Winslow Seascapes

Third Grade Art Lesson
3 Class Periods

Winslow Seascapes, Third Grade Art Lesson



About the Artist Studied:

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) is a self-taught American landscape painter and printmaker.  He is considered a Realist artist.  He began his career by illustrating pictures for Harper magazine and sketching battle scenes during the Civil War (1863).  Homer began traveling in 1875.  He fell in love with the sea and spent the rest of his life painting seascapes.

Winslow Homer

The Fog Warning by Winslow Homer.

 

Day 1

• Students prepped their paper by painting it with cool hues to create an ocean.  Several resist techniques were discussed in class to help create textures within the painting.

Day 2

• Discuss with students the texures created on their paintings.
• Demonstrate to students how to tear paper and glue it onto blue construction paper to create waves.
• Show students how to create boats.

Student creating a boat.
 

Day 3

• Have students add a mosaic design and sails to boats.
• Students may add extra embellishments if they see fit for their compositions.

Examples of Student Work:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Primary Horses

First Grade Art Lesson
3 Class Periods


Primary Horses, First Grade Art Lesson

About the Artist Studied:

Franz Marc (1880-1916) was a German painter and printmaker who loved to paint animals and landscapes in bright, bold primary colors.  He is part of the Expressionist art movement.  Expressionist painters tend to use bold colors and large brush strokes.  Pieces tend to have the feeling of movement.


Franz Marc

Blue Horse by Franz Marc.

The Large Blue Horses by Franz Marc.
This piece can be viewed at the Walker Institute of Art in Minneapolis, MN.

The Red Horses by Franz Marc.



 

Day 1

1.  Students will learn about the life and artwork of Franz Marc.
2.  Through follow along demonstration have students draw a horse.
3.  Have students outline drawing with a black sharpie marker.

Student outling their horse drawing with a marker.

Day 2

1.  Discuss oil pastel techniques with students.
2.  Have students color their horses using only primary colors, white and black.  Encourage students to blend primary colors to create secondary colors for accent pieces on the horses.
3.  If horses need to be re-outlined, have students do so with a black oil pastel.

 

Students coloring horses with oil pastels.

Day 3

1.  Have students add a background into their compositions using a black oil pastel.
2.  Have students paint background with tempera paint.

Students painting backgrounds in their horse compositions.

Student Examples:

Block Party

Fourth Grade Art Lesson
5 Class Periods

Block Party, Fourth Grade Art Lesson

 

“Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing?

Can one really explain this?

No. Just as one can never learn how to paint.”   -Pablo Picasso

 

 

Day 1:

• Through follow along demonstration have students draw top block.  Begin middle blocks.
• Vocabulary discussed during this demonstration:  perspective, parallel lines, vertical line, and horizontal line.

Day 2:

• Finish middle blocks with follow along demonstration.
• Reinforce the idea of parallel lines (two lines that run side by side and never cross).
• Continue follow along demonstration to create bottom three blocks.
• Students may add additional blocks if they feel comfortable with concept.

Day 3:

• Discuss with students how light and shadow help make a two-dimensional drawing appear three-dimensional.
• As a class plan out the light and shaded sides of each cube.
• Have students paint the hue (pure color) side of cube.

Student painting hue side of cube.

Day 4:

• Discuss with students how to correctly mix a tint (white + color) and shade (color + black).
• Have students paint the sides of the cubes corresponding to the way light would be hitting the object.

Day 5:

• Have students outline blocks with black oil pastel to sharpen edges.
• Discuss complementary colors schemes with students (colors oppositie on color wheel: red and green, orange and blue, yellow and violet).
• Have students paint background of composition using correct complementary color scheme for their piece.  Students were allowed to use a tint, shade or hue of the complementary.

Example of Student Work: