Matisse and his fish bowl

My middle school elective class began the year by making a still life.  We admired the work of Henri Matisse and tried our best to replicate his masterpiece.  Students started with black crayon to create the basic shapes of the fish bowl, table, and background.  From there, we discussed color value and how to make the fish bowl give the illusion of depth by making the blues vary from dark to light.  

Then, students we set free to color the remaining parts of the picture.  We talked about complimentary colors and how using a pair for the wall and floor would make for a strong composition.

 Below are some pictures from the fist class.  More to come as the paintings get finished!