To start the unit, students were introduced to the paintings of Blue Dog in several recognizable places (the White House, outer space, the swamp, a field) and some paintings of Blue Dog in entirely imaginary places (like a dream of Ancient Egypt, or one where he is a butterfly dog, or in a decorated background).
We even saw Blue Dog dressed up like people wearing a necktie; he was even dressed up as a clown! We then read George Rodrigue's own wonderful children's book Why Is Blue Dog Blue? which explains his thought process and the reasons he chooses to paint Blue Dog different colors. The book also introduces some colors the students never heard of before: salmon, mustard, cherry, avocado, chocolate, and apricot to name a few! 1st and 2nd grade used a tracer of Blue Dog.
The students selected the best placement on the paper for their dog, traced the outline, and then drew his face from observation. The environments and accessories were drawn free-hand with pencil and Sharpie first and then we did a
colored pencil color study to practice our paint colors. The last step was adding color with acrylic paint. The students then wrote journals about their work in the style of George Rodrigue's book that explained their choice of place for Blue Dog and his color, too.
I love the imaginative and varied places and looks for Blue Dog the students came up with! They really captured the spirit of Blue Dog in these paintings. Visit our student art blog! www.sgpart.blogspot.com
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