Davis Students Paint Watercolors

Fourth grade students at Davis Elementary spent part of their morning completing watercolor paintings inspired by their photographs from the Mississippi Museum of Art’s Art Garden. (You can see more about earlier stages of this project here.) Today’s lessons were taught by Carol Cox Peaster with help from Elizabeth Williams and Ivy Alley. I stopped by to take some photographs and help where I could. I was struck by what the students did to interpret their photographic images in the style of Walter Anderson.

I’ll show you a step-by-step by one of the students.

Here, she is beginning her final sketch — on the fine watercolor paper.

Here she is applying the black watercolor paint to the outline elements.

Here she is beginning to apply color.

Finishing the color.

Now, here’s a look at the image she took at the Art Garden.

Peaster used several books to showcase Walter Anderson’s style, including The Secret World of Walter Anderson by Hester Bass.
Here are some other examples of student work:

Outlining.

Color.
You can see that he is using his photograph as a reference. Here it is:

Some students were taking photographs of living things; others of textures and art sculptures.

Now, for his photograph:
And, finally.
Now, for her photograph: