Summer Workshop: Pool Toy Draw!

     I love the summer workshops.  It's such a fun way to dust off the cob webs and provide an opportunity for enthusiastic writers to devote some time to something they love to do.   These workshops go quickly in only one week, and we jump right into "Pool Toy Draw," which is always a class favorite.  

    Here's how you play:

Step 1: Draw a very colorful, creative pool toy.  This should be something never seen before, as creative as can be.

Step 2: Write a very clear desciption of your pool toy, including size, shape, colors, and any other detail that will paint the perfect picture in the reader's mind of exactly what you want them to see.

Step 3: Exchange descriptions, and try to draw your partner's pool toy as they draw yours, without any talking!

Our class voted this pair as the winners.  Congratulations to Julia (8th grade) and Allison (6th grade)!

My Pool Toy, by Julia 

    My pool toy is a small grassy platform with an armchair, umbrella, table and sprinkler. First for the grassy platform draw a medium length line going horizontally In the middle of the paper. on top of the line, draw a short rectangle.  It should be in the middle third of the line. On each side of the rectangle draw a small square (about the height of the rectangle) with a similarly sized circle on top. Make sure each side is identical because these are the arms of the chair. In between the two arms, draw an arched line, kind of like a rainbow. This should be be approximately double the hieght of the arms.

    Moving on the the oteher things on the platform, draw a line going at a slight diagonal to the right of the chair. It should be the same height of the chair. Then, for the umbrella shade,  draw a short semi circle.  It should be 3 times as long as the height. Now, draw 3 lines to divide it into 4 equal sections. Draw a small dot on top of the umbrella shade, right in the center, and the umbrella is done. To the left of the chair, there is a small table. Draw a line the height of the arm of the chair plus the base. On top of that, draw a skinny oval about the width of the circles in the arm of the chair. In the center of the table, add a small rectangle shaped like a glass of water, and add a short line sticking out for a straw.

    Now for the sprinkler, add a small black dot at the left edge of of the green line.  Add lines coming from the sprinkler arching over the chair, stopping at the umbrella shade.  This is water.  To the left of the umbrella, draw a short line going diagonally to the left, one going diagonally to the right, and one going straight.  On top of each, draw a small circle to be flowers.

    Now for color.  Color the line platofrm dark green, color the sprinkler dot black, and the water coming from it light blue and dark blue.  Color the flower stems green, with the left most flower yellow, the middle orange, and the right pink.  The umbrella stick is silver, the dot on top is silver, and different sections are alternating lavender and magenta (in that order).  For the table, the leg and top are silver, half of the glass is peach, and the straw is teal.  For the chair, make the bottom and arms turquoise, and teh back of the chair is an ombre in this order from the top to bottom: teal, light blue, dark blue.

    Now for the background.  Draw a small yellow circle in the top left corner.  Add black half moon sunglasses in the middle.  Now add a wavy teal line separating the two halves of the paper, under the float.    Color the bottom half a mix of light and dark blue, for water, and the top half light blue, for sky.

Look at these perfect matches!