Monet's Ice Cream

Have you ever looked at a Monet and wondered, "How did he make such beautiful lightened colors"? Second grade students examined some of Monet's paintings and we discussed his use of white paint mixed with bright colors to mute them into tinted pastels.  

We needed a subject to explore these new colors, so what better subject than ice cream?  Students drew their tiered sundaes and embellished them with spoons, marshmallows, fruit, sprinkles and anything else their imaginations would allow.  

When we completed the drawings, we traced them with Sharpie® marker to define our shapes (this helps us see our drawings better as we paint over the lines).  Once the paintings were complete, we outlined the work in black paint using a fine-tipped brush and drew any tiny details on with colored Sharpie®.  As you can see, their work turned out delicious!