Sample Lesson (from Level 1)

Lesson 21 - Year B : Blended Painting

    BIG IDEA:    Textures can be repeated to unify a design. (T4)

    GOAL:          The child will use repeated texture to unify a painting.

    MAIN ELEMENT:    Texture

    MATERIALS:

• Oil pastels or crayons
• Paper
• Pencil eraser

    STRATEGY:

Get examples of Impressionist art from the library. (Some artists to look for are Monet, Manet, Degas, Cassatt, or Renoir.) Remark that this art was called "Impressionism" because many times details weren't really drawn; you only got the "impression" that they were there. (This style was so different at the time that it shocked many people. Some said that it looked "smudgy".)

Demonstrate the blending technique. Draw an object with the crayons, then rub the pencil eraser all over the picture to blend the colors. (This will create an Impressionistic effect.) Comment that having this blended texture all over the picture makes everything look like it belongs together, or "unifies" the picture.

    WORK PERIOD:

The child selects a scene like the ones the Impressionists painted, such as ballet dancers or horses (like Degas), children (like Cassatt), or a lily pond (like Monet).

The child draws the scene, filling the entire page. He then rubs the eraser over the page to make the blended texture.

    QUESTIONS FOR EVALUATION AND REVIEW:

How did you get the soft, blended texture in your painting? (used the eraser)

How would the picture look if you blended some parts and not others? Would it look like everything belonged? (no)

What did people call paintings that looked like this? (Impressionism) Did everyone like it at first? (no)