This project — inspired by Art With Mrs. Nguyen — is a 10/10. The process was something fun and different for my art club students and the product is absolutely stunning.
On the first day, we looked at Koi fish in traditional and contemporary Asian art. We also watched a relaxing video of koi fish swimming around in a pond. Students used a handout from Mrs. Nguyen’s TpT store to sketch koi in their sketchbook. They were also allowed to put their paper together with their friend’s to create a collaborative design. They were reminded to show depth by overlapping and make their composition more interesting by making some fish go off the page.
Next, each student was given a sheet of 12×18 inch water color paper. They copied their design onto the big paper and traced over their lines with oil pastels. Then, they used liquid water color and salt to paint. I set up a water color station on an extra table so students could get their own paint.
The painting took a couple of weeks because students were very meticulous about their color choices and sprinkling of salt to create a textured effect. In the end, these turned out to be absolutely beautiful.
Awesome job art club!
