4th Grade Value Snowy Landscapes

My 4th graders have been learning about value. We made these snowy landscapes by mixing different tints and shades of the same color. We also discussed perspective, and how far away things look smaller than close-up things (in this case, trees).

My students did a really nice job painting the trees! I broke trees down to three kinds of line to simplify them; the tree trunk is a thick line, the branches are medium lines, and the little twigs are skinny lines. This helped the students create beautiful trees with confidence. I showed them how they can make skinny lines with the tip of a paintbrush, but I also had skinny brushes available so the students could choose their painting utensil. I think it's important for students to learn how different brushes work, but also to learn what works best for them personally.

This project took 4 weeks. The first week, we talked about value, and divided our paper into 5 sections. We painted the top section black, and then practiced painting trees. The second week, the students chose their color, and mixed it with black to make a shade. We painted the second section with the shade, and made a little tree above it. The 3rd week, we used the regular unmixed color to paint the middle section, and a slightly larger tree, and then we added some white to the color to make a tint. We painted the fourth section with the tint, and a larger tree. The last week, We used white to paint the bottom section, and the largest tree of all, and little tiny snowflakes all around it.

The students seemed to enjoy this project, and I am proud of how well they did.