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'Drawing From Nature'
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By Carol Felixson
Special to The Times December 7, 2003 What grows on trees and can look like feathers, fingers or fans? Why, leaves, of course! Gabrielle, 8, discovered that leaves come in many shapes and sizes. "Some leaves are needlelike," she said. "Some are rounded, and some are heart-shaped." She learned that leaves can have different textures too. They can range from silky to hairy, leathery to velvety and more. Depending on weather, location and the type of tree, leaves can be shades of green, red, yellow, orange and gold. Evergreen trees keep their leaves all year long while deciduous trees drop their leaves in the fall. Gaby made a colorful rubbing from leaves she collected in her backyard. Rubbings are impressions taken from a raised surface by placing paper over it and rubbing it with a pencil, crayon or other art material. As early as the 7th century, people in different parts of the world created rubbings from temple and memorial walls, stone inscriptions and tombstones. To make her rubbing, Gaby explained, "I placed a moist leaf with its underside up [the rough or veined side] on a hard, flat surface and put a piece of paper over the leaf. Then I took off the wrapper from around a crayon. I held the leaf and paper still with one hand and used my other hand to rub the side of the crayon across the leaf. I tried to stay close to the edge of the leaf." Gaby used the same leaf many times to make a border and used a variety of leaves for the center. After experimenting, she learned the details of the leaf's shape, veins and stem showed up best when she used a dark-colored crayon. Good job, Gaby! About the series: Carol Felixson introduces children to a subject from nature and an art technique. The children then apply what they have learned in an illustration. She is director of education and community outreach for UCLA's Stunt Ranch Reserve and Mathias Botanical Garden. Previous projects can be seen at nrs.ucop.edu/Reserves/stunt/newsforkids.html. Jan. 7 lesson: owls and feather art! Kids, click here to find out about the author of this story. LISTEN TO THE STORY BY PHONE: You can also follow along as this story is read aloud by calling 1-800 LATIMES, Ext. 4KIDS (1-800 528-4637, Ext. 45437). If the computer is connected to your phone line by modem, you will need to make a print of the story first and shutdown the computer before dialing the number. This story will be available by phone through Dec. 11.
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