Middle school has recently focused on value through a series of painting and shading exercises. They are putting their new skills to work by creating space scenes that show value and form. Using the sun as their light source, they are using oil pastels to create planets that give the illusion of having the three dimensional form of a sphere. This also gives the illusion of the daylight and nighttime sides of the planet.
The background was created with a splatter paint technique using toothbrushes! Students were able to splatter to create the effect of far off galaxies and meteors.
The final step is cutting out the planets and sun and arranging them on the background. They had to remember to position the shaded planets according to the light source, the sun.