Levels 1-4

Level 1

Primary Colour Swirls

Introduction:

Discussion of the primary colours using display cards

Activity:

Children created swirls of red, yellow and blue using Chromacryl. Lots of direction was given re use of paint, water pots and brushes. We looked at areas where the colours had mixed and discussed results. In the second session children cut out swirls and mounted them on A3. Pastels were used to add pattern.

Assessment

There was a lot of routine art room procedure covered with the preps in this activity, just getting smocks on and naming work was important. This activity gave me an opportunity to observe levels of competence with paint, scissors and glue. It was also a great way to reinforce/introduce in some cases, colours and pattern.

Level 2

Colour Mixing Circles

Introduction:

Discussion of primary and secondary colours and colour mixing. Observation of a range of art works using bold displays of certain colour palettes.

Activity:

Using the primary colours in powder paint children used boards, paintbrushes and water to mix colours creating deeper and deeper shades by gradually adding more and more powder paint to the original primary colour. As each shade was created another ring was painted around the original colour.

We looked at the colours that were created and highlighted works where children had really mastered the technique adding the second colour gradually so as to create many shades of the secondary colour.

Circles were then cut out and arranged.

Assessment:

I looked at how competently students created a base from the powder paint into which to mix, too watery gave washed out results; to dry didn’t work, etc. I also looked at how well they mixed shades; some were able to mix a large range whilst others could only achieve two or three. I also looked at how well they cut out their circles and how much care and thought they put into sticking them down carefully and arranging them in an interesting way.

Once works were completed they were laid out on the tables and we completed an art walk to look at each others work.

Level 3

Colour Mixing and display

Introduction:

We studied ‘The Pumpkin Eaters’, Yosl Bergner, and ‘Sunbather and Sandcastle’, Sidney Nolan, both posters from The Angry Penguins set produced by The Creative School Supply Company. I wanted the children to really think about how each painting made them feel and react on an emotional level. It was amazing how strongly they did react to both. We then discussed how the artists had achieved such a reaction from us, what strategies they had used and it didn’t take long for observations to be made about the colours used. From this we discussed colours and the idea of mixing from the three primary colours to create all the secondary colours possible.

Activity:

We folded a piece of A3 Cartridge into 32. Using the primary colours in Chromacryl children began by painting one box with a primary colour, they also put a blob of paint onto a mixing board. Gradually they added another primary colour to their blob each time painting the next box on their folded piece if A3. Once they had mixed as many combinations of the primary colours as they could and created as many shades as possibly, some managed to move from one primary colour right through to the colour they were adding, we let the charts dry. In the next session we shared our results. Children then cut various widths and lengths from their chart and arranged on A3 cover paper taking care to stick all strips down carefully.

Completed work was displayed on tables and we completed an art walk. Children gave feedback as a group discussion.

Assessment:

I looked at the way children mixed the paints and created shades of colour. It was also interesting to look at the way children displayed their work.

Level 4

Colour Wheels and People

Introduction:

As with level 3 we studied ‘The Pumpkin Eaters’, Yosl Bergner, and ‘Sunbather and Sandcastle’, Sidney Nolan. I wanted the children to really think about how each painting made them react on an emotional level. It was amazing how strongly they did react to both. We then discussed how the artists had achieved such a reaction from us. At this level we discussed colour, body position and what was inferred within the work.

Activity:

As an initial focus on colour children used Chromacryl and a photocopied A3 outline to create a colour wheel. As they moved into creating shades students tried to mix paint in such a way that one primary colour turned into the second colour as they mixed and moved around the outer edge of the colour wheel.

In the second session these colour wheels were cut out and displayed. I then wanted children to apply their understanding of colour and its use as an emotional trigger. Using jointed body templates, students were to create a body shape that displayed a particular emotion, and these were traced onto an A3 piece of Cartridge. Pastels were then used to mix and blend using a colour scheme indicative of the emotion being expressed. Finally shapes were cut out, given a border and mounted, with a background of words describing focused emotion.

Assessment:

I looked at the way children had interpreted the task, the body position they had created, the colour scheme used and the words used as background to try and measure the level of sophistication they had exhibited.

Copyright 2009 Zart Art & Zart Education Service