Flowers & Bugs Lesson Plan

Day Two: (many may need to finish drawing bug)

LEARNING TARGET:

I am learning about primary, secondary and analogous color schemes so I can
understand the art element of color, the color wheel and color mixing. I know I got it when I can create with 2 primary colors and the 1 secondary color they mix to make.

Discuss the color wheel! Talk about primary colors and how they mix into secondary colors. You can go farther and discuss how colors next to each other on the color wheel are analogous color schemes. Artists should pick 2 primary colors and the 1 secondary color those primary colors make (ie yellow and blue to make green). The set of 3 colors are analogous (yellow, green and blue).

Demonstrate how to use 2 primary colored crayons (choose your colors and stick to them the whole time) to create curved line details in each petal using radial balance. Press hard so they show through the paint like a crayon resist technique!

 

Days Three – Four:

LEARNING TARGET:

I am learning about about wet on wet painting technique so I can try a new way to paint, connect to tie dye and to science with color mixing. I know I got it when I can paint my paper with clean water and let my paint flow and mix just on the petals and center of the flower.

Ask artists if they’ve ever done a tie dye project. If so, did they get the fabric wet first to help the dye flow/penetrate the fabric? What colors did they use? Did the colors mix?

Demonstrate how to get your paint brush wet with clean water and paint one petal with water, not too sloppy, just right. Using watercolors, either dip your brush into liquid paint or load a lot of cake paint and dot it onto your wet petal and watch the paint spread out! Also watch the crayon resist or push the paint away. Use both primary colors. Help them mix if needed by gently pushing the colors around with the brush but be careful not to overmix. Try to keep each primary color visible but also show the secondary color they made (you can also use paint of the secondary color, too, but stick to the analogous scheme already chosen).

TIP: Start with the petals to get a handle on this technique. Too much water and the paint gets watered down and flows too much; not enough water and the paint doesn’t flow/mix. Have a paper towel ready to help gently blot the paper or to tap the brush on to control water/paint flow. Paint all the petals before the center. The center is the hardest so keep the paint flowing and use the tip of the brush to get the flower wet around the bug but not the bug. REMEMBER the paint will go wherever the water goes.

Days Five:

After the painting is totally dry (if it’s damp it will ruin the marker), use a new (sharper tip) fine point permanent marker to trace the bug. Use the big chisel tip marker to color the space around the flower. You can trace the whole center circle of the flower or just the outline with the petals.

 

TIP: Use a paper placemat under your paper so you can color right off the edge of your paper but avoid getting permanent marker on the table. Permanent marker gives a rich black and not as much streaking as water based markers.