Project: Noah's ARK

Grade: 3rd Grade

Noah's Ark Art Gallery by 3rdn graders Spring 2002

Materials: Water colors (Prang oval set of 8)
Water buckets
Paper towel blotters
Paint brushes
Watercolor paper (taped down -- optional)
or construction paper (this I will not tape)
Prep: Cut watercolor paper to 22 x 11 approx.

Black permanent markers to outline picture -- Extra fine tip Sharpie
** Note, I use Prang oval water colors because I like the pigment colors for student work.

Objectives:
To compare and contrast: Peaceable kingdom and picture of Noah's Ark by Jan Brueghel's ( from the Getty Museum)
Perceptual skill: Looking and seeing the differences in the style of our artist. Seeing the colors, light, etc.
Learn differences in warm and cool colors
Understand concept of composition as picture is created.
Learning Wet on Wet techniques in water colors for the background
Learning Wet on Dry techniques and experiencing the differences
Understanding the difference between realistic looking pictures and cartoon like pictures

Sample Questions to ask students: What do you see in this picture? What animals do you see ? What is in the background? Who is this child? What colors do you see in the picture? Do you see warm or cool colors? Compare this picture to the Noah's ark picture by Jan Brueghel. What is the difference between the pictures? (hint: one is primitive style and one is realistic) What animals do you see in this picture? What is in the background of this picture? Which painting is older?

Eslar Targets:

Scriptural Inspiration: Isaiah 11:6
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together
And a little child shall lead them.

Activity: Discussion of Art work by Edward Hicks, and Bruegel, if time.
Artist: Edward Hicks
Picture Title: Peaceable Kingdom

History of Artist: Edward Hicks was born in Attleboro, Pennsylvania. He was the son of a farmer, and left the land to become an apprentice to a coach maker. He showed ability in painting coaches and signs of being an artist. Eventually he left this trade and became a Quaker. He again bought a farm. His farm did not prosper and he then turned to preaching in the northern part of the United States and Canada. He became renown as a preacher. As a Quaker, he felt he must continue to earn his living with his hands. Since his only skill was painting he went back to art and put on canvas his sincere beliefs in the Bible. His sincerity shines through his paintings. His animals have human expressions. His children and human figures are stiff, doll like, and distinctive. He was self taught as an artist, and this shows in his primitive style.
Peaceable Kingdom is part of a collection of about 25 versions of this subject. In these paintings not only does the lion lie down with the lamb, but also the Indian and the white man stand in peace together. As a preacher, he used his painting skills to tell stories of the Bible and make it come alive to those around him.

Lesson on Noah's Ark. This picture by Edward Hicks gives us lots of ideas for animals and painting a Noah's Ark.

Directions:
1. Optional step-- Tape with masking tape the water color paper to the table. This only works well with masking tape that is not too sticky and at least 80lb water color paper. This does not work with construction paper. You will need extra time to prep for this, but it has a nice finished look.

2. Using a pencil, draw a simple ark for the students to follow. This can be done on scratch paper first. Go slowly step by step, letting the students follow you. The sample below is of a student's work. Then ask the student to draw their sketch again on the BIG paper. Talk about composition, and the placement of the ark on the paper. Are they going to include water, land, animals? What will be their focus?

3. After the Ark is sketched onto the student's paper, the student can begin to be creative about the animals they want to include on the ark. Many students will want help with the animals, others will not. At this time I will randomly draw different animals unto the sample that I have to display. Encourage the students to draw at least 10 animals. (Many 3rd graders would only make Noah and about 3 animals). Talk about Noah's ark and what it might have been like to gather the animals, to live with the animals, what the rain was like....etc.

4. When the student's work is completed, have them outline the main shapes with a Sharpie PERMANENT fine tip or extra fine tip pen.

5. Watercolor: I suggest to students to begin with the animals, Noah, and then the ark to color.
Then when this is completed, they can water color the background areas as the ocean, the ground, the sky, etc. (Though this is not the "artistic " way of painting background and then foreground, I have found its works better for the younger students to work this way.)

6. Demonstrate these two techniques: Wet on Dry would be used on the animals, and smaller details. Wet on WET technique is best for larger areas as the background sky, ocean, ground, or the Ark.

Definitions:
*WET on WET technique; Water is applied in a certain area to be painted. Then add the wet paint to that particular area.

** WET on DRY technique: Water is added to the paint. Paint is applied directly onto the paper.

7. Background area: (Note: many times I do this step the next day ) Using the wet on wet technique, paint blue and purple colors in the background. When the painting is completed and thoroughly dry, the masking tape can be removed VERY CAREFULLY.

Added Notes:
This Project has been done with 3rd graders. I think it could be done with 3rd through 5th graders. With 4th or 5th graders, I would concentrate more on perspective and realistic animals. Some 3rd graders were able to do this also.
One year, since the 3rd grade class was reading Charlotte's Web, we added Wilbur the pig, and Charlotte the spider to each of the students pictures.

2nd grade version of this lesson: Concentrate on the Lion only in the Edward Hicks picture of the Peaceable Kingdom. Draw a step by step Lion, with the students following your direction. Have the students add the background. Draw in pencil, outline in sharpie pen, and watercolor same as above lesson.