NOCTURNAL ANIMAL SCRATCH ART

 

Step 1: Color the entire surface of a piece of paper using crayons. I have found that using lighter colors (yellow, orange, lime) and using lots of pressure makes for a brighter result.

 

Step 2: Using black (dark blue or purple could also work) oil pastel, cover the entire paper in a thick coat.

 

Step 3: Begin scratching out the shape of your nocturnal animal using a toothpick or paperclip. As the pastel comes off, a colorful creature will appear.

 

The children at the Olympia Community School have been studying nocturnal animals for the past few weeks. This area of study has been integrated into math, language, science and art. Not only have the kids spent quite a bit of class time on learning about nocturnal animals, but they have also been asked to research the animal at home, to create a poster and give a presentation to the whole school about their animal. With so much emphasis being put on this subject, I felt it would be vital for me to incorporate it into my curriculum work.

 

Making scratch art was always something that I enjoyed doing when I was in elementary school, so I thought it would be fun for me to be able to share it with the kids at OCS. Simplicity was a major factor because I knew that 20-25 minutes was all I had to explain the activity and let the kids do theirs. With a budget of zero to go on, I had to consider the art supplies that the school had available. In the end, I felt that the black backdrop combined with the bright splashes of color that is created with scratch art was a perfect way for the kids to display their nocturnal animal.

 

 

Feedback on the Art Lesson from Alison

November 20, 2005

Jessica Wieloh, OSC Teacher

 

“Alison was able to take our current thematic unit of Nocturnal Animals and develop an art lesson around that theme. She created an art lesson that integrated drawing animals along with the discovery of new art materials […] Alison was able to give the instructions in a fast and efficient way and get the kids started quickly. Alison’s expectations were clear and consistent with the classroom expectations […] The tactile element of this lesson kept the kids on task. Introduction of the new material of oil pastels kept their interest high. The magic of seeing their picture emerge as they scraped into the pastels propelled their creativity! Every time I checked Alison’ groups, they seemed engaged and lively. The students were talking about their animals and discovering new ways of using the tools in their art. The final product will be hanging in our classroom and we look forward to any lesson taught by Alison!”