ART
Leonardo DaVinci Frescos

Submitted by: Stephanie Raymer
From: Van Nuys, CA
Date Submitted: November 4, 2002

When we study Leonardo daVinci (as well as Diego Rivera or Michaelangelo), I teach the students about the art of fresco and mural creating. Then we create our own frescos. To do this, I have each of the kids bring in a shoe box top. Then they create a sketch of what they want their fresco to look like. While they are doing this, I mix a bucket of plaster of paris. Then I pour the plaster into their shoe box tops. As the plaster is setting, they finish up their sketches. When the plaster is firm, but still wet, the kids paint their sketches onto the plaster, then it dries into the plaster, creating a fresco! The kids love the challenge of trying to finish their painting before the plaster completely dries!