Henri Rousseau (1844–1910) was a clerk in the Paris toll service who dreamed of becoming a famous artist. This job allowed him to support his family and gave him time to pursue his true passion—art. From his post at the toll gates and on strolls through the suburbs of Paris, Rousseau observed the world and filled numerous notebooks with sketches from nature. He retired at age forty-nine to become a full-time artist. 

Although he painted many exotic scenes, Rousseau never left France Although he painted many exotic scenes, Rousseau never left France. He often explored the Jardin des Plantes, a botanical garden and zoo in Paris where he studied and drew plants and wild animals. He visited museums for artistic inspiration, and based some painted characters on pictures in books and magazines. The public laughed at Rousseau’s bold, primitive style, but he was admired and championed by modern artists such as Pablo Picasso and the surrealists.

Pencil Drawing Rousseau never got to visit a jungle in his life time but used his imagination to paint the plants in his jungle scenes. Looking at the work sheets make your own pencil drawing of jungle plants. Make sure your drawings has lots of plants overlapping each other. You can copy some of Rousseau’s plants or make up your own.

Painting Take a piece of coloured paper and an oil pastel. Based on your pencil drawing create your own piece of Jungle. Use your oil pastel to draw outlines and veins on your plants Don’t fill or colour in with your oil pastel Use paint to finish your painting, try to get as much variety in your colour mixing as possible. Make sure you use some complementary colours (angry colours) in your painting

Painting Once you have finished your Jungle, cut it out . Take a fresh piece of paper and a broad brush to paint your sky. Your teacher will show you how to dry brush to give the effect of rain or a storm. Try to get as many different greys and blues into your painting as possible. It doesn’t matter if you leave brush marks in this painting. We are know going to join all the sky's and jungle pictures together to make one big painting.

Homework Create a dynamic eye-catching A4-size ‘Fact sheet’ about Henri Rousseau. Make sure that your fact sheet includes 10 interesting facts about Rousseau that describe who he was, how he worked, and what inspired him and anything else that you feel is important enough to interest people reading your work! Keep in mind the fact that as a piece of graphic work, your information and pictures need to be presented in a creative and professional manner that reflects the colours, and subject matters that inspired Rousseau.