Elementary students learn that artist Henri Rousseau reimagined a place he never visited (the jungle) and sketch their own imaginative jungle scenes.

Melanie Robinson

After a trip to the rainforest, one of my third-grade students shared how amazing it was with his classmates. I wanted to draw on their excitement and create a lesson in which they could use their classmateʼs experience in their artwork.

Henri Rousseau was the perfect artist to introduce for this project, so we spent time discussing his jungle art and what inspired him.

Students were fascinated to learn that Rousseau did not paint in an actual jungle, but in a garden in France. He used the plant life he saw there to create his paintings and often found images of animals in books, which he recreated in his own way. Students were captivated by the artist’s ability to make his paintings resemble lush jungle scenes.

Students looked at a variety of Rousseauʼs paintings, photos of jungle and rainforest plants, and live plants, both in nature and potted, which I brought into class. Using their observational skills, students drew leaves and flowers to cover as much of their paper as possible. Many repeated leaves and patterns to create a harmonious composition.

Once studentsʼ pencil drawings were completed, we talked about color blending. They used crayons to blend and layer color while incorporating patterns and creating a variety of different blends in their art. Some students found this challenging and kept it simple, using one color per leaf or flower while other students went above and beyond, blending colors that faded into other blended colors.

Once they were finished with coloring, students did a watercolor wash over their drawings and set them aside to dry.

While their background compositions dried, students created sketches of various animals found in the jungle or rainforest. When they were happy with one, they colored it and added the image to their jungle background either by cutting slits and weaving their animal into it or gluing it to the paper.

This was a successful project for almost every student. They all seemed genuinely pleased with their artworks and were amazed by the colors that popped when they were complete.

If I were to do this project again, I would have images of different animals available to students. Some students looked at images they found online, but others wanted to create their animals from their imagination, which I encouraged. I also would do the project closer to the beginning or middle of the school year so there would be time for an exhibit. Students finished these during their last class of the year, so I couldn’t display them. Even so, it was a joyful way to end the school year, with students immersed in creativity and imagination.

Melanie Robinson is a K–5 art educator at Cedar Springs Elementary in House Springs, Missouri. mrobinson@northwestschools.net

Into the Jungle: Drawing on Imagination