This fun step by step lesson presents line direction (vertical, horizontal and diagonal) and can connect to science and or literature themes. I modeled a very simple process of creating a spider web. We practiced together then the students drew on their art paper with crayon/oil pastels.
Part II is the addition of night sky and an optional moon and salt stars. Using a limited range of cool night hue liquid watercolors students covered over their web blending as they painted. A bottle cap with a tissue was used to blot out a cloudy moon. The last touch was a pinch of salt for starts. The the pieces were left to dry overnight and the salt brushed off, the result was grand. Spiders can be added as a collage element or drawn before the painting.
The book "The Very Busy Spider" makes a great connect to this project.
