Now do the picture in water color and then go over it with pastel. I believe that art should be a catalyst for problem solving and original ideas. Both scientists and artists experiment to find out what happens when different elements are mixed together. Imagination is required for both. When you draw something, you learn details and things about it that you might miss when just observing the object.
Art is a lesson in discovery of nature.
Surely these great scientists and inventors gained their observation and problem solving skills to some degree by coming up with original ideas, problem solving, and inventing things in art. Sharon Jeffus has a BSEE in art education from John Brown University and ten years experience teaching in the public schools. She has written various curriculum and programs, including one for the Cherokee Indians that was rated outstanding by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Sharon has written a complete art curriculum that reinforces the core curriculum subjects. She also is certified to teach English as a second language and has taught Intensive English at the University of Missouri at Rolla and written Teaching English Through Art.