Summer art project. Size is 3 feet across by 4 feet long.

Project time was approximately 6 weeks, working 10-15 minutes per day.

Supplies:

• Bulletin board paper
• Wax paper
• Pencils
• Paintbrushes
• Acrylic paints (red, yellow, blue, black, white)
• Watercolor paints (standard palette)
• Painting tarps, t-shirts, towels, tape, water

Instructions:

• Tape wax paper to wall with painters tape.
• Tape bulletin board paper over wax paper.

(The wax paper prevents any paint from seeping through.  If you have a large roll of butchers paper / freezer paper with the waxed backing, that can be used as well).

• Choose a scene and animals.
  • Print out images from the internet to find poses and colorations.
  • Sketch a background.  (In this case, Mom sketched the dock and the horizon line).
  • Have kids take turns sketching animals, plants, etc.

I suggest only one child working at a time, unless they are feeling particularly chummy!

• After all sketching is done, paint animals using acrylic paint.
  • Have the kids mix all their own colors using only primary colors (blue/red/yellow) with black and white for dark/light tones.
• Paint background objects using acrylic paint.

• Let dry thoroughly..
• Paint water using watered-down watercolors. The watercolor can be washed over everything, so neatness is not needed.
  • Waves were added in with acrylics later.
  • Small details can be added with paint or even sharpies if needed (we sharpied in the herons’ orange eyes).