Textured Monsters and Aliens

Nothing is more fun than giving kids the opportunity to use their imagination!  This 4th grade project is a great way to do just that, while we study texture at the same time.  

We start out by talking about texture and then exploring the Art room and the hallway, gym and foyer area and searching for textures to do as crayon rubbings.  Students have a great time collecting rubbings and labeling their textures.

Then we come back to the room and talk about designing something that has never been seen before.  I invite them to turn on the pictures in their heads and design a (friendly) monster or alien!  

When designing, I ask them to think about how they will address:
* the facial features
* the limbs 
* the torso  
They are challenged to incorporate as many interesting shapes into their creatures as they can.

AND THEN…texture time!  We get our texture on by overlapping small pieces of masking tape on select areas of the monster or alien and using our trusty crayons to color. (We don’t use crayons much in my art classes…is that weird?)

We talk about the color rule we use in every grade and with every medium: coloring is ALWAYS more interesting when you mix colors…whether its paint, colored pencils, pastels or crayons.  The taped area takes this blending of colors especially well and their monster and alien creations have so much personality!  

Happy Creating!