Draw the rainforest: studies of plants and leaves

Art and design

Artists who use the rainforest as inspiration for their artwork

Make frottage leaf studies

Collage skills using the rainforest as inspiration

Explore the shades, textures and colours of a rainforest

Paint a rainforest

Pupils will learn about different artists who used forest scapes as their subject. They will create rubbings and make a collage from  objects they have collected, before making observational drawings and developing and realising their own rainforest painting.

The Rainforest: drawing and painting

What colours would you use to shade this green leaf realistically?

When drawing a leaf, you can show the veins by using {{ }} lines to follow the leaf’s shape.

Add shading to show light and dark areas.

Put these steps for drawing a leaf in the correct order.

Which of the following tools would be best for creating bold lines in your drawing?

cutting out and gluing different materials together

Which of the following is a key part of creating a collage?

to add rich colour to the drawing, often used for shading

to create soft transitions of colour, often used for backgrounds

to create deep shadows, bold lines and textures in dark areas

Match the drawing tool or technique to its purpose.

adding materials like fabric, buttons, or textured paper

What is the best way to add texture to a collage?

Frottage is an art technique where you {{ }} over a textured surface, like a leaf or wood, with a pencil or crayon to capture its pattern.

by using bright, bold colours and exaggerated shapes for the animals

by only painting the animals in the background

by using soft, neutral colours for all the animals

How might an artist like Henri Rousseau show the diversity of animals in a rainforest scene?

Starter Quiz

Which of the following tools would be best for creating bold lines in your drawing?