In class I read to the first grade students, Hugo and Miles in I've Painted Everything! by Scott Magoon. The book is by a local author/illustrator so it makes it even better! In the story, Hugo, the main character, has decided he has painted everything and is out of ideas as to what to paint next. His friend, Miles, suggests a trip to Paris for inspiration. The two travel all over the city, but it's not until they are at the top of the Eiffel Tower that Hugo realizes how different Paris looks from above. Hugo and Miles rush back home so Hugo can paint everything again, only differently.
I set up a still life in the art room and had the classes sketch what they saw. We talked about how if they drew only part of their fruit it would look like it was in the bowl and not resting along the edge. They outlined their drawing in Sharpie marker and then drew a diagonal or vertical line through their drawing. On one side of the line they were to color their still life using realistic colors. On the other side they were to look at their still life a little differently and add colors from their imagination. The students used oil pastels and watercolor washes in the background.
