Show students a print of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and discuss how he used small brushstrokes over large swirls and mixed colors on the paper to create a feeling of texture and movement in his paintings. Provide paper, paint and brushes and ask your students to try painting a nighttime sky on the top half of the paper using the same brush stroke techniques and mixing colors. On the lower half, continue practicing Van Gogh's impressionistic painting style by adding a foreground image such as a skyline, field, river, lake or mountain to complete the nocturnal scene.
Bright color sunflowers, poppies and irises grace the canvases of assorted Van Gogh paintings and the choice of color is not always traditional or realistic. Let students use pastels to draw a vase or field full of colorful flowers on a neutral color paper. Include background details to add visual interest. Spray with art fixative or hairspray to set the colors.
When money ran low for hiring models to pose for him, Van Gogh invested in a good mirror and continued to develop his artistic skills. He created over 30 self-portraits in the late 1880s using a variety of stylistic techniques and colors as he experimented with the effect of different visual elements. Students can follow in his footsteps by creating their own self portraits in pursuit of individual artistic expression. Princeton Online suggests painting a black, white and gray headshot. Cut it out and paste it on a black backdrop. Ask students to write ideas and values that are important to them around the head to fill the empty space. Other options include creating an abstract representation with unusual shapes or color combinations representing different features or personal characteristics.
Impasto art uses thick, chunky paint to create a 3-D textured effect that heightens the emotional effect and impression of movement in the picture. Students can emulate the lumpy, uneven look of this type of Van Gogh art with a simple painting with clay activity. Pencil in a basic design on an 8-by-10-inch foam sheet. Use several colors of modeling clay and roll it into small pea-size balls and ropes. Press the pieces into the foam to fill in your design, letting the colors flatten and overlap. Add details with more clay pieces or carve them with a craft knife. Let the uneven colors, shapes and textures add to the character and visual interest of your creation.