This was a really fun lesson to teach to 1st graders! I set up apples on the tables as they walked in. First graders talked about apple harvest in the fall, what kind of art qualifies as a Still Life, and how to add shading and texture to art. This was a 3 day lesson.
Day 1: Apple Day
I showed students examples of Paul Cezanne's Still lives of fruit. Students talked about the use of color in his work and subject matter.
Students drew from both observation and I demonstrated on the board. I gave them yellow, green and red paper. I told them to draw 3-7 apples. After the apples were drawn, students used chalk to add color to the apple paper. The last step was to add a black outline to the apples using oil pastel.
Day 2: Background & Texture Day
Students used texture plates and crayons to create a rubbing. They used one color for the bottom (table), and a different color for the top. After the crayon rubbings were done, students used watercolor to create a resist.
Day 3: College & Gallery Walk Day
Students first cut out and glued their apples to their background paper. I had to remind students that apples don't "fly". They should sit nice on the table! After that, students used white chalk to add a highlight to each apple and charcol for the shadows.
Once everyone was done and cleaned up, we had a "Gallery Walk." Students walked around to each table to see their peers artwork. After the Gallery Walk students shared their critiques with the class. I was so impressed with their use of vocabulary! Here are some of the critiques 1st grade students said:
-"I like background in Sarah's."
-"Cole did a good job cutting out his apples."
-"I like the colors and texture in this one."
-"I like how Madison put the big apples in the back, and the small apples in the front. She overlapped."
-"I like the shading in that one. It makes the apples look real."
Check out our Cezanne Inspired Still Life pictures below!
