ART II – ANIMALS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
NAME:________________________
LESSON FOCUS:
This lesson focuses on creating a close-up drawing of an animal using oil pastels.
VOCABULARY:
Color: An element of art that is derived from reflected light. The sensation of color is
aroused in the brain by response of the eyes to different wavelengths of light.
Composition: The placement, or arrangement, of visual elements in a work of art.
Cropping: Refers to the removal of the outer parts of an image to improve the
framing, composition, or accentuate subject matter.
Implied texture: The illusion of real texture. Ex: a drawing of tree bark.
Real texture: Texture that can actually be felt if touched. Ex: Touching tree bark
would fee rough.
Representational: Refers to images that are clearly recognizable.
Shade: A dark value of a hue made by adding black to it.
Surface texture: The apparent, or perceived, surface quality of a work of art.
Texture: Refers to the way things feel, or looks as if they might feel if touched.
Tint: A light value of a hue made by mixing the hue with white.
Value: The lightness or darkness of a color or tone.
PROCEDURE:
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Choose an animal you would like to examine up close.
Once your animal choice has been approved, create at least three preliminary
drawings exploring various compositions.
Choose one of your preliminary drawings to work from and trace onto good
paper.
Finish, using oil pastels.
o Consider how to create various textures in oil pastel by studying the
oil pastel techniques shown below.
MATERIALS:
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14”x 17” manila sketch paper
14”x 17” drawing paper
Oil pastels (assorted colors)
Oil Pastel Techniques
Scraping Back
Blending with Oil Pastel
First put down a layer of color. Next,
smudge this until it becomes a solid. Then,
layer another color on top of it—smudge it
until it becomes a solid. Now, you can
scrape detail back into your piece.
Begin by covering one area with your
chosen color. Next, add a layer of another
color. Then, press hard and blend with the
oil pastel, using pressure in the middle
where the two colors meet.
Crosshatching is a series of perpendicular
lines layered on top of one another.
Pressure increases the saturation of the
pigment. This process can be used to both
blend and gradate color.
Stippling
Highlight
Smudge with Your Finger
A highlight is the chunk of light that is the
lightest spot on your image. After creating
your rendering, place the highlight
appropriately.
Put down an even layer of one color. On
top of that, place a layer of another color,
and then smudge/blend with your finger.
Strive for an even color.
Start with one color and create an even
tone by making dots over the surface.
Next, begin on one side and stipple
another color until you’ve made a gradual
value shift like the one shown above.
Student Examples: