Olivia by Ian Falconer - Charcoal Drawings

Welcome to my first post in what I hope will grow to be a very useful resource for arts educators and people who love quality children's literature through picture books.
You can find out more about this great book at http://www.amazon.com/Olivia-Ian-Falconer/dp/0689829531 and http://books.google.com/books?id=4RQxIJS8IAMC&dq=Olivia+Ian+Falconer&source=gbs_navlinks_s I am not on Amazon's payroll either!


Activities:(The first 4 points I would use with every book unless you set it up in the classroom as a learning centre or choose to share it other than by reading aloud.)

1. ALWAYS, ALWAYS read the book yourself before reading it to children.
2. Introduce the author and title to your students.
3. Read it with enthusiasm and gusto. Change your voice, make it COME ALIVE!
4. Ask some questions about the media used to make the illustrations like:
How has Ian Facloner made the pictures? What materials has he used?
5. If they have never experienced I would then explain to them that some materials (charcoal/paper) are set up in the room for them to use.
6. Stress experimenting and playing with them. Encourage exploration of the different sorts of marks and effects that charcoal can make.
7. Share the experiments and focus on the different types of marks made and effects. How were these smudgy marks made? How do you get a really fine line with the charcoal? What are some of the problems using charcoal?
8. You could set up a challenge for them using charcoal after this that could be a student initiated idea or some objects you would like them to draw. On old boot or something that lends itself to the medium of course.
9. The Jackson Pollock and Degas paintings are natural jumping off points for artistic discoveries as well.
10. Some artists who have used charcoal: Brett Whitely, Kathe Kollwitz, Willem De Kooning, Georges Braque, Rembrandt and I am sure hundreds more! Many artists who paint in oil draw with charcoal on canvas before they paint.

Comments, additional names of artists, anything will be appreciated!