actually take credit for facilitating these lessons, but I love them so much I want to keep a record of them. These beautiful pastel fish, and dynamic pounamu pastel and dye works were completed as part of an art extension group.  They were led by the art facilitator Leigh Wright. Simply stunning!

PASTEL TAPA DESIGNS

Great when studying symmetry and rotation. Year 3-4 samples.

WAIRAKA

These were based on a local landmark. The top samples were done in pastel with black paper silhouettes. The smaller works were done in vivid and dye.

SUNFLOWERS

Clearly I have a bit of a fixation with these beautiful flowers. This year 4 class zoomed in on one aspect of the still life, and used pastel and blue dye. The lower pictures were based on a study of Van Gough and were completed by year 5 and 6 pupils under the direction of my colleague Mrs L.Wylie.

MY MOUTH IS A VOLCANO ART

I was asked to do some art based on this great book by Julia Cook, as the year 1-2 class were particularly good at 'blurting out' and were working on strategies to avoid calling out. I found the idea somewhere on pintrest and adapted it. We took photos on their ipads which were printed and place on top of their crayon and dye background. A quick and easy art activity.

DYE PANELS

For these, children used crayon and dye on three separate circles of paper, then cut them in the same way you would make paper snowflakes. They used the offcuts to decorate the page. 

CRAYON TRANSFERS

These were done by a colleague Mrs Seymour. One crayon picture was completed on coloured paper, then ironed onto a clean piece of paper and outlined in black. Stunning!

AUTUMN AND WINTER TREES

These small artworks were completed in one session using crayon and dye. We went outside and explored the structure and form of the trees first, and then discussed appropriate colour schemes to create both autumn and winter themes. A great little activity to accompany some poetic writing on the same theme.