Drawing Vegetables: Above & Below in the Garden

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Observe the vegetables

   Lay the vegetables out on the table. Allow the kids to engage with them by feeling and looking at the ones that interest them. The kids will likely discuss which vegetable the like or don’t like, along with the colors and size.
   
   I think chatting and drawing is such a meaningful pairing.
   
   

2. Draw the vegetables

   Invite the children to choose at least four vegetables to draw onto the watercolor paper. They might choose four carrots or four radishes or a combination of all the veggies.
   
   
   
   Draw with a B pencil (which works well for this artwork because it makes darker marks that can be seen even under the watercolor paints.)
   
   The veggies can be placed anywhere on the paper because they will be cut out later. 

3. Add color
   

   
   
   When finished drawing, the children can use watercolor pencils to color in the vegetables. Don’t wet the pencils for this project. but add water with a small paintbrush after filling in the vegetables and greens with the watercolor pencils. 
   
   The children delight in the transformation of the pencil marks to spreading color. 
   
   

4. Create the rubbings

   Allow the watercolor drawings to dry and begin work on the rubbings. 
   
   Encourage the children to look around the house or outside to find textures for the rubbings. Walls, sides of baskets, backs of chairs that may have a pattern, trees, sidewalks, and brick buildings all are great sources of patterns for rubbings.
   
   Show the children how to lay the paper onto the texture. Use the flat, long side of the charcoal stick or Conte crayon and rub it over the paper. The kids can collect as many textures as they like to fill their entire piece of paper.
   
   
   
   

5. Cut the vegetables

   Now the children can cut out their vegetables. (I assist the younger children with this step as necessary.)
   
   
   
   

6. Create the garden collage

   It’s time to collage the garden all together. Ask the children to place the drawing paper in a vertical orientation.
   
   
   
   Cut the paper rubbing to the same size as the bottom half of the paper. Children are welcome to rip one side to mimic the roughness of the top layer of ground. 
   
   Wait to give glue in order to allow for the freedom to move the parts around, which is an important part of the process. Encourage the children to move their vegetables around a bit. Then take a step back from the collages to look at it before gluing the pieces in place.
   
   
   

7. Add garden details

   Encourage the children to create bugs with paper, pencils or markers. They can add bugs that live underground or bugs that fly in the sky. 
   
   The very last step is the glue.  For this project it’s best if the glue is pasted onto the veggies instead of the paper and then placed.