Use contrasting colors and texture to turn your monster coloring page in to a color theory lesson. You can start with a monster drawing, but for young students, the monster coloring pages might be just what you need.
Contrasting Colors
To make this a Contrasting Color Lesson, first start by filling out the contrasting colors sheet. I’m going to use red and green. Red and green are color complements because they are across from each other on the color wheel. You can use any color complement pair, for example, blue & orange, or yellow & purple.
Why Color Complements?
Color complements make each other appear brighter when they are placed next to each other.
Using color complements is optional. You could pick another color scheme, like warm or cool colors instead, or just use your choice of colors. Similarly, you can achieve contrasting colors by making some colors light and others dark.
Start with a Marker Outline, Then Add Texture
I’m using markers first to outline the monster and then fill in some of the smaller areas. Notice that I’ve used a light and dark red (pink is a light red) as well as a light green in the spots of the frame. Next, I’ll use a green for the large areas of the body. The texture rubbing makes the green appear lighter.
Texture Rubbing Tips
I’ve placed a piece of wallpaper under the paper to make the body of the monster more interesting by making a texture rubbing. The wallpaper affects the way my crayon covers the paper because of its texture. This is called a texture rubbing.
Some tips for a good texture rubbing:
• Use a flat part of the crayon for this.
• Hold down on the paper and texture as you color so that they don’t shift.
• Use firm pressure.
Coloring Pages
Expressive Monkey has made Monster Coloring Pages just to make sure your students have some extra fun! You can use the Monster Coloring Pages as an extra activity for early finishers, or use the pages to teach color theory or as writing inspiration.
I hope you have fun using textures, colors, and monsters together!
Want to Learn More?
Monster Blog Posts
- Texture Plate for Monster Drawing
- Artist Trading Cards with Monsters & Textures
- Monster Drawing with Textures and Adjectives
- Color Theory for Kids & Monsters
- Watercolor Technique – Warm Colored Monsters
- Contrasting Colors Monster Texture Rubbing
- Textures in Watercolor: Monster & Contrasting Colors
Making Texture Plates:
- Texture Rubbing Idea: File Folder Texture Plate
- Making Texture Plates from Paper Punches
- Texture Plate for Monster Drawing
Texture Blog Posts
- Artist Trading Cards with Monsters & Textures
- Monster Drawing with Textures and Adjectives
- Contrasting Colors Monster Texture Rubbing
- Textures in Watercolor: Monster & Contrasting Colors
- Turkey Drawing Easy Thanksgiving Art Project
- Op Art Coloring with Mess-Free Techniques!
- Descriptive Words in Art with Kids
- Shamrock Coloring Pages with Mixed Media
- Picasso Art Project Technique
The Benefits of Drawing
Use this infographic to display in your room or share with parents, administrators, or other teachers as a way to point out some of the academic benefits of learning to draw. While they are not the only reason for using drawing as part of a balanced curriculum, they are certainly worthy of celebrating and may help you advocate for including drawing as part of your art or classroom learning experiences.
You can read more about The Benefits of Drawing in this blog post.
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