Middle School Summer Art Project: Mixed Media Fruit and Vegetable Painting

Quick Take

Create bright works of art to hang in the kitchen at home.

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Objective

Students will make fruit and vegetable-themed mixed media paintings with an emphasis on pattern and color.

Materials:

Thick paper or cardstock
Acrylic or tempera paint
Brushes
Textured paper towels with a visible pattern
Thick paper
Oil or chalk pastel
Fruits and vegetables to use as reference if needed
Paint boards and tape
Glue or matte medium

Lesson Procedure

Step One: Students will collect fruits and vegetables and arrange them into a still life composition or select a piece or two as inspiration for a graphic design. Students will decide on a basic color scheme for their paintings, focusing on bright, contrasting colors (if needed, students can use a color wheel to choose complementary colors).

Step Two: Students will choose a background color for their paintings and apply a thick, even coat of paint to their papers. Immediately after applying paint, students will lay the textured paper towels flat onto the painted surface, evenly smoothing them out with a gentle touch. Students will then carefully lift the paper towels from the paint, which will leave a textured pattern behind on the paper. Paintings need to be set aside and allowed to dry completely.

Step Three: While the background paint is drying, students can paint and cut out their fruits and vegetables. For added visual interest, students can use a paper towel with different texture and repeat the paper towel and paint process on a separate piece of thick paper for the fruit and vegetable cutouts.

Step Four: Students will arrange and glue their fruits and vegetables onto the patterned backgrounds, allowing them to dry before adding any desired highlights or details to the paintings.