You might curse it as a weed when it pops up in your lawn, but the Dandelion is beautiful and full of hope. This cheerful little flower can grow practically anywhere there is a pinch of soil or a crack in the sidewalk. Every part of the dandelion is useful: root, leaves, flower. It can be used for food, medicine and dye for coloring. A long time ago, people actually pulled up grass from their yards to make room for the useful plants. And talk about TOUGH....dandelion seeds can travel up to 5 miles before settling down to plant themselves. | Check out this beautiful Time Lapse of a Dandelion! |
| The name dandelion is taken from the French word “dent de lion” meaning lion’s tooth, referring to the coarsely-toothed leaves. Dandelions are small plants that often grow low to the ground. Green, jagged-edged leaves surround the base of a hollow stem. The central root, or tap root, can grow as deep as 5 feet (1.5 meters). In spring and summer, each plant produces a single flower head that is made up of many tiny yellow flowers. |
What to dandelions stand for?
Since the Dandelion can thrive in difficult conditions, it is no wonder that people say the flower symbolizes the ability to rise above life’s challenges. Other meanings include...(courtesy of flowermeaning.com)
"The Dandelions Tale" is a wonderful story of friendship, loss and rebirth. The story of a Dandelion! | Read The DANDELION's TALE with me!!! |
STEP 1: The HORIZON LINE A HORIZON LINE is a line that separates the ground from the sky in a work of art. This line can tell the viewer what type of landscape you are creating. Is it a flat field, jagged mountains, or rolling hills? Check out the video here to learn more about how artists use a HORIZON LINE. | |
Find all different TINTS and SHADES of blue in your crayon box. Begin by drawing 3 circles in your sky. 1 LARGE circle, 1 MEDIUM circle and 1 SMALL circle. After that, draw HORIZONTAL LINES across your paper starting at the top (you can alternate the BLUES you are using).
NOTICE that I make sure my lines DO NOT go through the circles, but around them. This will make your sky more interesting and your lines will represent movement or wind.
After you are finished with your crayons, trace lines with WASHABLE MARKER and finally brush water over top to turn the marker into watercolor paint. If you do not have a paint brush, twisted paper towel or cue tips work just fine.
STEP 3: The Ground! Dandelions are known for their jagged leaves. In this step we will add texture into our ground. First, find different TINTS and SHADES of greens and yellows in your crayon box. Begin by drawing 3-4 stems with 2-3 leaves at teh bottom of each. Check out the image to the right to help with the shape of your dandelion leaves. Outline your stems and leaves with a BLACK CRAYON to make them pop! Finally, use a variety of GREEN crayons to make grassy TEXTURE in your field. Trace these marks with washable marker and brush with water. |
STEP 3: The Dandelions! You will need your white and black paint for the next steps. First, using your paper tube, stamp white circles at the top of each stem. If you need to gently twist your tube to make a better mark that is perfectly fine. | |
| Starting at the center of each circle, use a cue tip or a paint brush to gently make a star or firework with white paint first. This will look like the dandelion seeds! |
Starting at the center of the flower, use a toothpick, stick or something with a sharp tip to gently pull BLACK paint outwards like a star or a firework. | |
| Make little explosions of white paint using a sharp point. Don't forget to add some black on the inside and for the stem of each seed floating through the air!!! |