Rose Drawings with Chalk Pastels

Portland Oregon is known as the "City of Roses." To help celebrate our annual Rose Festival, I recently did a fun project with the children at Legacy Hospital using chalk Pastels.

We began with a sheet of quality black construction paper.
I prefer the Dick Blick brand because of the deep black color and smooth surface.

I demonstrated how to draw a basic rose shape using a wiggly line that swirls around and around. Imperfection is encouraged and drawing large enough to fill the page works best. Simple leaf shapes can be added to the sides.

The children drew their rose in pencil first. Next, they went over their lines with a fat tip metallic marker. 

Chalk pastels were used to color the roses.

Layering multiple colors makes the image rich and dramatic. Blending the colors using fingers providers a smooth finish.

This project takes about 45 minutes to complete and is appropriate for all ages and skill levels.

Some of the older patients and family members also tried their hand at drawing rose buds - which were a bit more complicated to draw.

I think the results are fantastic.

Random scribbles for the background using white plus one or two similar colors creates a rich contrasting texture.

Supplies you will need for this project:
Black Construction paper.
Pencils
Metallic Markers
Chalk Pastels