Fresh with visions of roadside lace in our heads, Nana led us in a very quick pastel lesson.
We’d brought our Audubon First Field Guide: Wildflowers with all its photos plus the Handbook of Nature Study with all its narrative.
Nana first sketched the flower herself, so the children would have a guide.
Then she passed out colors.
Showed the children how to make the basic shapes.
Outline in a dark color.
Make green Ws for surrounding grass.
Then came the most fun part – the dots of lace! Nana reminded us to picture which direction the sun might be shining. To place pink dots of lace down low, to show the shadow.
Brilliant white on the part where the sun was highlighting.
Light green for stems.
Twelve-year-old’s Queen Anne’s Lace
By eight-year-old
By eleven-year-old
Beautiful results with a beautiful mountain view!
A note on pastels: Pastels are an easy, forgiving medium. Fun for children and adults alike! Details on the pastels and paper we use, how and where to purchase, and links to all of Nana’s other pastel lessons are all contained in the post Pastels plus links to tutorials. A simple set is very affordable.
The practical aspects of a mess: Pastels are blessedly messy. We always have baby wipes close by to wipe hands. We wear something we don’t mind getting stained or don a smock.
- Just add chalk pastels and paper for a whole year of tutorials! Our ebook A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels.
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