watercolor unit

Building confidence and taking risks!

Video introduction to this unit.

Watch this first!

Purpose: the purpose of this unit is to introduce a variety of skills with a particular media, and then help students identify how to use those skills to experiment and to make new projects.

• • What materials do you need to get ready before you paint?

  • How is watercolor different from paints that come in a bottle?

  • How can you make watercolor lighter and darker?

4. Take notes so you know what to do after the video!

5. After the video, you should be able to answer these questions:

• • • • • • How can you dilute pigment when you are painting with watercolor?

• • What happens to the color you are painting when you dilute it?

  • If you want your paint to be an intense color, rather than pastel, what would you need to do?

6. Time to practice! Get your supplies and paint at least 3 blue washes

• • • mix at least a teaspoon of paint before you begin

    • sketch 3 rectangles on your paper (about 4” x 5”)

    • tilt your paper while painting

    • paint back and forth, catching the “bead” from the row above

    • make sure your paint is uniform throughout your rectangle

Check in!

• • Is your wash blue?

  • Is it the same all the way through (uniform)?

  • Is it flat (has no blooms or streaks)?

Assignment 1: take a clear, well lit photo of your flat wash and turn it in to Google Classroom.

If you are having difficulties getting it right, check in with Mrs. Kiwiet!

Assignment 2: creating a graded wash

Key vocabulary: the properties (characteristics)

• • gradient wash: layer of transparent color that starts dark and gradually and smoothly transitions to become lighter

  • pigment: the actual color

  • uniform: the same

  • ombre: slowly and smoothly changing from dark to light

  • concentrated: a lot of pigment compared to the amount of water

  • diluted: a lot of water compared to the amount of pigment

1. Watch the following video.

2. Stop the video as needed to write down hints for using watercolor.

3. When you are finished, you will need to know:

• • What can you add to your paint cake to get it ready for painting?

  • What do you need to add to your paint in order to make a graded wash?

4. Take notes so you know what to do after the video!

5. After the video, you should be able to answer these questions:

• • How can you dilute pigment when you are painting with watercolor?

  • What happens to the color you are painting when you dilute it?

  • How is a graded wash different from a wash?

6. Time to practice! Get your supplies and paint at least 3 blue washes

• • • mix a large puddle of blue paint before you begin

    • sketch 3 rectangles on your paper (about 4” x 5”)

    • tilt your paper while painting

    • paint back and forth, catching the “bead” from the row above

    • paint at least 3 blue graded washes

Check in!

• • Is your wash blue?

  • Does it start dark and slowly get lighter?

Assignment 2: turn in a clear, well lit photo of your graded wash and turn it in to Gclasroom.

If you are having difficulties getting it right, check in with Mrs. Kiwiet!

Assignment 3: resist, blooms, salt, dry on dry

Key vocabulary: the properties (characteristics)

• • resist: using a substance that repels (pushes back) water

  • wet on dry: applying paint to dry paper

  • wet on wet: applying paint to wet paper

  • dry on dry/dry brushing: using very dry brush on dry paper

  • blooms: wet on wet technique that allows pigment to be pulled by the water so as to create interesting effects (also called “back runs”)

1. Watch the following video.

2. Stop the video as needed to write down hints for using watercolor.

3. When you are finished, you will need to know:

• • What materials “resist” watercolor?

  • How can you “dry” your brush but maintain the pigment/paint in your brush?

  • What techniques give you the most control? which give you the least?

4. Take notes so you know what to do after the video!

5. After the video, you should be able to answer these questions:

• • If you want your paint to be an intense color, rather than pastel, what would you need to do?

  • What materials repel water?

6. Time to practice! Get your supplies and experiment with as many techniques as you are able to/have materials for

• • • mix a large puddle of blue paint before you begin

    • at a minimum, you should have wax resist, salt, blooms, and dry on dry (4 minimum)

Assignment 3: turn in a clear, well lit photo of your bloom, salt, dry on dry, and resist.

If you are having difficulties getting it right, check in with Mrs. Kiwiet!

Assignment 4: layering (glazing) and lifting

Key vocabulary: the properties (characteristics)

• • glazing: building translucent layers of watercolor by applying a layer of paint over a dry layer of paint

  • lifting: pressing tissues, paper towel, plastic, dry paint brushes and other materials into a wet layer of paint to take off some of the pigment

  • transparent

  • uniform

  • pigment

  • concentrated

  • graded wash

1. Watch the following video.

2. Stop the video as needed to write down hints for using watercolor.

3. When you are finished, you will need to know:

• • What is important to remember about your paper when glazing?

  • What can help your composition be more interesting?

4. Take notes so you know what to do after the video!

5. After the video, you should be able to answer these questions:

• • • In order to create a glaze effect, should your paper be wet or dry?

    • What is important to remember about the position of your paper when painting a wash or graded wash?

6. Time to practice! Get your supplies and create at least one successful glaze and one successful sky with cumulus clouds

• • • mix at least a teaspoon of paint before you begin

    • have some tissues ready

    • use a reference photo for the clouds if needed

Check in!

Lifting: Is your wash blue?

• • Does it start dark and slowly get lighter?

  • Have you created clouds by lifting the paint?

Layering (glazing): Are your layers blue?

• • Do you have several flat, uniform layers of paint built up?

Assignment 4: turn in a clear, well lit photo of your glaze and your cloud lift.

If you are having difficulties getting it right, check in with Mrs. Kiwiet!

Part 2: Combining your techniques to create new pieces.

Assignments: 5, 6, 7, 8 project generation!

Combining your techniques to create new pieces.

Watch the following videos for ways to combine the techniques you’ve learned into simple, beautiful pieces.

Try out lots of combinations.

Be prepared to “fail” a lot--you are experimenting!

You need to try out a minimum of 4 different combinations/projects, but you get to decide what combinations you try. The videos will give you some ideas.

Remember to use your practice pieces and your half-sheets of watercolor paper for your mini-projects.

1. Watch both videos.

2. Time to experiment! using the drawing app, try out different ideas until you find something you like. Save into camera roll.

Assignments: 9 turn in work from drawing app showing your ideas for finishing your piece.

Assignment 10: Bringing a piece to completion

Use the drawing app experiment from assignment 9, complete a piece by adding

Optional video: watch to see Mrs. K bringing watercolor projects to completion:

Good work!

Time to move on to the Positive Phrase Project