Whose bones are these?

That's the question that the 6th graders always ask when they come into art and see human bones on the tables. They are studying anatomy in science so I tell them that Mr. T. is a grave robber and has recently dug them up for our use. Maybe they believe me?

They start these drawings by using their I-pads to take a photo of the bone still-life so they can consider how to balance their own compositions. I have started to add strange and unexpected elements to still-life arrangements to make them more interesting and engage the kids a bit more. Here the lollipops served as motivation (they get to eat them when they are done) and they added a pop of color. They also had to learn how to shade in reverse given that they are using white charcoal on black paper. I think they did a nice job.