This is an activity that involves creating two versions of the same outdoor scene. Have students think of how rainy and sunny days are opposites (or day and night, or summer and winter) and what colors and characteristics would best express each one. Using two pieces of same-size drawing paper, 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches, students will make two pastel drawings of the same invented or observed scene, but use different colors to finish each one. Most sunny day pictures will use brighter colors, plenty of light and visible shadows. Rainy day images will be grayer, perhaps showing little shadow and no brightness. Mount finished pictures side by side on a sheet of paper measuring 9 inches by 24 inches for comparison and discussion.
Set up a simple still life consisting of three to five objects of different sizes. Make a line drawing very lightly in pencil on a sheet of 12 inch by 18 inch drawing paper. Use a heavier line to go around the elements to create a single silhouette drawing that includes the outside edge of everything that is visible. The shape of the silhouette may be fairly abstract or it may be recognizable. Leave the shape white. This is the positive space. Use black paint to fill in the negative space background completely. The end result is a painting that uses positive and negative space to create an picture that is the opposite image of the original still life.
In this activity, students will create a landscape image with a background, middle ground and foreground. Have them begin by using a pencil to sketch a landscape onto a sheet of 9 inch by 12 inch watercolor paper. They can use watercolors or tempera paints to finish. Before painting, discuss what the traditional or "correct" colors for sky, mountains, water, leaves and plants would be. Make a list of these on a blackboard. Using a color wheel as a guide, discuss and write down what the opposite color would be for each element. For example, the color opposite blue on the color wheel is orange. Students will paint their landscape using these opposite selections in color. For the trunks of trees, use pale gray or white instead of brown. The end results may be surreal, quirky, dreamlike, vibrant or strange.