Stop and paint the flowers.

Stop and paint the flowers. I was so excited about this lesson, that I wanted to share it withothers. Spring seems like the natural time to do this project, with newgrowth and flowers blossoming outside. With Mother's Day coming inMay, a bouquet of flowers is the perfect gift! Examples of flower bouquets in vases were displayed, including someprints of Vincent van Gogh and Odilon Redon Odilon Redon (April 22, 1840 – July 6, 1916) was a Symbolist painter and printmaker, born in Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France.Redon started drawing as a young child, and at the age of 10 he was awarded a drawing prize at school. paintings, plus variousbeautiful calendar prints of watercolors. I pointed out that each flowerby itself was not a work of art, but it was the total picture of all theflowers that gave us the feeling and essence of the fresh bouquet. Ialso put a vase with a bouquet of colorful silk flowers on the table.These were all helpful in our discussion. We noted that there were many flowers needed to create a rich, fullbouquet, with several of the same types of flowers repeated throughout.The flowers were to be the focal point focal pointn.See focus. and not the vase. Therefore, thevase would take up less space than the flowers. We could see thatflowers or leaves often covered the top edge of the vase. I suggestedthat the flowers and leaves come near or "bump" the edges andtop of the paper. To begin creating our flower arrangements, we folded a 4" x6" paper in half. We then drew half a vase on the fold and cut itout, to create a whole vase when opened. (I first demonstrated this andalso had four different examples posted that they could use for ideas.)Once cut out and opened, they could turn it both ways and decide whichside would be the top. The base shape was traced on the larger paper, near but nottouching the bottom. I then did a quick painting demonstration for eachclass. The students loved watching this. Even the most active classeswere totally engrossed en��gross?tr.v. en��grossed, en��gross��ing, en��gross��es1. To occupy exclusively; absorb: A great novel engrosses the reader.See Synonyms at monopolize.2. . I painted the flowers first. Each style wasrepeated at least five more times before I began the next style withanother colored flower. I showed them some easy ways of depictingflowers with the watercolor paints and brushes. Stems, leaves and ferns were painted next. Every flower did nothave to have a stem going into the vase. I encouraged the kids to befairly free with their brushstrokes and not concern themselves withindividual flowers or leaves. I continued to remind them that it was thefeeling we got from the total picture that was important. We painted the vases next. In a previous lesson, we had practicedpainting from dark to light with watercolors and we used our skills topaint in the base. Beginning on one side of the base, we brushed withfull-strength color, following the curve of the vase. When we were aboutmidway, we quickly dipped our brush in water and then brushed over outlast brushstroke before it dried. We repeated this again until wereached the other side, thus achieving a three-dimensional look. Thetable was added last The children were overjoyed with their paintings and could notbelieve the results. I started this project in the second grade. I thendid it with the fourth- and fifth-graders as well and had the samesuccessful results. They loved their paintings and wanted to continuedoing flowers the following weeks. Some students did smaller ones and wemounted them on colored paper for greeting cards See e-card. . MATERIALS * 12" x 18" white construction or watercolor paper * Pre-cut 4" x 6" paper far vases * Pencils * Scissors * Watercolor brushes * Watercolors * Water LEARNING OBJECTIVES Student will ... * observe and "study" bouquets of flowers and paintingsof flowers. * learn watercolor techniques (i.e. wet on wet, dark to light) anddevelop greater control of the paint. * develop a freer style of painting to create the feeling andessence of the flowers. Shelley Phillips Shelley Phillips performs, records and teaches wind instruments and Celtic harp.Shelley has a Masters of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She plays and tours with The Anjali Quartet and The Coulter/Phillips Ensemble, performs as a duo with her husband, is the art teacher at the Rabbi Pesach RamonYeshiva yeshivaAcademy of higher Talmudic learning. Through its biblical and legal exegesis and application of scripture, the yeshiva has defined and regulated Judaism for centuries. Traditionally, it is the setting for the training and ordination of rabbis. in Edison, New Jersey Edison Township (usually known as Edison) is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 97,687, making it at the time the fifth largest municipality in New Jersey. As of the U.S. .