The Enchantment of color Day 2
Project/Unit Description/Expedition
In the second lesson we will be exploring color further using watercolor. We will also be going over how oil pastels and crayons can be used as a resist with watercolor. This unit will be focused on the idea of how art can convey feelings, express ideas, and communicate meaning through their stories.
Essential Understanding
Students will learn about how color can be applied in different ways to create different meanings in the art they make and how different materials can be used together to create multi-media projects.
Inquiry/Learning Target
- To begin our creative thinking process, I want you to pick your favorite object or thing(a toy, book, scooter, pet, etc.) and close your eyes. Focus really hard on that object and picture it in your head. If it helps you remember for this next part, go ahead and sketch some ideas down in your sketchbook. Once you have your object, think about the following:
- How is it used?
- Where is it used?
- Does your object have a story?
- Where is it now?
- What shape is it?
- After you’ve got a clear idea about your favorite thing and some answers to the questions, think about how you might use this information to illustrate a story about it. That is what we’ll be doing over the next few days.
"I can create a composition that tells a story."
"I can use different forms of media and describe their differences."
Key Concept(s)
Concepts
Art Concepts
- What does being a courteous Art Sorcerer look like?
- How does art define others and how does it define who I am?
- How can oil pastels and watercolor be used together in a multi-media project?
Art Concepts
- Line
- Color
- Shape
Skill(s)
- Analyzing and recognizing different types of media
- Exploring and combining colors to express a form of narrative work
- Discussing and discovering the stories that are in works of art
Art Focus
We will be creating a work of art that focuses on the students' favorite objects and the stories behind them by using a combination of wet and dry media.
Literary Focus
Throughout the next three days we will be focusing on a student's use of color, line, and shape in order to create their compositions. Through discussions at the end of class, we will ask the students to talk about each other's work from when they had their brief gallery walk and from where they're sitting in the final discussion. This will include what ideas they are expressing, how their images interact with each other, and what sort of things are being represented.
Day 2: Line, shape, color, interaction, expression
Day 3: Line, shape color, composition, interaction, expression, representation
- Representation
- Composition
- Expression
- Interaction
- Color
- Line
- Shape
Day 2: Line, shape, color, interaction, expression
Day 3: Line, shape color, composition, interaction, expression, representation
Documentation
For our lesson today, we began the class by going over the classroom norms we had set up the week before. Joel and I were pleased that all the kids remembered what the norms were and were easily able to tell us. One we went over the norms, Joel and I talked about our blog with the students. They were extremely excited to see their art on our website and were very interested in the site itself. After that, we introduced the lesson. The lesson this week focused on wet materials and how they interact with the dry materials the kids used last week.
The most important part of this lesson was teaching the kids about resists and how oil pastels and watercolors interact with each other. In order to demonstrate to the kids how resists are used, I showed them several watercolor and multimedia pieces of art. The kids were floored by these projects, particularly the vibrant colors used. The class had a lot of insightful questions as well, such as "why did [this artist] use those colors?" and "why doesn't the paint cover the pastels?". The class was excited to try the technique themselves, and made it obvious.
The most important part of this lesson was teaching the kids about resists and how oil pastels and watercolors interact with each other. In order to demonstrate to the kids how resists are used, I showed them several watercolor and multimedia pieces of art. The kids were floored by these projects, particularly the vibrant colors used. The class had a lot of insightful questions as well, such as "why did [this artist] use those colors?" and "why doesn't the paint cover the pastels?". The class was excited to try the technique themselves, and made it obvious.
This week, the kids were highly encouraged to go back into the piece they made last week, even if they considered it finished. This led to interesting exploration with the materials. Some kids had trouble going back into their piece, not sure how to add to it. However, after a little push from Joel and I, they embraced the exploration of wet and dry materials.
Some students, like the one in the top right photo, chose to simply cover their piece with new colors and patterns. This particular student used the watercolors to make "fireworks" for the dog she drew last week. |
Other students decided to create something completely new, once they were done with their previous piece. This was the case for the student above. This student decided to create a bird with watercolors. When asked why he chose those colors he said they were "bright, happy, and pretty".
Some students, like the student on the left, decided to create more abstract pieces by blending colors and creating random patterns over their previous pieces. |
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Students embraced the freedom that watercolor afforded them. They realized very quickly how much easier it is to use gestural lines when you are using watercolor. Other students explored how chalk interacts with water. This was also very interesting because the watered-down chalk created a unique texture on the students' pieces. Students were excited to explore the difference between chalk and watercolor and how each interacted with the dry materials we used last week.
This student was far more excited to experiment with color than with any particular subject. We highly encouraged students to explore color and the medium, even if it meant straying from the subject.
When asked why she used these particular colors, she had several answers. First, she chose yellow and pink because it reminds her of the sunset. Then she said yellow and pink make her happy and she wanted to see what they looked like together. Next, she said blue reminded her of the sky, which is one of her favorite things. She said she chose dark blue because it looks pretty with yellow and pink. |
This student is one of the students who decided to play with gestural lines over her original piece. When asked why she chose this route she said "my piece was already perfect, so now I'm just adding more color." She was excited to use watercolors because it allowed her more freedom and an easier blending ability.
It was interesting watching her interact with her piece. Although she considered it perfect, it didn't stop her creative freedom and her desire for art exploration. It was inspiring to see these kids going back into pieces they considered finished, without fear of "ruining" it. |
This student chose a different approach than most others. A lot of her piece from last week was still white, so she jumped on the opportunity to color it in. However, she didn't fill in all the space, she simply surrounded her original design in a halo of color. When asked why she took this approach, she told me she wanted to surround her flowers in sunlight. This made me ask "why don't you cover all of the white?" To that she replied that she thought the color looked brighter when it was surrounded by white.
This was interesting because it shows Joel and I how this student understands color and how they perceive it, especially in relation to a stark white. Every student handled color differently but this student had a very unique approach.
This was interesting because it shows Joel and I how this student understands color and how they perceive it, especially in relation to a stark white. Every student handled color differently but this student had a very unique approach.
This week, we were very pleased to see how the students handled the materials and how they chose to introduce them into their pieces from last week. During the work time, we had a gallery walk where the students were able to go around and see what their classmates were working on. Last week, the students focused on what stories were being told during the gallery walk. This week, the students commented a lot on color, how color was used, and the differences in color for all of the pieces. This was an excellent way for Joel and I to see what thoughts the students had about color, and how we should continue to expand their understanding of color.
Next week, Joel and I are going to have our students create a completely new piece. This time, the kids will have access to both the dry and wet materials from the beginning to the end of the project. This will be interesting because previously, the kids only had access to one or the other, rather than both types of materials. This will allow students to explore the relationship between materials further and give them new tools to express their story.
Next week, Joel and I are going to have our students create a completely new piece. This time, the kids will have access to both the dry and wet materials from the beginning to the end of the project. This will be interesting because previously, the kids only had access to one or the other, rather than both types of materials. This will allow students to explore the relationship between materials further and give them new tools to express their story.