Straw-Blown Cherry Blossom Trees

Recently we worked on a unit using India ink, while studying different parts of the world. One of the most fun lessons was creating a cherry tree in blossom. These trees are indigenous to eastern Asia. Countries such as Japan Korea, and China depict them in prints, paintings, and even on currency.  First we used drinking straws to blow drops of ink across the paper, until a pleasing array of branches were formed. After the ink dried, students added blossoms and leaves to their composition with a watercolor brush. The variety of images really impressed me, and the kids had a great time with such an offbeat approach to creating a image on their paper.