1st Grade Monet Irises

I think all of us are ready for Spring. This one-day project got us all in the mood for warm, breezy days. First we looked at Monet's Irises. 

Our inspiration: Monet

​Monet had a beautiful garden at his home in Giverny. He frequently painted the flowers there and once said, "I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."

First, the students used cool-colored oil pastels and rubbed them on their paper to create some texture. Next, they dipped their paintbrush in green and a tint of green (tint: color + white)  to create the stems for their flowers. I encouraged them to not blend the colors together too much so we would have variety. Next they cleaned their brush off on their messy mat, dipped their paintbrushes in the tints of purple, and painted the irises. Last step: add white and yellow dots to the center of the iris. 

Thank you to Painted Paper in the Art Room for the fabulous lesson!