CHAPTER FIVE
Painting

Painting is one of the joys of teaching art, and there is no doubt that most students look forward to it. Naturally, their painting improves when they have more opportunities to do it. Students will continually surprise you with their results. To make it pleasant for the students and yourself, here are some solutions devised by many experienced teachers.

Tempera or Acrylic Paint

At any age, suggest that students roll up their sleeves and protect their clothing with an apron or old shirt. To make cleanup easier, have students use large two-ply tag boards to go under their paintings in all your classes to protect the tabletops. Students can carry their wet work to a drying rack or hall floor until the paintings are dry and you remove the tag board for reuse.

Disposable palettes for mixing paint may be foam plates, or double-fold pages from a newsmagazine or catalogue. Remove staples from a slick magazine, and you have enough throwaway “palettes” for an entire class. Dispense colors of paint onto the palette as needed. Conserving paint is always a consideration for budget-minded teachers—but, to avoid mold, don't put paint back into original jars.

Cleanup can be simplified with younger students. Dirty brushes can be placed in a container in the sink by table “captains” and washed by one person. Some teachers use wet wipes for table cleanup; or, after students wash their hands, they can carry the paper towel they use for drying their hands to the table for cleaning while table captains clean the brushes at the sink.

PROJECT 5.1
Personal Rainbow Color Wheel

Grades–3–8

Curriculum connection–science

Time needed–3–4 class periods

Elements and principles of art–shape, color, pattern, balance, movement, emphasis

Vocabulary–template, hue, primary, secondary, complementary, spectrum

Materials–cardstock or tagboard cut into 3” × 6” rectangles or pre-cut 3” × 5” file cards (12 per student); 18” × 18” black construction paper; red, blue, and yellow tempera paint; newsprint; pencils; brushes; paper palettes (doubled slick sheets from a magazine or catalog); rubber bands; scissors

Figure 5.1a Color Wheel, teacher example.

Background Information

Ellsworth Kelly's work in colors of the spectrum may help students realize that simple colors and shapes are beautiful. Personal experience in mixing three primary colors to produce a complete color wheel is a wonderful introduction to painting. Although pre-mixed colors are a staple of the art classroom, students understand how color is achieved when they mix their own colors from the primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. Each composition will be different from others as students mix their own colors and design their own templates.

Preparation

Cut 3” × 6” pieces of tag board (old file folders would also work). Discuss real and abstract shapes with students and encourage long, narrow shapes: a tree, a guitar, etc. Simple shapes work best (if the shapes are complex, the cutting out gets tedious). Show them an example of a purchased color wheel and talk about the colors of the spectrum. Remind students that colors need to be mixed well to avoid streaking, and that they need to cover the surface but not build up the paint too thickly.

Figure 5.1b Spectrum II, 1966–1967, Ellsworth Kelly, 1923–2015, American, oil on canvas, 80” × 22’ 9”. Funds given by the Schoenberg Foundation, Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, photo, courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery, Saint Louis Art Museum.

Process

Have students write their names on the back of 12 plain 3” × 6” cardstock. They will paint 12 colors from only three primary colors. After they finish painting, the wet pieces may be placed on a sheet of newsprint (that has the student's name on it) to dry.
Demonstrate mixing colors. Begin with two primary colors. The colors they will need are red, red–orange, orange, yellow–orange, yellow, yellow–green, green, blue–green, blue, blue–violet, violet, red–violet.
- Paint one piece pure red. Mix red with yellow to make orange. Add more red to make red–orange and more yellow to make yellow–orange.
- Paint one piece pure blue. Mix red and blue to make violet. Add more blue to make blue–violet and more red to make red–violet.
- Paint one piece pure yellow. Mix blue and yellow to make green. Add more blue to make blue–green and more yellow to make yellow–green.
Show students how to make a tag board template by drawing a shape on a 3” × 6” tag board rectangle and cutting it out. Discuss that the shape could be something simple such as a lightning bolt, arrow, crayon, tree, car, animal, your initials, etc.—but they must use the full 6” length. Show them how to trace around the pattern and cut out 11 shapes (their pattern will be one of the 12 pieces needed).
Arrange the 12 shapes on a black background, placing red, yellow, and blue in a triangle; then make a second triangle with orange, green, and violet. Insert the tertiary colors. Do this in a perfect circle before gluing the shapes in place, leaving a border on all four sides. They may have to overlap shapes near the center. If they are too thick in that area, they could cut off the tip of some shapes to make space. Make sure they have placed the colors in the order of the spectrum. To preserve their charts, they may be laminated.

Adaptations for Younger Students

Primary and secondary colors. Show students how to draw a 5” triangle on white paper with marker (one flat side on the bottom). Give each student a 3” × 3” card. Have them draw a simple shape (e.g., a star) and then use scissors to cut it out. Distribute 3” × 3” squares of red, yellow, and blue paper to each student. They should trace around their shape with pencil, then cut out those shapes and glue them on the corners of the triangle. Then distribute orange, green, and violet 3” × 3” squares. Show students how to draw an upside-down triangle on top of the first with pencil, and appropriately glue the secondary colors in place on the other triangle. Hopefully they will notice that they have made a circle (wheel). (See the color wheel on the color handout.)

Alternative Projects

Rainbow wave moving figure. Have students make a tag board template outline of a figure or shape. Beginning at one side or corner of a piece of white drawing paper, they draw the entire figure, and then partially trace around this 12 times lightly with pencil, overlapping (part of the design that will be hidden when it is painted). It can go across the page in a curved line. The same design in smaller repetitions of the same shape can cause it to become smaller in size. Have students lightly write what the colors will be in the 12 shapes to help place the painted shapes in the appropriate areas. These should be painted in the order of the spectrum to avoid wasting paint.

Color wheel, group project. To speed up this process, students can work in groups of three to mix and paint four colors on cards for everyone in the group. To save paint, each of the three people would select one primary color and make variations on it. For example:

red—red–orange, orange, red–violet
yellow—yellow–orange, yellow–green, green
blue—blue–green, blue–violet, violet

Have students ensure that their names are written on the backs of the cards.

Curriculum Connection

Science

Color in light, color in pigment. This is a good opportunity to teach differences in colors seen in light versus colors in pigments. Also discuss prisms, rainbows, and the spectrum of light.

PROJECT 5.2
Enlarge a Masterpiece

Grades–4–8

Curriculum connections–science, social studies

Time needed–3 class periods

Elements and principles of art–color, shape, balance, contrast, movement, emphasis

Vocabulary–grid, enlargement, hue, proportion, complementary color

Materials–two photocopies of a masterpiece, index cards, drawing paper cut to proportion, Sharpie marker, tag board, roll paper (for mounting the finished large composition), rulers, pencils, tempera paint, brushes, water containers, paper towels

Figure 5.2a Mural painted by K–5 Art students, based on The Jolly Flatboatmen, 1846, by George Caleb Bingham, St. Louis Art Museum. The scale was 1” = 1’. Notice photocopy of Bingham's painting on wall at the right of mural.

Background Information

Schoolwide theme mural. Students and parents at the Reed Elementary School in St. Louis County, Missouri, transformed their entry hall into a Mississippi Riverfront. Their art teacher, Linda Packard, tells us that students of all levels were involved, and each was given a 1” piece of a reproduction of The Jolly Flatboatmen, painted by George Caleb Bingham. Students enlarged and painted a 1’ section of the mural based on their 1” section. Then the painted sections were assembled and hung. Parents helped hang the assembled mural, and one parent cut pieces for the wooden walkway and posts that went in front of the mural, but it was hammered in place by students. Barrels and ropes were placed in front of the mural to make the entry hall resemble the authentic St. Louis riverfront of Bingham's time. Students researched and learned about the history of their city as part of this project.

Preparation

Select a painting for enlarging that has sufficient variety throughout the artwork so that each student will have something interesting to enlarge. It would surely be discouraging to have to paint a section that is plain. Artists whose work would be interesting and appropriate for this project include Vincent van Gogh, Faith Ringgold, Henri Matisse, Henri Rousseau, Edward Hicks, Thomas Hart Benton, Grant Wood, Kehinde Wiley, Nick Cave, Grandma Moses, and Paul Gauguin.

Decide what the ultimate finished size will be. It can be large enough to go floor to ceiling or 3’ × 3’ square. Cut each piece of the drawing paper so it will be in exact proportion to the individual pieces of the original (e.g., 0.25” = 2”). The individual enlargements can be as small as 6” × 6”. Because colors are going to be mixed by the students, even a small painting may take two periods.

Have two large color photocopies made of the masterpiece (or buy reproductions). Divide both reproductions on the front with a ruler or yardstick using a Sharpie marker to make enough individual sections so that each of the students in your class has one. If you come up with extras, perhaps you, the teacher, will have to paint a section along with the students.

Number each section and put a student's name on the front of that segment (on both reproductions). Cut up one photocopy and staple each individually numbered piece to a numbered index card with a student's name on it. When the paintings are complete, use polymer medium, thinned YES glue, or PVA adhesive to glue them so they will lie flat on a roll paper background (if it is not wide enough, glue strips of roll paper together, leaving a border for the students to sign). Or join pieces together with wide tape.

Process

Students will be enlarging a very small portion of this masterpiece, so it is important that they mix the colors to be identical to their portion of the picture.

Have students use a pencil to measure and draw a grid of 1” squares over their portion of the picture. On the larger drawing paper, they should carefully draw a larger grid in exact proportion to their section of the original. For example, 0.25” on the original section could be equal to 2” on their enlargement.
Ask them to use a pencil to lightly draw in each large square on their drawing paper grid exactly what they see in the small square of the original. Before they begin to paint, look at each student's drawing.
In mixing colors, show them how to add a complementary color to change the hue of a color: to lighten or darken it. Suggest they use a touch of red added to green, for example, rather than using only black and white.
Suggest that they avoid constantly having to clean the brush and mix color again by mixing the dominant (most-used) color first, applying it to the drawing paper wherever it occurs. Then mix the second color, and so on. Have them continue painting until they have covered the piece of paper and it looks exactly like the small piece with which they started.
When all the squares are finished, reassemble them either by taping them together on the back or by gluing them to a large roll paper background. Leave a folded border around the outside edge to give it strength, and ask students sign their names to the composition.

Figure 5.2b Stairway at Auvers, 1890, Vincent van Gogh, 1853–1890, Dutch, oil on canvas, 1911/16” × 27½”, Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase.

Adaptations for Younger Students

Black, white, and gray enlargement. Follow the preceding instructions, but enlarge a black-and-white high-contrast reproduction and allow students to do it with black, white, and gray tempera.

Alternative Projects

Project it on the wall (or Masonite). Several students can work together in painting with acrylic paint to make a design or picture look almost identical to the original. You, the teacher, should divide it into appropriate sections, giving a number to match a specific color. Using a document camera, a transparency outline can be projected directly onto a primed wall or Masonite that has been primed with a white undercoat. Students may draw the outlines with pencil onto the background. Keep the colors in numbered containers, and each student will apply that color of paint wherever he/she sees the number within the mural. If possible, recruit an older volunteer to be there during painting sessions. When the painting is finished, coat it with a clear coat of polymer medium.

Put it on a ceiling tile. Older students could paint (with acrylic paint) personalized versions of masterpieces onto ceiling tiles, which are taken down for this operation and reinserted into the ceilings of the art room and hallways. Be sure to get approval from your principal and maintenance staff!

Figure 5.2c Painted ceiling tiles. Students in “art studio” often work collaboratively to paint ceiling tiles at Ridge Meadows Elementary school in St. Louis County, Missouri. Art teacher Linda Sachs.

Oil pastel enlargement. This project is also appropriately done with oil pastels on colored pastel paper.

Substitute your own face. Each student can enlarge a masterpiece using the grid system, substituting a painting of his or her own face from a school picture for one or all of the faces in the painting.

Curriculum Connections

Science

Environmental mural with animal life. Students may select a segment of the animal kingdom—such as undersea creatures or jungle creatures—and paint an entire wall. Have them use black fine-line marker to draw these animals on 8½” × 11” paper, then project the drawing directly onto the wall for painting. Acrylic or latex paint is best for this. It can then be sealed with clear polymer medium to protect it from dirt.

PROJECT 5.3
Winter Whites—Animals of the Far North and South

Grades–3–8

Curriculum connection–science

Time needed–2–3 class periods

Elements and principles of art–color, shape, value, contrast, variety, emphasis

Vocabulary–limited palette, predominant

Materials–18” × 24” paper, yellow chalk, tempera or acrylic paint, brushes

Figure 5.3 Chilly Observation, 1889, Charles Sidney Raleigh, 1830–1925, American (b. England), oil on canvas, 29 13/16” × 43 7/8”, The Collection of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Background Information

This project is about winter animals of the Arctic or Antarctic, many of which are white or may have white winter camouflage. Winslow Homer's painting Fox in Winter happens to not show the fox in camouflage, but in dark red contrast against the white snow.

Preparation

White is to be the predominant color. Be prepared to demonstrate techniques for shadows and the differences between the animal's camouflage and the snow that surrounds it. We recommend having each student use a paper palette (two folded magazine pages or small foam plate) with mostly white, brown, orange, yellow, blue, and violet to make this painting. Project or print various images of winter white animals, which might include polar bears, snowshoe hares, snowy owls, white foxes, wolves, baby harp seals, and mink. Other animals from the cold regions of the world include caribou, moose, buffalo, elk, otters, fish, penguins, and walruses. Also provide a variety of winter landscapes visuals. This will be a quiet painting, just as snow and the outdoors seem quiet in the winter. Although white will be the main color, students will add other hues to the white to show shadows or sunlight. Discuss a limited palette. Demonstrate how one might show shadows and the differences between the animal's camouflage and the snow that surrounds it.

Process

Have students use yellow chalk to draw the animal(s) they will be painting. Students should think about where the horizon line will be, and draw some trees, snow-covered hills, or a barn in the background, and consider the colors of a winter sky. They may later add a few weeds poking through the snow for balance.
Suggest they give the animal a first coat of white paint, then paint in the background. They should choose (even if they cannot see it) the direction of the sun for this painting to decide whether to put a shadow in front of or behind the animal. They can indicate light and shadow by adding a small amount of yellow or orange to the white for sunlight, and violet or blue for shadow. In the brightest places, white may be used without any color added at all.
Discuss how to show the animals against the snow. Almost the only color we will see of some animals is a nose and the color of the eyes! Darken around the edges to show form (roundness). If the animal has long hair, a dry-brush technique can be used to create the appearance of fur.
If there are trees or bushes on the horizon, students should paint those with darker colors. Limbs of trees might have snow on them that would show against the sky. Encourage students to stand back and look at the painting to see if they have made enough differences in value between the animal and the snow so the animal is visible from a distance.

Curriculum Connection

Science

Winter camouflage. This project could involve research for your students to find out which animals change color in the winter. Polar bears are white year-round, but other animals may develop winter coats for camouflage. The painting could show any animals or birds from the Arctic or Antarctic regions silhouetted against snow.

Hibernation Habits

This also offers an opportunity to learn about winter hibernation, study the effect of population growth into the animals' habitat, or gain information about animals that are now endangered

PROJECT 5.4
The Equatorial Jungle

Grades–3–8

Time needed–3–4 class periods

Elements and principles of art–color, shape, value, variety, emphasis

Vocabulary–artistic license, foreground, middle-ground, background, overlapping, stylized, gradation, tone, shade, tint, complementary color

Materials–12” × 18” paper, acrylic or tempera, brushes, chalk

Figure 5.4a The Equatorial Jungle, 1909, Henri Rousseau, 1844–1910, French, oil on canvas, 55 3/8” × 51”, Chester Dale Collection, image courtesy of the Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Background Information

This project is based on the work of French artist Henri Rousseau, who is best known for his paintings of jungle scenes. He was sometimes called Le Douanier (the French translation for ‘toll keeper’—his occupation). He was a so-called primitive or "naive" artist, which simply meant that he did not have formal art training. Not only that, he probably never saw a jungle! He visited the Paris Botanical Garden often, and his paintings are based on his observations of plants and grasses he saw and drew there or purchased and brought home. Although he did not always have animals in his pictures, one might sometimes see a monkey, lion, or panther peering through the leaves. His animals were based on his visits to the zoo and pictures from books. He was sometimes called a "fantasy artist" because so much of what he painted came from his imagination.

Preparation

Show students as many reproductions of Rousseau's work as are available and discuss his background. Borrow plants from around the school and have them do drawings of real plants (or fake silk plants). Have the students observe the variations in the colors, sizes, and shapes of the leaves. The small plant from which they are drawing might be shown as a large tree!

Process

Demonstrate how to sketch foreground, middle-ground, and background plants. Tell students they need to have at least three plants in their paintings, using dark, medium, and light tones, and that they need to fill the whole page.

Figure 5.4b Tiger, Shreeram Avernash, Grade 5, mixed media, 12” × 18”, Fairway Elementary School, Rockwood School District, St. Louis County, Missouri. Art teacher Brian Murphy.

Have students loosely compose their drawings with chalk. To show depth in the sky, it is usually darkest toward the top of the page, lighter as it nears the horizon.
Rousseau sometimes included a sun or moon in the painting to show day or night.
He sometimes used as many as 50 different shades of green in a single composition! Individual leaves had more than one shade. Plan to make light and dark areas of the composition, perhaps near a corner. Green can be changed by adding small amounts of another color such as blue; made darker by adding black or violet; or made lighter by adding white or yellow. A tiny amount of red or orange mixed with bright green tones softens the colors. Plants could also be painted in pure blue, violet, yellow, or white.
In addition to the green plants, have students think about including a "surprise," as Rousseau often did. It could be animals peeking out through the leaves or partially hidden. A tree might be filled with oranges, or beautiful exotic flowers might be on or under the trees. Even in a mostly green painting, many different colors can be included. "Artistic license" is a term that means the artist has the freedom to do whatever he or she thinks will make the picture more beautiful.
Tell students to step back from their painting to look at it from a distance. They should look for some areas of light or differences in various leaves. Ask them to consider where they could touch up things to improve them.

Alternative Project

Oil pastel/black tempera resist. This same project can be done on 9” × 12” white construction paper using oil pastel/black tempera resist. Students can draw their compositions with chalk, then color firmly up to the chalk lines (yet allowing the chalk to be seen). Jungle animals, flowers, or fruit can be included. Plants can even run off the page. Encourage students to blend oil pastel colors, beginning with darker ones, then adding lighter ones on top. When the pastels have been firmly applied, the chalk lines may be lightly wiped off with a tissue. Have students paint the entire picture with black tempera paint. Tempera will "crawl" when applied, but this will not be a problem. After the paint has dried, you (the teacher, or an older student) should gently wash off the tempera under running water.

Watercolor Introduction

Although we tend to think of watercolor as a non-permanent medium as compared to oil paint, 400-year-old transparent watercolor paintings continue to exist in all their brilliance. Some great watercolorists include Mary Cassatt, Raoul Dufy, Emil Nolde, John Singer Sargent, Edgar Degas, Winslow Homer, Alexander Calder, and Joseph Mallord William Turner. Artists often made watercolor sketches "in the field," then turned these into larger paintings in their studios. In the case of William Turner, he sometimes had himself tied to the mast of a ship during a fierce storm so he could “feel” the weather, later painting in his studio what he saw and felt in the middle of the storm.

PROJECT 5.5
Watercolor Chart

Grade–3–8

Curriculum connection–science

Time needed–2 periods

Elements and principles of art–color, value, texture

Vocabulary–dry brush, wet-in-wet, wash, hue, transparent, pigment, sea salt

Materials–watercolors, crayons, tag board, 11” × 14” watercolor or drawing paper, newsprint, two containers per table (one with clean water), brushes, black marking pen, sea salt, white glue, pieces of corrugated cardboard (for edge stamping)

Figure 5.5a Watercolor Chart. Teacher example. A student-made chart gives students an opportunity to practice different ways of working with watercolor. After the chart has dried, identify the style with fine-line black marker.

Figure 5.5b Nine Anemones, c. 1935. Emil Hansen Nolde, 1867–1956, German, watercolor, bequest of John S. Newberry, The Detroit Institute of Arts. Although Emil Nolde's work was anything but accidental, he exploited the fluid qualities of watercolor.

Background Information

See the Introduction for names of famous watercolorists. Watercolor is sometimes the perfect medium for a project. It isn't quite as messy as other paints can be, and once students get the idea that they need to clean their brushes between color changes, they can take control. If using boxed cake watercolor in a metal box, it can become a student favorite if you remind them that they can mix the colors in the lid, and that they need to leave the lid clean for the next user.

Preparation

To introduce students to the use of watercolor, have them make a "chart" using the techniques listed here. Try this first yourself, so that the demonstration and explanation to students is clear. This student-made chart gives students an opportunity to practice different techniques of working with watercolor. Because this is simply to introduce them to using watercolor, the students will label each experiment. Fine-line marker names may be added after the work has dried.

Process

The chart will allow students to see all the different possibilities for working in watercolor. Choices would be to use warm colors on half of the paper and cool colors on the other half. Or they may prefer to use similar subjects such as landscape, seascape, faces, or a flower garden in each rectangle.

Have students fold the paper into nine sections by folding in thirds lengthwise, then in thirds horizontally.
- Wet-in-wet. Especially good for skies and water. Demonstrate how to dip a brush in clean water and brush it on one segment of the paper. When they dip the brush into a deeper value of that color and touch the tip into the wet section pigment will spread.
- Watercolor resist. Have them use a white crayon or oil pastel to firmly draw a design, then go over the design with watercolor of two different values.
- Glazing. Colors are made darker by beginning with a light color; then, after the paint has dried slightly, more pigment is added to intensify it. If using drawing paper, this can be overdone, as the paper will start to “pill” (make little balls) if it is worked too much.
- Even wash. Show them how to paint even horizontal brush strokes of the same value across the section.
- Graduated wash. Select one hue. Paint the darkest value at the top, then dilute the brush slightly and overlap the darkest place. Dilute again, then make another stripe. Continue diluting with water until there is almost no color at the bottom. Great for skies and the ocean that meet at the horizon.
- Sea salt. For a speckled area, use two analogous (e.g., red, orange, or yellow) colors to cover an area with paint. While it is wet, sprinkle the watercolor with sea salt (or Kosher salt). Allow the salt to dry several hours before brushing it off.
- Dry brush. Demonstrate how to remove most of the water from the brush before dipping it in pigment. Brush it on newspaper before applying it to the watercolor paper to remove most of the liquid. Drag the tip of the brush across the section, leaving streaks of pigment. This technique is excellent for fur or grass.
- Cardboard painting or printing. Have them dip the edge of a small piece of corrugated cardboard into watery mixed pigment in the lid of the paint box. Drag the paint onto the paper with the cardboard or use the edge of it to stamp details such as fences, bricks, shingles, or windows.
- Sponge printing. Suggest they use an almost-dry small piece of sponge and dip it into watercolor and use it to print details such as tree leaves or clouds.
- Plastic wrap or bubble wrap. To make rocks, apply pigment and, while it is wet, have them use crumpled plastic wrap to press into the surface, leaving it in place to dry overnight. Bubble wrap laid across a wet surface and left until the paint dries gives an entirely different patterned effect.
- Scratch into the paint. When an area is completely dry, use a sharp instrument, such as a scissor tip, to scrape detail into an area, or remove pigment altogether for highlights.
- Blotting. Use paper towel to blot areas of wet paint.
When the paint has dried, have the students use black marker to label the sections. Or print and cut numerous labels for the students’ convenience.

Adaptations for Younger Students

Experiments in mark-making. Rather than attempt to make a "chart" for future use, simply introduce younger students to one watercolor process at a time, encouraging them to place these painting "marks" anywhere on a single sheet of white paper. Allow the painting to dry before trying to pull it together by "taking a walk with a crayon," or having them select a favorite place inside the painting.

Alternative Project

Still life with special color scheme. Introduce students to non-realistic color schemes either by setting up a still life or having them select ordinary objects found around the art room (such as glue, scissors, tape). Allow them to select one of the following color schemes:

Monochromatic. Everything is a variation of a single hue.
Complementary. Use values of two colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel (red/green; yellow/violet; blue/orange).
Split–complement. Show a color wheel. Have students select one pure hue (red, yellow, or blue), then use the two hues on both sides of the true complement (e.g., red, yellow–green, and blue–green).

Curriculum Connection

Science

Pigment. Students could work as a group to research the source of pigments (such as earth or charcoal) that were used prior to artificial minerals. Or, as early artists in all cultures have done, students could make dyes from such things as onion skins or beets simply by boiling them (preferably at home).

PROJECT 5.6
Australian Aboriginal Originals

Grades–4–8

Time needed–3–6 class periods

Elements and principles of art–line, shape, space, variety

Vocabulary–Aboriginal, indigenous, colors: complementary and analogous, focal point, unique, style, watercolor/crayon resist, bleed, wet-on-wet watercolor, canvas, composition, walk-about

Materials–8.5” × 11” copy paper, 12” × 18” drawing paper, black Sharpie, crayons or oil pastels, watercolors, brushes

Resources–digital presentation of Aboriginal images

Background Information

Aboriginal Australia is mapped according to the travels or journeys of the ancestors, and various animal species that left paths. Discuss the fact that many of these traditional dot designs were originally found on rock walls that were protected from rain, drawn in sand, or applied as body ornamentation. Modern Aborigines continue to be inspired by their ancestors’ designs, but now frequently use acrylics to paint their designs on paper or canvas.

Preparation

Start with a slide show of varied styles of Aboriginal art to get students talking about the differences in style that they observe. Post reproductions of Aboriginal styles in your classroom. Tell students that you would like them to talk about these images using the “art words” of elements and principles, even though the Australians who did this style of artwork probably had never even heard about elements of art. Ask questions such as: What do you notice about these paintings? What's unique to this style? What is the point of emphasis of these paintings?

Process

Using copy paper, ask students to sketch an animal form such as lizards, turtles, or kangaroos, focusing on line and shape.

They may then enlarge this on drawing paper with pencil or chalk, taking care to fill the page, making good use of the space. Students will outline the animal drawing with black Sharpie marker and create open designs within the animal's body.

They will then select two complementary colors and use crayon or oil pastel in one of the colors to draw outside the black lines on the animal's body, and color firmly inside the open designs on the animal's body. This colored outline provides a wall for the background that will contrast with the previous two colors and prevents the wet-in-wet style of painting from bleeding into the animal.

Figure 5.6 Australian Aboriginal Original, 2019. Art teacher Lauren Schaefer's teaching example, watercolor, mixed media, Ross Elementary School, Parkway School District, St. Louis County, Missouri.

Watercolor. The second of the two complementary colors is now painted, using watercolor on the animal. Students will notice the resist of the crayons or oil pastel. Students will now learn about analogous colors and choose three or four colors that they have not used on their animal to provide contrast in the artwork.

Demonstrate wet-on-wet painting and show them how to generously wet half of the background, then drop/drip watercolor paint into the wet area, using all their color choices. They can repeat the process on the other half of the background.

On the completely dried paper, students will now use dotting tools (cotton swabs, toothpicks) dipped in black tempera to make black dots that follow the outline of the animal, varying the sizes of the dots to make a pattern. They can use as many dots as they choose (even out to the edges of the paper). To make accessing paint easy for them, black tempera can be poured onto a pad made of paper towels resting on a foam tray.

Adaptation for Younger Students

Younger students can do a similar project drawn on much smaller paper (6” × 6”) but can use cotton swabs or pencil erasers to control paint spreading. A folded pad of two slightly dampened paper towels can have a small amount of several colored tempera paint to be used to make an entire Australian Aboriginal painting, making sure that the animal is painted in a different grouping of colors than the background.

PROJECT 5.7
Aboriginal Dot Painting

Grades–3–5

Curriculum connections–language arts, social studies

Time needed–4–5 class periods

Elements and principles of art–line, shape, color, pattern, balance, variety, movement, contrast, emphasis

Vocabulary–Aboriginal, color scheme, center of interest

Materials–12” × 18” construction paper in various grayed tones, pencil, ruler, circle stencil, tempera paint, cotton craft swabs with 6” wood shaft, available in packs of 100, Q-tips, back of paint brushes, or pencil erasers

Background Information

Authentic Aboriginal dot paintings are known to tell a story. Each symbol used has a meaning. Some say the symbols are a sort of secret code. Dot paintings have been done on a variety of surfaces including in caves and on rocks, leaves, and bark. It is thought that some paintings are translated to be maps, showing the paths of ancestors.

Figure 5.7 Aboriginal Dot Painting, Gianna Rich, Grade 5, tempera paint, 12” × 18”, Ross Elementary School, Parkway School District, St. Louis County, Missouri. Art teacher Lauren Schaefer.

Preparation

Develop a slideshow of Aboriginal dot paintings to discuss with background information. Post any available images (posters or prints from the Internet).

Decide on the color selections you would like to give the class. The paintings could be done in neutral tones or in a particular color scheme that you choose, such as primary, secondary, complementary, and so on. Have a color wheel posted for reference.

Experiment with various dotting tools to decide upon the choices you would like to provide for the class. Find Styrofoam or other flat trays for the paint, so that students can dip easily. Prepare the paint choices for each table.

Process

During your presentation, have students guess at what some of the symbols might mean. They should begin to think of the story they would like to tell with their own symbols. Ask what types of symbols would make their own painting reflect an Aboriginal style?
How many different symbols do they see in one painting?
Ask students to lightly draw their image on the paper, making sure to draw big and fill the entire page.
Demonstrate dotting white dots neatly on the drawn pencil lines. Give advice on paint control so that accidental dripping or smearing is minimized.
After discussing the color options you wish to give the class, they should pick one color and dot all the way around the white dots.
They should continue that process, working outward.
Different colors can be used inside the paths and circles if the artist chooses.

Curriculum Connections

Social Studies/Language Arts

Students could research and report on when, why, where, and how Aboriginal dot paintings were created. What was the purpose of the paintings? Why are they still valued today?

Write about your painting. Students could also write an essay on the story behind their own painting. What do each of the symbols mean? How do they relate to each other to tell a story?

PROJECT 5.8
“Leaf” It to Me

Grades–K-8

Curriculum connection–science

Time needed–1–2 class periods

Elements and principles of art–value, space, color, variety, contrast, emphasis

Vocabulary–picture plane, wash, repetition, dominance/subordination

Materials–thin fresh leaves (a variety of sizes and shapes), cake watercolors (large sets with more variety are nice, large brushes), 12” × 12” watercolor paper or white construction paper

Figure 5.8a and 5.8b Fall Leaves, teacher examples, 1914, print on watercolor paper, 8” × 10”. Thin leaves were selected and placed vein-side up on paper with a light-colored background (still wet). The leaves were then painted around (on still-damp paper) with light, medium, and dark values of different colors. The paintings were left in place to dry overnight.

Background Information

This project challenges students to consider the entire picture plane. Have students be on the lookout for the "happy accident" that gives a beautiful effect. Students need to consider value, form, and space while having one dominant element. This could be the largest leaf or the brightest area.

Preparation

In the fall, in parts of the country, it is simply a tradition to do a "leaf project." It is a good time to take students outside to gather fresh leaves (although you could always simply bring in a sack full of fresh leaves if class time does not allow the gathering process). Remind students to select several different kinds of freshly picked thin leaves (e.g., maple). This project could be done with several varieties of leaves or several sizes of leaves from one tree. The color of the leaf is not important. Pinch off the stems where they are joined to the leaves for best results. Caution students against overworking the paper, as it quickly becomes soggy and muddy looking.

Process

Direct students to write their names on the back of the paper. Show them how to use two fingers to pinch off the stem of the leaf. Demonstrate how to paint the entire paper with a very light value of one color (e.g., yellow, light blue, or light pink). While the paper is still quite wet, demonstrate how to place the upper side of the largest leaf into the still-wet area. The underside (vein-side) of the leaf is facing up. Don't allow the paper to dry; suggest they keep adding water and color to keep the paper damp.
Add more leaves using the same technique of removing the stem before placing each leaf. When all the leaves are in place, use a dabbing technique with the brush to paint color around each leaf. First apply a light color different from the background, then a medium color, then a darker color. Continue to work color all over the paper, leaving some areas light and making some areas dark. The colors will run together, and some will creep underneath the leaf, which acts as a stencil. Use the brush to poke down a leaf it if starts to curl up at the edges. (Avoid using brown or black because these colors deaden the painting.) The leaves will remain in place until the paper is completely dry (the next day). When a painting is finished, it is set aside to dry. There is usually time for students to make more than one of these paintings during a class period.
After removing the leaves the next day, if the painting has turned out well, it needs no more work. However, if students consider that the painting is weak and could be better, there are several ways to change this composition. The following are some options for them to consider as they select a final painting for display:
- Demonstrate spattering: What would happen if you were to "charge" the brush with a dark color and hit it against your forefinger, splattering small dark spots all over the painting?
- Does it need to be lighter? What about using white tempera to do the spattering?
- Would the composition be improved by adding darker watercolor somewhere after it has dried?
- Another possibility is to select the leaves from one composition and carefully cut them out, pasting them onto another composition, possibly on a dark background.
- Use a fine-line black marker to carefully draw around the leaves and some of the other shapes made by the watercolor.
When the composition is complete, provide paper or a mat for each student to display.

Adaptation for Younger Students

The teacher who developed this project, Charlotte Headrick of the Parkway School District, St. Louis County, Missouri, suggests young students paint only a yellow background while older students understand that very light washes of other colors are also effective backgrounds.

Curriculum Connection

Science

Group project—tree research. Older students may select a tree variety common in their region to do research, presenting information about one tree to the class (softwood or hardwood); showing leaf shapes and differences in color in the fall; drawings of the shape when barren; spring blossoms (if any); seeds that are “sent out"; shape of tree full of leaves in summer, etc.

PROJECT 5.9
Sunflowers and Irises

Grades–3–8

Curriculum connections–science, language arts

Time needed–3–4 class periods

Elements and principles of art–color, shape, value, variety, emphasis

Vocabulary–still life, watercolor crayons

Materials–12” × 18” or 18” × 24” drawing paper, water-soluble crayons or oil pastels, brushes, newspaper

Background Information

A painting lesson about flowers gives you a chance to teach about Vincent van Gogh and his obsession with light and working outdoors.

Preparation

Show students a reproduction of van Gogh's paintings of sunflowers or of irises, Try to time this project for a season when sunflowers, irises, or wildflowers are available (note: silk flowers are also a good substitute). Place containers of the flowers close to small groups of students so they can really paint from observation.

Have them look carefully to see that some of the flowers will be in buds. Students might do only the portion of the flower that they actually see. Point out variations in colors to the students and encourage them to color vigorously, combining colors before adding the water.

Figure 5.9 Irises, 1889, Vincent van Gogh, 1853–1890, Dutch, oil on canvas, 29¼” × 36 1/8”, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California.

Note: Water-soluble crayons may be used to color dry paper, adding clear water with a brush to dissolve the crayon pigment. These crayons may also be used to draw on paper that has been wetted.

Process

Vincent van Gogh loved to paint in the outdoors. He painted fields of growing crops and especially loved painting sunflowers and irises.

Have students plan their composition before beginning. They may draw the flowers in a vase on a table, or as if they are growing in the ground. Show them how to use a finger to "trace" the flowers on the paper, considering where the largest flowers will be and imagining how the rest of the space will be used.
Irises. Irises can be almost any color, but some are a combination of white and purple petals. Flowers that are one hue will still have light, middle, and dark values on each petal, and often have a fuzzy yellow area on the inside of the lowest petals.
Sunflowers. Although they are basically yellow, it may be suggested to students to look closely at the petals, which also have areas that are green or orange. Some of the shadowed areas in the flower might also be interesting if they add a little violet to the petals. The centers might be green or brown. Although they will be coloring the stems and leaves green, they will be more interesting if they also combine blue and yellow with the green.
If students decide to draw flowers in a vase, the container should be shown resting on a table. A line across the page will represent the table, and the flowers won't appear to simply be floating on the background.
Demonstrate dipping the brush in clean water and applying it on top of the drawing. The watercolor crayons will dissolve to appear like a watercolor. To emphasize an area, the damp areas can be drawn on to add more color.

Adaptations for Younger Students

Art teacher Linda Sachs lets her young students finger paint sunflowers on black paper (see Leila Arehart's Three Sunflowers at the beginning of this chapter). Students are given a limited palette of yellow and orange. They make one or more large round circles, then add yellow and orange with a finger, starting from the circle and moving outward from it to make sunflower leaves. They put yellow dots in the center when the flowers are completed. Have them fill in the background with dark colors of traditional pastels, which they can blend by using a tissue. Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers paintings were the inspiration for this project for Kindergarten youngsters.

Alternative Projects

Giant flowers—Bump the edges. Georgia O'Keeffe's giant flowers are also a source of inspiration for students. When forced to look closely at a flower, they have an appreciation for the exquisite details they see. Suggest they force their flower to "bump the edges" or run off the page, or to make their flower so large that only a portion of it shows.

Curriculum Connections

Science

Plant your subject. Allow students to plant their own sunflower seeds or iris bulbs outdoors. Many elementary schools have a small garden plot and outdoor learning center. Planting bulbs in the fall gives students something to look forward to for the spring. Or plant sunflower seeds in the spring for a fall crop. Start them indoors in small soil-filled pots. And when the region where you live has had a full week of 70-degree spring weather, it is time to put them in the ground outdoors.

Botanical drawing. In the manner of a scientific botanical drawing, students can draw or carefully paint a flower, then identify its various parts by writing directly on the page. If students understand the parts of a plant, they will be much more careful to make their flower drawings look realistic.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Tell me about van Gogh. Students might enjoy researching the lives of Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, making posters for the entire class to use. These could include a brief biography, an image of the artist himself, and images of the artist's work. The students’ paintings can be based on the works of that artist.

PROJECT 5.10
Fantasy or Surrealistic Art

Grades–4–8

Curriculum connection–language arts

Time needed–3–4 class periods

Elements and principles of art–texture, contrast

Vocabulary–stream-of-consciousness writing, mixed media, collage, foreground, middle-ground, background

Materials–newsprint, drawing paper, pencils, materials for collage, tempera paint, marker, ink, colored pencils, scissors

Figure 5.10a Summer, 1563, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1527–1593, Italian, oil on panel, 67 × 51 cm, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria.

Figure 5.10b Water, 1566, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1527–1593, Italian, oil on panel, 67 × 52 cm, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. This image contains more than 60 species of marine life, including seals, turtles, sharks, crabs, oysters, and coral.

Background Information

Artists have often been compared to children for the sense of playfulness they show in their artwork. Fantasy and surrealism are normal ingredients in the early art of many children, but these unfortunately often become lost as the children grow older.

Show the students pictures of some fantasy artists throughout the history of art. Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo did fantasy faces. Two artists whose work was often based on childhood memories are Marc Chagall and Salvador Dali. Other surrealists are Giorgio de Chirico, Max Ernst, and René Magritte. Contemporary artists also create unlikely combinations, such as Jeff Koons's giant stainless-steel Energizer Bunny.

Preparation

The following are some suggestions for leading students to surrealism:

Talk about the concept of mixed media. It simply means that any combination of materials can be used by an artist. Suggest that students may want to use portions of a previous artwork, a magazine cut-out, handmade paper, or any other collage materials for this project.
Cut copy paper into small Post-it-sized pieces. Have every student write three nouns on three separate pieces of paper. Fold these and put them in a “hat” (any container you have around). Then have each student pull three pieces of paper from the hat. Those three nouns would be the basis of the composition (e.g., bicycle/face /flower or car/ice cream cone/cell phone).

Process

In creating an artwork from imagination, remember that it doesn't need to look real. Fantasy or surrealist art comes from the imagination and can have a dreamlike quality in which nothing really makes sense. Here are some ways to approach a composition:
- Transform something real by combining it with something totally foreign (e.g., a human form with a flower face, or a car with feet instead of wheels).
- Take something real and have it DO something “unreal” (Salvador Dali's melting watches would be a good example).
- Make the subject much larger than anything else in the picture.
- Make a realistic background, with strange objects in the foreground.
- Select totally unrelated objects and group them together.
Have students draw several thumbnail pencil sketches on newsprint before trying the idea on good paper. They will probably have some wild ideas while doing these sketches. They can sometimes combine several sketches to make a total composition.
Suggest that they might enlarge some of the objects on newsprint, then cut them out and move them around to find where they look best before redrawing around them. They can overlap objects or combine them.
Mention that they might make the main objects large enough so there is not a tremendous amount of empty space. They might want to consider having size differences with a foreground, middle ground, and background.
When their lightly drawn design is complete, they will paint or color the composition, considering that color can be used to make something stand out or be almost hidden. It is never too late to turn it into a collage by adding a surprise object or texture to a painting.

Curriculum Connections

Language

Nouns, verbs, adjectives. Have a student write these three headings on a piece of paper: “Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives.” Without telling them what they will do, have the students make lists of at least six items under each heading. (It would be lovely if you could coordinate this with the classroom teacher and they arrive at the art class with their three lists.) They then must select one item from each list from which to make a fantasy composition.

Stream-of-consciousness writing. Surrealism (a French word that literally means “above reality”) was an outgrowth of a writing movement that explored the subconscious. Suggest that students try writing words as they come to mind, allowing one word to lead to another, not even trying to make connections, but just as their minds constantly jump from one subject to another, allowing those thoughts to be put on paper. After a 5-minute session, suggest they compose a sentence using at least three of the words they have written.

Figure 5.10c Nick Fozzy, eighth grader, LaSalle Springs Middle School, created this fantasy.