The Big Picture

One of the projects I often taught at the beginning of each semester involved making large murals using black bulletin board paper and metallic tempera paints. I covered my tables with paper from a big roll of black paper and numbered each piece to make them easier to distribute. Depending on the theme we chose, students drew lightly in pencil, filling the space as much as possible. 

Sometimes we used white outlines as well, as you see in some of these photos. Leaving empty spaces around the figures lets the black paper show through and creates great contrast with the metallic paint.

At the end of each class, I would hang the paintings around the room to let them dry. It would take quite a few classes to finish them but the students loved the metallic paint.

Another big advantage of working this large is that it makes hanging art exhibits very easy, both in and out of school. The paper is very strong and doesn't tear easily so they stand up well for multiple exhibitions. I would keep and exhibit them all year. At the end of the year, I would cut them apart and give each student the part they painted.

Self-portraits

A Japanese theme

Horses