Have I mentioned that I love Catherine Rayner's children's books illustrations? Her adorable watercolor illustrations are a perfect project idea when watercolor techniques are on the agenda... and this, for any age group. My 6-7 year olds made these beauties.
They were drawn following my drawing demonstration on the white board. Super simple. Big eye in the middle of the paper, two jaw sections (upper and lower), neck to leg, and top of back with spikes (I know, they're not called spikes, but I have no idea what they're really called). You can't go wrong here... in fact, the more uneven and wobbly the better. Teeth were drawn with attention to variation in sizing to keep things looking random and whimsical.
We colored with watercolor using a wet-on-wet technique. We kept similar colors together (or, 'neighbors on the color wheel') to prevent our colors from going brown and murky. Our dexterous little hands were mindful of keeping our eyes and teeth pearly white, which took some control, and required using a smaller brush near these features. Next, we painted the background in a wet-on-wet technique using a contrasting color. My kids had to choose this color based on their own analysis of what color would contrast best with the colors in their crocodile. I'm so proud of their ability to make these finely tuned distinctions all by themselves. They are so color-aware!
The fun part comes next. We splattered our crocs with red, black and white tempera paint using a tooth brush which we ran against the back of a brush. How did we avoid splattering our eyes and pearly whites? We covered them with scraps of paper! My little kids came up with this solution before I even mentioned it. I love it.
For those who had time, we painted some reeds and foliage around our croc using a light wash of murky greens. Why a light wash? Because the foliage is not the main focus of our painting, so we wouldn't want it to distract from the main subject: our crocs! This response was also provided by my little artists. Proud teacher moment.
I can't stop gazing at these sweet crocs full of personality!
