Grade 3: Scratch Art Masterpieces

If you are not familiar with scratch art, it is a medium that requires thoughtfulness and precision as artists use special tools to engrave a drawing on a surface covered with black ink. Upon carefully sketching their animals, the third graders' work was not complete. K-8 Visual Arts Teacher, Ms. Sarah Baldwin, guided the students in painting an abstract watercolor background for the scratch art that would mimic the species' natural environment (such as water, grass, etc.). "Before painting their watercolor backgrounds, students held their insect over a variety of textures and colors to find the right balance of both before they began painting. I loved that students could experiment with their layering in this way," Ms. Baldwin said. Take a look at the work of the third-grade artists!