Painting
Each lesson Plan focuses primarily on one of the 4 Cornerstones of Art:
Drawing | Painting | Color | Style
OVERVIEW
An underpainting in bright orange helps students create an easy portrait using acrylics and their newly learned skin tone color journals.Grades 3 – 5
Week of March 24 – 28
1 Hour & 45 Minutes
Student Work
Lesson At A Glance
Here’s a brief overview of the complete lesson. It’s also on your prep page in the Ready, Set, Go! section (below the lesson).
Colored buttons jump to each section in the full lesson plan below.
7 Minutes – Students set up for acrylic painting
5 min – Paint orange underpainting
5 Min – Choose a reference to paint
10 Min – Trace Frame – then draw Big Shapes only
10 Min – Graphite transfer/trace to the canvas
15 Min – Paint the darkest shadows first
45 Min – Paint the rest of the colors and shading
5 Min – Paint the lightest spots
2 Min – Everyone helps
Use this button to jump down to the preparation section.
LEARNING TARGETS
Students know how to set up their work area for painting with acrylics.
M A T E R I A L S
- Acrylic paints
- 4B pencil
- White and kneaded erasers
- Canvas pads
- Canvas boards
- Drawing boards
- Tape – blue painter’s tape
- Brushes – All sizes
- Water containers
- Paper towels
- Smocks
All materials are suggestions and may be modified as you see fit. We have tried many items, and these seem to allow the most versatility for the cost.
Brushes should be nylon for springiness and durability. Round brushes are the most versatile.
Paint pigment list:
- Napthol or Pyrrol Red
- Hansa or Light Yellow
- Pthalo Green (blue shade)
- Cyan or Cerulean Blue
- Ultramarine Blue
- Dioxazine Purple
- Magenta
- Burnt Umber
- Raw Sienna
- Titanium White (professional grade only)
1.1 SETUP
Students set up their work area.
Ask several people to go get water tubs filled, and others to find smocks. That way you have two or three groups in different areas so you don’t get backed up with lines.
TIP
Teacher can facilitate timing by taping canvases before class or having canvas boards ready if you can provide these.
Advanced Student Lesson
CREATIONS - tap here to open
Our Creations lessons are for students who have completed the two years of Foundations and are ready to begin using all that they have learned to create new work. These more challenging versions of the same concepts and techniques are easily taught along-side students in the Foundations course. This allows for excellent review, and is encouraging for students to see progress from each viewpoint.
Use the Student Instructions printout below to distribute to your Creations students. Tap the image to open the PDF in a new window.
Abstract Painting
Overview: Students will create a background using colors they choose, and then create an abstract line painting using photographic reference as their source.
Use a canvas board, a sheet of taped canvas, or a stretched canvas if available.
Step 1. (15 minutes) Set up for painting in acrylic, and cover the canvas with a thin coat of any colors of your choosing. Brilliant colors work well. Colors may be mixed with water instead of white, for a glaze effect, or white can be mixed in for opacity – colors that look more solid. Set aside to dry.
Step 2. (20 min) Choose a reference source from any book or use the provided PDF photographs below. Use a pencil and sketchpad to create an abstract line drawing based on the photo. You should try to make it different enough so that it’s hard to recognize the subject.
Step 3. (5) Write down some ideas for how color will be used as line and filling in areas. The original underpainting may be covered a lot, or it may show through and be an important element in the painting.
Note: colorful lines and pattern can add a lot of visual interest to this painting.
Step 4. Resume painting, using a variety of Brushes for different effects. Clean edges and lines are much easier to create when the paint is a very fluid.
Tap images to open Creations Student Instructions and Reference Materials in new windows
Use this button to jump down to the preparation section.
LEARNING TARGETS
Students know how to make an underpainting
M A T E R I A L S
- Acrylic paint: red and yellow
- Canvas pad
- Canvas board on Drawing board
- Largest Brush
- Water container
- Paper towel
- Smock
2.2 paint
Cover the canvas. If you see students being too careful and going slowly, show them how to vigorously spread the paint. It should take only a minute or two. Use the 5 minute timer and make sure they know that it’s counting down.
TIP
Too much water will sometimes prevent the paint from adhering to the canvas. Add more paint, and/or scrub the paint onto the surface.
Use this button to jump down to the preparation section.
LEARNING TARGETS
Students know how to choose a reference
M A T E R I A L S
- PDF printouts
- Sketchpad
- 2B Pencil OR charcoal
- Erasers
Reference Stand
Reference is easier to view while you work if it’s on a stand. Make your own DIY stands using leftover cardboard backs from empty pads and attaching an inexpensive paperboard easelback, available online in packs.
3.1 Print
Reference
Portrait Reference
Cut images apart, keeping the portrait and it’s corresponding guideline attached. Print enough for each student to choose from several.
Hand out reference prints. Set all of the images out on a table or counter, and let groups of students come choose what they want..
2 Pages – Opens in new window
3.3 Sketch
If time allows, have students practice sketch.
Doing a couple of very fast sketches in just 2 or 3 minutes, like we did last week, will greatly enhance the accuracy of the guidelines in the next STEP.
Fast sketches are made by working on the big shapes, and the proportions (where elements go and how big they are in relation to the other elements).
Use this button to jump down to the preparation section.
LEARNING TARGETS
Students know how to draw guidelines
- 14″ x 17″ Sketch pad
- Reference photo on stand
- 2B pencil
- Kneaded eraser
- White eraser
- Poster printout (optional)
4.1 sketch
“Before you start drawing this, Look at the biggest shapes. Only draw the big face shape, the neck shape, & the hair shape – not the eyes, nose or mouth – erase and correct until it looks accurate.”
TIP
If you have students who don’t follow your directions, quietly ask them if they trust you. Explain that your method is how professional and successful artists work. It’s ok to do things your own way, but working from big shapes first, allows an artist to put things in the right place BEFORE you do all the work. It doesn’t take long to prevent having to start all over – or sometimes giving up – because the eyes a just a little too far apart, or the mouth is too low.
Save “doing it my way”, for the expression and artistic part of the work.
4.2 draw
Students should only draw outlines as shown. The lighter the line is, the better.
Find the center of the face and make a vertical line down the center. Then draw a horizontal line across the center. Add eye outlines – on the center line. Add the bottom of the nose, and the mouth. Examine and erase for corrections.
Encourage students to really work on placement of each feature. Erase and move it to make them more accurate. You don’t get to move anything later.
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LEARNING TARGETS
Students know how to transfer a drawing
M A T E R I A L S
- Drawing from reference
- 2B pencil
- Kneaded eraser
- White eraser
- Canvas
5.1 transfer
5.2 tape
5.3 trace
TIP
If you use a bright warm colored pencil like orange or red, you can see where you’ve gone and not miss spots. But any pencil will do.
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LEARNING TARGETS
Students know how to paint shadows
M A T E R I A L S
- Acrylic paint
- Brushes
- Water container
- Paper towel
- Smocks
6.1 mix
Everyone needs to have their Skin Color Journal out so they can remember how to mix. Go over these important points:
- Make dark colors using Purple, Orange, and a very small amount of white.
- Shadows colors look more red, not more purple.
- Make some black with Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber to mix into the darkest shadow colors
Mix and paint the shadows in the hair and skin
6.3 paint
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LEARNING TARGETS
Students know how to paint a portrait
M A T E R I A L S
- Acrylic paint
- Brushes
- Water container
- Paper towel
- Smocks
7.1 paint
7.2 help
Move around the room, asking permission to help and encouraging your students. Always look for something you really like and point it out. Then if you see something really inaccurate or if they seem apprehensive at all, ask if they’re happy with everything. If you have a good suggestion, tell them, and then ask if they want to hear it or not.
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LEARNING TARGETS
Students know how to paint highlights
M A T E R I A L S
- Acrylic paint
- Brushes
- Water container
- Paper towel
- Smocks
8.1 paint
Final touches are a lot like jewelry. If you overdo it, you look like Mr. T with all his chains. But just a few jewels of highlights, carefully placed, can take a painting to another level.
Many times, highlights are lighter almost white versions of the color they are over. Sometimes a highlight can be magenta pink on lips, even though the lips are more red.
Small highlights in the eyes are important. Sometimes they are not pure white, but gray or blue-gray.
8.2 finish
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LEARNING TARGETS
Students know the importance of cleaning up.
M A T E R I A L S
- Paper Towels
- Cleaning wipes
- Sink
- Waste baskets
- Well-lit spot for photos
- Camera or phone-camera
9.1 CLEAN
Students set up their work area.
- Wash hands
- Super-wash brushes if used
- Put art supplies away
- Wipe tables & toss trash
- Remove any smocks (last)
- Check for items on floors and tables
9.2 PHOTO
Try to get photos of your student’s artwork. Find a good spot for quick lighting without highlights or shadows from your hands and device. Ideally in-between two strong lights on each side.
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