Dogs Don't Make Art!

Fourth graders studied the illustrator Diane deGroat and her book Dogs Don't Brush Their Teeth.  You can learn more about how she made her illustrations at http://sillydogbooks.com/how-we-did-it/dogs-dont-brush-their-teeth-the-process/

I gave them colored copies of dogs that I found online.  I looked for dogs that would be easy to cut out and that I could imagine doing different tasks, other than normal doggy-type tasks.  The kids thought this project was really fun and creative.  They had to use some problem-solving skills to figure out how to make costumes and props the right size for their dog.  They finally understood what a lightbox is used for!  They put their dog behind a piece of paper and drew at the lighbox so they could see exactly how the big the dog was as they were drawing hats, aprons, etc. Then, they had to illustrate the situation to fit their idea.  We used Sharpies and colored pencils. They turned out great!

This is my example.

Click here for the original lesson.