Oil Pastel Scratch Back Vase

This lesson explores the work of Margaret Preston and her subject matter of native Australian flowers. Students will use oil pastels to draw a picture of flowers inspired by Preston’s style. They will use a scratch back resist effect to create contrast in their work by painting over their work with black acrylic paint and scratching it back.

Year level suitability: 1 – 4

Duration: Approximately 2 lessons

Materials:

• Thick cartridge paper (130gsm+)

• Oil pastels

• Black acrylic paint

• Liquid Soap

• Reference images of native Australian flowers or real flowers

What’s included:

· A full lesson plan PDF with step-by-step instructions

· Assessment rubric

· Australian Visual Arts Curriculum links

· Short video

· PowerPoint presentation