Potter Cow 2

What You’ll Need

POTTER COW

Topics Covered Line, Texture & Space

Time Needed 2 Sessions at 40 Minutes

2

Cows make such great subjects for art. Their

docile, inquisitive personalities really come

through when they are drawn, especially by

children. In this lesson, students will learn about

Baroque artist Paulus Potter who enjoyed painting

farm animals. After students draw and paint their

cow, the final step is to capture the cow’s soft fur

by adding a layer of chalk pastel texture.

ABOUT PAULUS POTTER Paulus Potter was a Dutch artist who was part of

the Baroque art movement. His most popular

paintings are of farm scenes with animals such as

cows, horses and pigs. Potter died from

tuberculosis when he was 28, but he produced

about 100 paintings in his short life.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

9” x 12” or 12” x 18” white

sulphite paper

Black oil pastel

Cake or liquid tempera

Medium round paintbrush

Chalk pastels

Potter Cow

Potter, Paulus. The Young Bull. 1647, oil on canvas, Mauritshuis, The Hague, Netherlands.

© DEEP SPACE SPARKLE & THE SPARKLERS CLUB 2

Potter Cow Timeline

Prep

• Paper from previous session

• Messy mat

• Black oil pastel

• Chalk pastels

Day two

1. Play lesson video from 6:29 to 9:18 3

2. Pass out oil pastel and chalk pastels 3

3. Color background 13

4. Play lesson video from 9:18 to end 3

5. Add texture with chalk 13

6. Clean up 5

In Class

Prep

• Messy mat & printed drawing guide

• 9” x 12” or 12” x 18” white sulphite paper

• Black oil pastel

• Cake or liquid tempera

• Paintbrush & water cup

1. Play lesson video, pause at 5:07 5

2. Pass out drawing materials 3

3. Draw cow 10

4. Play lesson video from 5:07 to 6:29 2

5. Pass out painting materials 3

6. Paint cow 12

7. Clean up 5

In Class

Day One


Lesson Notes: Crayons or oil pastels can be substituted for chalk pastels.

Adaptations: Substitute tempera paint sticks for paint, add googly eyes for extra texture.

Begin the lesson by discussing

Baroque artist Paulus Potter and

show examples of his work,

specifically his art that features cows.

Use the drawing guide on page eight

to draw the cow with black oil pastel.

Draw the cow large so that it fills the

paper. Add spots and markings to

the cow if desired.

Add details to the background such

as a horizon line, hills, trees, etc.

Drawing the cow


Paint the cow and background with cake

or liquid tempera paint.

I decided to paint my cow with cake

tempera paint and then leave the

background unpainted. I then colored in

the sky and land with chalk pastel to give

the background a softer look.

If students want to paint their

background, that’s fine, too.

Allow painting to dry.

Painting the cow


Use chalk pastels to add TEXTURE details such

as short lines in the horns and short fur lines on

the body and face.

Add short lines to the landscape to give the

background some texture, too.

Use a dark brown to add some shading inside

the cow’s ears. This will really make the ears

look three-dimensional.

The final step is to retrace any of your original

black oil pastel lines over again with black oil

pastel.

Adding texture

TEXTURE: Surface quality that can be seen or felt such as rough,

smooth, soft, hard, etc.


2nd grade gallery


Potter Cow

Draw the cow’s nose by

making an oval near the

bottom center of the paper.

Add a curved line under the

nose for the mouth. Add two

nostrils. Draw an upside-

down “U” for the head.

Draw two curved lines from

the top of the head down to

the nose. Draw eyes.

Add hair on top of the head

with a curved, zig-zag line.

Draw the line for the back

of the cow and the chest.

Draw ears off each side of

the head. Add a curved

horn above each ear.

Draw a line on the top of the

ears. Add spots to the body

of the cow, if desired. Color

in the nostrils.

1

D R A W I N G G U I D E

2 3

4 5 6


CREATING Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work — Brainstorm collaboratively multiple

approaches to art and design—Use of various materials to make art

Organize and develop artistic ideas and work — Experiment with various materials to

explore personal interests in art-making—Demonstrate safe use/cleaning

Refine and complete artistic work—Discuss/reflect with peers about choices when creating

artwork

Presenting/producing Analyze, interpret and select artistic work for presentation— Categorize artwork based on

a theme or concept for an exhibition

Develop and refine artistic work for presentation — Distinguish between different

materials or artistic techniques for preparing artwork for presentation

Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work — Analyze how art exhibited

inside and outside school contributes to communities

Responding Perceive and analyze artistic work- Describe aesthetic characteristics of the natural world

and constructed environments Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work — Interpret art by identifying the mood

suggested and describing relevant subject matter and identifying the characteristics of

form

Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work— Use learned art vocabulary to express preferences

about artwork

Connecting Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art- Create works of

art about events in home, school or community life Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding —Compare and contrast cultural uses of artwork from different times and

places

NATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDS-second grade

X

X

X

X

X


CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather

additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.

While discussing Potter’s artwork, you can encourage students to formulate and ask questions about

what they don’t understand. You can also have students work in partner or table groups to come up

with questions about Potter’s artwork collaboratively, then share their ideas with the class.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate

understanding of key details in a text.

After presenting background information on the Assiniboine tribe, have students answer these

questions verbally or written in order to assess their understanding of their culture before starting

their artwork.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or

speaking.

You can communicate to students that using conventions of standard English grammar when writing

their answers to the artist statement worksheet should be emphasized. This is a wonderful way to

help students see cross curricular connections between subjects!

Common core standards for POTTER COW

I CAN STATEMENTS FOR POTTER COW

• Today I will learn about the artist PAULUS POTTER so that I CAN understand his subject matter

and use it for inspiration.

• Today I will learn about SPACE so that I CAN draw a cow and background that fills my paper.

• Today I will learn about LINE so that I CAN create a TEXTURE on my cow and background using

chalk pastel.


ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST

Student Name:

Can the student describe Potter’s subject matter and give several facts about his life?

Did the student fill the space on their paper with their drawing?

Did the student create texture lines on their cow and background?

Main Ideas from:

POTTER COW


Documents

Potter Cow 2