Dancing in the Sky: Creating Northern Lights with Chalk Pastels

Dancing in the Sky: Creating Northern Lights with Chalk Pastels

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to create a stunning piece of art inspired by the Northern Lights using chalk pastels.

What do you already know about the Northern Lights?

Understanding the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, are colorful natural light displays in the Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions. They are caused by the interaction between solar wind and the Earth's magnetic field.

Choosing Complementary Colors

Complementary colors are pairs of colors that, when combined, cancel each other out. When placed next to each other, they create the strongest contrast and reinforce each other.

Harmonious Colors

Harmonious colors are colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. When used together, they create a pleasing and balanced visual effect.

Materials Needed

Chalk pastels, black construction paper, cotton swabs, and blending tools.

Creating the Background

Start by using the chalk pastels to create a colorful background on the black construction paper, blending the colors to represent the vibrant hues of the Northern Lights.

Adding the Northern Lights

Use vibrant and contrasting chalk pastels to depict the swirling patterns of the Northern Lights on the background, experimenting with different shapes and intensities of color.

Reflection and Sharing

Take a moment to reflect on the process and share your artwork with your classmates. Discuss the use of complementary and harmonious colors in your pieces.

Wrap-Up and Extension

Discuss how the use of colors can evoke different emotions and feelings. Encourage students to explore other natural phenomena as inspiration for future art projects.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.