Paul Klee is awesome. His use of lines, color, and shapes really stand out as a great example of how art elements and principles work together to make a great piece of artwork for children. I love showing pieces such as “Cat and Bird” and “Castle and Sun.”
I had done lessons based on his artwork before, but I really wanted students to try to experiment with materials. It was the beginning of the year and I wanted them to know how materials work together. After I showed the Mati and Dada clip with Paul Klee, I showed this video to help students see more examples of his work:
Then we drew a sketch of either a city or a castle using basic shapes.
The next day, I got out different paints, markers, payons, and Crayola water soluble oil pastels. I showed the students that you can not only blend oil pastels, but you can add water to turn them into paint AND you can scratch designs into oil pastels. Game changer.
Students had to experiment with the materials and they had to report back what they learned.
Once we got nice and comfortable with the materials, I gave students a big paper and let them get to work. I love all the variety in their creations.
SHARPENED PENCILS, POUNDED CLAY 