Oil Pastel Fruit Bowls

Year 3 sample: by Shamiya (2010)

Background for the Lesson:

We had been learning about healthy food choices in our Health unit of work and had also been studying how artists use light and shade in artworks, when I spotted the art of Becky Roesler on the Internet (http://beckyroeslerart.com/PASTEL.html).  I saw her gorgeous pastel artwork "Fruit in a Blue Bowl" and I decided the children could have a go at creating their own version of the artwork.

Lesson Steps:

1.  I showed the students Roesler's artwork and we discussed the colours, lines and shapes.

2.  We also looked at, and talked about the shape of different fruit.

3.  I then demonstrated step-by-step, how to draw the different elements in the artwork.

4.  The students followed these instructions with me, drawing with lead pencil on black cardboard.

5.  I also demonstrated how to use oil pastels to show light and shade (white for light, deep blues/greens etc for shadow).

NOTE:  We followed this lesson up with a still-life fruit-drawing activity.  I placed fruit on the students' desks and they had to use the knowledge and skills they had gained from the explicit demonstrations in the above lesson, to create their own individual artwork.  A photo of this activity is attached below.



Year 3 samples (2010)




By Robert (2010)




Follow up lesson activity (drawing in progress, by Shamiya, 2010)