The Princess and the Pea crayon resist

Welcome to another Coronavirus stay-at-home project!  This project is for my 3rd graders, but any students Kindergarten and up can participate!  I love to combine reading/literature and Art.  I found a beautiful reading of Hans Christian Anderson's Fairy Tale "The Princess and the Pea" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waw0U9tKpW0

Students should watch the video before starting the project.  Then gather the materials and begin to create!

Materials:
paper (watercolor paper is best, but any available paper will work)
pencil
optional: Sharpie marker
crayons
watercolor (washable) markers and/or watercolors
paintbrush
water

Step 1:
After listening to the story, use the pencil to sketch a headboard and then stack as many mattresses as possible on top!  In the story, the queen stacked how many on top of the pea??  That's right, 20! WOW!  Be sure to leave some room at the top to draw the princess on top of the mattresses.

Step 2: Once the sketch is complete, outline the pencil either with a Sharpie marker or crayon.  Do not use the washable markers for this step!  

Step 3: Use crayons to add detail to each mattress, the headboard, and the princess.  No need to color in completely unless you are only working with crayons (I know some of you may not have watercolor markers or watercolors).

Step 4: Now we are going to perform some magic.  Did you know that watercolor/washable markers will bleed if you paint over them with water??  Basically, they become watercolor!  Isn't that cool?!  So if you do not have actual watercolors at home, you can try a new way to watercolor.  Start one section at a time.  Color in the area.  It doesn't have to be colored completely, because the water will help to fill the nooks and crannies!  Now as soon as you color one section "wash" over it with the paintbrush dipped into water.  Add more water as necessary.

You can see (above) I colored the center of the flowers only.  When I washed over the area with water, the color spread to fill in the area around the flowers, so the flowers are dark blue but the mattress is light blue (see below).  

Continue until all of the mattresses and the princess have been "painted". 

Step 5: If desired color the background.  What is happening around the princess on the bed?  Is there a carpet under the bed? Is there a picture on the wall?  Be as creative with the surroundings as you wish OR watch the video again for suggestions OR paint/color it plain like I did.

That's it!  You now have a beautiful Princess to hang on the refrigerator or front window for neighbors to see AND a story to tell! 

 For my students: Be sure to share a picture in the Google classroom.

Stay safe.  Hope we will see each other again soon ❤