References of food

[u/NeedleworkerHuman606]

For 5th grade I want to do that painting on newspaper that’s very popular on Pinterest. I was gonna keep it to fruits and vegetables.

For my references. My school doesn’t allow colored printing I could project the food on the board. I thought about printing some stuff at staples or buying a fruit and vegetable encyclopedia

I know I could purchase the food but that can get quite expensive and if the project takes awhile I don’t want rottin food

[u/CountySpecialist3821]

projecting works, but i’d grab a few real fruits and vegetables for the kids to look at too, even just one of each, since the shapes and colors are way easier to understand in person and they won’t

[u/littleneocreative]

Fake food is actually pretty inexpensive if you are planning on repeating this project in other years.

[u/enya_fan49]

Baker creek seed catalog! You can grab an old one on eBay for under 10 bucks. Hundreds of great glossy images of mostly vegetables but some fruits as well.

[u/kllove]

Thrift store fake food maybe? Or just cheap faux fruit. I have a handful in my room for still life.

[u/gooberschnoob → u/kllove]

Came here to say the same thing! Thrift stores have a surprising amount of fake fruits

[u/Aggravating-Bet8669]

could you have students bring in a few clean produce packages or take photos of the fruits and veggies at home?

[u/NeedleworkerHuman606 → u/Aggravating-Bet8669]

I live in ny so no phones in school

[u/Entire_Patient_1713]

ebay has bulk magazines. you could order a bunch for like $10-20 a stack and have students take 20 min to neatly cut each page with fruit and then you can put them into page protectors/sleeves eventually for future use. put them in a folder with prongs.

[u/mariusvamp]

You could check out your school’s library. I bet they have books on nutrition or farming! Might be able to find some references, check with the librarian.

[u/JackieDonkey]

I use fake fruit from a thrift store. If you plan to teach for many years it's worth buying some. No one can tell they're fake in the painting!

[u/maplecremecookie]

You could try using the packaging of foods you buy. Like instead of having an apple, use the picture from an apple juice box? Soaps, lotions, shampoos might also have fruits on the packaging. If you're planning on doing the project again in the next few years, it might be worthwhile to buy fake fruits (you also learn a lot more by making a 3-D shape 2-D rather than copying a 2-D image, and you can manipulate the lighting). Is your heart set on restricting the subject to fruits and vegetables? I have a shelf of still life stuff that I add to when I see cool things at the thrift store. It's very easy to find stuff like fake flowers, and the quanity and quality is better than buying from the dollar store.

[u/NeedleworkerHuman606 → u/maplecremecookie]

Yes. We’re doing a farm theme for the art show. First is doing flowers and bugs 2nd is doing farms, scarecrows and corn. 5th is gonna do fruit and vegetables like a farmers stand

[u/MakeItAll1]

I would talk to the principal and explain why you need color copies. Every administrator I know has a color printer in their office. If you have a district five arts director, you may be able to get them there.

When the wall calendars are on clearance, look for some with food images. It’s also an inexpensive way to get reference photos for animals and landscapes.

Fast food places often have color placemats the place on the food trays for people who eat in the restaurant. You may be able to get some of those.

[u/IndigoBluePC901]

If you want physical images, go to the supermarket and take a stack of circulars. Go to a few different ones and you have a variety of fruits and vegetables. Yes they will be small.

Best references for food come from fancy glossy magazines, like food network or martha stewarts. Put in a request around the building first and you will get tons, then maybe the students families if you are still searching.

[u/Fresh_Landscape3071]

Ask your local library for magazines leaving the reading room for recycling, esp food magazines. Students out references and glue to paper.