Stencil Easter Rabbits Eating Clover

      The Easter bunny picture above was made by the use of a series of stencils. The rabbits and the dandelions (taraxacum) where drawn by one method and the clover by another. In order to make the soft appearance of the fuzzy animals and the dandelions, I gently rubbed the side of my colors over the top of each stencil. The effect resulted in a feathery appearance. Next, I traced around the clover and colored in the shapes left behind, resulting in harder brighter lines and shapes. 

      Teachers in this lesson may then discuss with young students the differences between design elements that are sometimes difficult to communicate in a drawing only. The rabbits look soft; the clover looks smooth. The fur and seeds look fuzzy, the clover looks bright and so on . . . Tactile ideas are easier to communicate through a fabric assignment but sometimes this is not affordable. Visual textures may be easier to believe when associated with objects that are obviously associated with textures small students enjoy in both their toys and in small animals that they are fond of.

      Teachers will need to make stencils in advance for the assignment. These should look similar to the black silhouettes that I have pictured below.