Our first drawing lesson in 4th and 5th grade was inspired by the famous quote by Henri Matisse - “There are always flowers for those who want to see them." We took flowers from our school garden (thanks for planting last spring, K-1 kiddos!) and brought them in to observe and draw. Observation drawing is one of the most important exercises to improve your artistic skill, in my opinion.
We used a variety of drawing tools like crayon, sharpie with thick and thin tips, and thin brush watercolor. The following week we had some choices for finishing up our drawing, like filling empty space, adding color or including the quote. We also wrote responses to Matisse's quote and discussed them and posted in the hall. Dr. Rose, our school superintendent, was visiting one morning and was able to stop in and see our creativity in action - very exciting!