Another of my favorites in 2nd grade because it seems everyone is successful with this project. It is so beautiful that everyone comes away with a frame-worthy picture! This project is one of the few that I spend 2 class times on and everyone finishes.
The first time we meet and after discussing Van Gogh and his interest in Japanese Woodcuts and his studies of sunflowers, students draw their LARGE sunflowers on 12×18″ black construction paper (I like Tru-Color). 
The vase is a simple stencil to help save time and start the “large” process, which can be hard for some at this age. I ask students to decide if their vase is clear glass or ceramic … if it is clear, what will we see?! They then have to draw the stems in the vase, and many times nice marbles or rocks at the bottom for interest. The vase needs to be sitting on something so students draw a line to show a tabletop. This year, I had one student who thought to make his table small and round … very “out-of-the-box” thinking!
After all the pencil drawing is done, cover white glue along the pencil lines. This will protect the black paper when dry and give it the woodcut effect after adding the chalk and pastels. 
There is a fine line between too much glue and too little or dots instead of lines etc. but in the end they all look beautiful.
DAY 2 – IT IS TIME TO ADD THE COLOR! I found a use for the chalkboard chalk donated by a retiring teacher!!! It brightens our pictures like crazy!! We use the chalk along with 2 kinds of pastels – regular Cray-Pas and Flourescent Gallery Pastels and the contrasts really makes these sunflowers POP! You have to use the chalk first and blend the pastels in last … the oil in the pastels repel the chalk.
I ask that students cover their entire paper with color and show them that by turning the chalk on its side helps with laying a base of color, as well as giving their art a different look from using the tip of the chalk.
Chalk and pastel tends to be very messy and doesn’t adhere to the paper well. To make sure that these masterpieces can be enjoyed for a long time, we spray them at the end to seal everything. Instead of using an aerosol of some kind (hair spray or you can by a non-toxic that still smells terrible) I mix a little white glue with water (about 1 part water to 6-7 parts water) in a spray bottle and spray across the art. Lay it flat to dry and when dry it is ready to mount!
CreARTive Sparks & Artful Thoughts 