Miro and Kandinsky Inspired Monsters

In the spirit of Halloween, this week was all about monsters! I read the book There Was An Old Monster by Rebecca Emberley. Next we looked at and discussed Kandinsky's White Figure and Miro's Figur Gegen Rote Sonne II. Working with black oil pastel, students first drew their monsters. As the students began to draw, we talked about how they could effect the friendly or scary look by changing the monsters' eyebrows, eyes and teeth. We also discussed how to achieve texture in their drawings to show fur or scales. Everyone took their time creating the head, body and limbs. When it came time to add facial features, the room got louder with conversation while they watched their drawings come to life! Students then used watercolors to paint their monsters, and they experimented with brush work and color on their own. I love how each monster has a personality of its own when I look across the table!