CAT IN THE WINDOW

LESSON PRESENTATION INSTRUCTIONS

SPACE

CAT IN THE WINDOW 

Lesson Objectives: Students will learn about perspective using either watercolors or cut paper.

Time Required:  1 hour           

Artist:  Marc Chagall, Paris Through The Window (available online)

            http://www.guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_work_md_28_2.html

 

Source: The Usborne Complete Book Of Art Ideas, pages 62-63

OPTION 1:

Materials:

Watercolor paper

Watercolor paints: purple, blue, orange, various other colors

Paintbrushes

Water

Paper towels

Cats cut out of black paper

Pre-cut strips of black paper for the window frame

Presentation:

Discuss space and perspective.  Images that are farther away appear smaller and lighter.

Images that are closer appear bigger and darker. 

Procedure:

1. Hand out watercolor paper. Write names on back. Orient paper vertically.
2. With pencil, draw a line vertically down the left side of the paper about 1 ½-2 inches wide. With this new border of the paper, draw 2-3 curvy lines near the top of the paper for mountains. Draw a line about 1 ½ inches from the bottom of the paper to delineate the window sill.
3. Using a very light purple, paint the very top of the paper as the sky.
4. Using a bit more color, paint the 1^st mountain.
5. Continue in this manner until all mountains are painted, leaving the bottom white.
6. Now add watercolor rectangles in various colors for houses overlapping the base of the mountain.
7. Paint a blue lake.
8. Paint in a window sill.
9. On the left hand side of the paper, paint the white strip of paper orange for the curtain.
10. Add in small rectangles for the windows on the buildings.
11. When dry, glue on the pre-cut strips for the window frame and the pre-cut cat or dog sitting on the window sill.

OPTION 2:

 

Materials: 

Light blue 9×12 paper

12 inch x 1 ½ to 2 inch strips of yellow paper with one wavy edge (for the curtain)

Cats cut out of black paper

Pre-cut strips of black paper for the window frame and Window Sill

Large scraps or full sheets of colored construction paper (check the recycle bin)

Markers

Pencil

Procedure:

1. Hand out Light Blue paper. Write names on back. Orient paper vertically.
2. With pencil, draw a line vertically down the left side of the paper about 1 ½-2 inches wide. Draw a line about 1 ½ inches from the bottom of the paper to delineate the window sill.  Anything in the left hand column or in the bottom 2 inches of the paper will be covered by the curtain and window sill.
3. Using construction paper, have the students construct a scene for the window.  Give them examples of different scenes, ie farm, mountains, city, etc.  Glue the scene elements to the blue paper.
4. Explain to the kids about layering the different items in their pictures.  For example, the mountains will need to be in the background and thus glued on first. 
5. Once their scene is complete have them glue on the black strips for the window panes and the window sill. 
6. Then glue on the yellow curtain on the left hand side.
7. Add the black cat sitting on the sill.
8. They may use markers to add detaiL to their picture but NOT to color things in.