Created with Poster water colours and pigmented ink

Within the 2D unit, students observed and made contour drawings of various rainforest flora, focusing on depth via
overlapping. Details were recorded such as stretch marks on palms, veins on elephant ears and ‘eyes’ on
philodendrons. They did not however, paint these compositions as they provided the stimulus for the ensuing
rainforest paintings.

The students learned how to create a wash using a gradation of colours, then proceeded to use more pigmented paint
to layer the rainforest flora and overlap the foliage.  Black pigmented ink was then applied with the aid of a
short stick of cane so as to achieve variety in the quality of lines. This really brought the paintings to life as
more details appeared with every application of ink contour, producing stunning results.

Petra Glaser
Visual Art Teacher
ICA Casey College
Suitable for Level 7