DEEP SPACE

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B 2

JAPANESE STYLE PLATE

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• Plain paper plate (8” is best )

• Sharpie Marker

• Drawing aids

• Blue, white, turquoise, pink or red,

yellow liquid tempera paint

• Black paint for outlining

• Small round brush

Drawing and Painting on paper plates is

surprisingly fun. You may be wondering

why bother painting on a plate when you

can just as easily paint on paper.

What I discovered was that kids love to

paint within parameters. Painting on a

plate, with it’s distinct size, offers a new

perspective for children.

You can mimic a real plate like the

Japanese Pagoda sample, paint a

masterpiece like the Great Wave sample

or cut the paper plate in half to create a

beautiful fan.

Whatever you chose, you’ll see how

much fun it is painting on a round

surface.

These projects are best for grades 2 and up.

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B 3

For the best drawing tips, please watch the video in The Great Wave Lesson (Grade 3-4 and 5-6)

On a white plate, draw the FIRST WAVE (bottom) with a black oil pastel or drawing tool of

your choice (black crayon, marker, etc). The wave starts at the bottom side of the plate.

To draw the SECOND WAVE place oil pastel on the side of the plate. Draw a curved line up

to the middle of the plate and start to head down. As you move down the wave, wiggle and

jiggle the oil pastel to make the whitecaps of the wave front. Scoop the line down and over

to the right hand side of the plate.

To draw the WHITECAPS, use the oil pastel to draw an uneven line along the underside of

the wave.

Add a horizon line and draw Mt. Fuji in the distance.

For the final bit, draw lines or stripes along the interior of each wave.

THE GREAT WAVE

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The G

reat W

ave

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B 5

Using liquid tempera paints, blend the

blues and white together to create

interesting VALUE.

It’s worth experimenting with mixing the

turquoise, pink, blue and white paint to

come up with an interesting color

combination for the waves. Surprisingly

enough, this is what really makes the

lesson POP and helps each child create a

unique painting.

Paint background using any color

combination. In fact, you may want to

encourage children top select a color

other than blue for the sky given that the

water and waves will be some shade of

blue.

Outline the waves with black tempera

paint.

Splatter white paint near crest of wave to

imitate the ocean spray.

THE GREAT WAVE

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B 6

JAPANESE PAGODAWith a Sharpie marker draw a Japanese

Pagoda using the drawing aid on the next

page.

Using white and blue tempera paint and a

small brush, paint TINTS inside the larger

shapes of the pagoda.

Using the brush, paint details around the

plate. Details can be flowers, leaves,

patterns, stripes, etc.

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B 7

JAPANESE PEDOGA

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B 8

JAPANESE FANSCREATING THE FAN:

Cut a large paper plate in half. Each

child can paint one half.

Using a plastic lid from a sour cream

container or similar size, trace a semi-

circle on the flat side of the plate. Cut

out.

Select ONE BASE COLOR and paint

entire fan.

When the base coat dries, allow the

kids to paint freely. Children in grades

3 and above will have an easier time

with this as it involves a bit of

precision while painting free-hand.

Offer children the handouts for a few

drawing ideas.

Optional: If you have Popsicle sticks

handy, you can add them to the

bottom of the fan in a crossed

position.

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B 9

JAPANESE FANS

Japanese Drawing Ideas