In this lesson, student artists map out the colors of their watercolors with washes.
Students will be working individually, so have materials prepared to go out to tables/desks depending on how your class is set up. Consider how you will be storing the paintings—they will be very wet and will need a flat surface to dry on. Consider also how to provide water for the watercolors while limiting the risk of spillage.
Drawings from Lessons 3, Watercolors, Water cups, Brushes, Copy paper (see Early Finishers)
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⚲Black Mesa Landscape, Georgia O’Keeffe
Project the inspiration image where students can see it. Give students a moment to study it silently, then begin a brief discussion with the phrase, “What can we find?”. Paraphrase what students say for the benefit of the class, being careful to remain neutral, then ask “What else can we find?”.
Alternately, allow them to draw or write what they notice on a blank piece of paper or in a sketchbook.
The point of this discussion time is to have students learn and add onto each other’s thoughts. By remaining neutral and simply repeating what students say you allow students to do the heavy mental lifting and also create an environment where there is no wrong answer, fostering creativity and mental risk-taking.
Check for understanding by asking, “Who was listening closely that can sum up what we are doing today?” Make sure that student artists can list all the steps and clarify anything that needs clarifying.
The students work independently on their work as the teacher circulates. Foster strong work habits by commenting on student artists who are focused on their work as well as student artists who seem be pushing themselves to try new things.
The student artists work independently on their color mapping. As the teacher circulates, they should be responding to how the students’ colors react with each other (e.g., if it is neutral with a bold, talk about how much it stands out, in addition, neutral colors can be called harmonious).
The tricky part about this assignment is getting student artists to not go ‘too far’ in their painting. The teacher should constantly be circulating and trading out finished pieces for blank paper that the student can experiment on with watercolors (the paper can be inexpensive, and the student artists should know that these experiments are just that: experiments, not to keep). Otherwise, many students will add too much paint and/or water and the images will lose their vibrancy and become muddy.
Use 'what, how, and why' and then take comments or questions.
Depending on the teacher’s style of classroom management, it might be helpful to only choose and train a few kids to clean. The rest of the class can be busy with the presentation. Make sure to train these helpers well in advance so that you aren’t left with a messy room.
Clean-up times will vary with materials; get to know your class and allow 5-10 minutes depending on how efficient they are and whether or not the material was messy.
Choose presenting student artists in advance and let them know during their work time so that they are prepared.
Sharing should work as follows:
Be wary of student artists overpainting—the colors will become muddied. See Early Finishers and Work Time for ideas on combating this.
Watch for students putting paint on too thick—remind them that this is supposed to be their lightest layer, so they should use a lot of water when adding the paint. They should be able to still see pencil through the paint.
The teacher should constantly be circulating and trading out finished pieces for blank paper that the student can experiment on with watercolors (the paper can be inexpensive, and the students should know that these experiments are just that: experiments, not to keep. This will prevent having to find space for too many paintings to dry). Otherwise, many students will add too much paint and/or water and the images will lose their vibrancy and become muddy.
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