Music, Lizbeth, 2024

Sample Unit:
Painting with Color

I used this unit in my Visual Art 1 (intro) classes to teach basic color theory and beginner painting techniques to high school students. Students in these classes have varied skill levels, so this unit focuses on basics while providing opportunity for students to challenge themselves and express their voices.

Key Content

Painting procedures: how to gather, use, care for, clean, and store materials (VA:Cr2.2.Ia)
Painting tools: brushes, palettes, types of paint
Color wheel: primary, secondary, tertiary
Value: hue, tint, shade
Color schemes: monochrome, complementary, analogous, triadic, warm, cool, neutral

Key Skills

Mixing paint to get desired color
Blending colors on surface
Using different brushes to create multiple types of marks

Ongoing Skills

Planning an artwork (VA:Cr1.1.Ia)
Reflecting on an artwork and art process (VA:Cr3.1.Ia)
Providing feedback to peers (VA:Cr3.1.Ia)
Revising an artwork based on feedback and reflection (VA:Cr3.1.Ia)
Interpreting artworks (VA:Re8.1.Ia)

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

demonstrate care, cleanup, and proper use of painting materials. (VA:Cr2.2.Ia)
mix paint to create desired colors. (VA:Cr1.2.Ia)
create multiple color schemes. (VA:Cr1.2.Ia)
create an original painting in a chosen color scheme. (VA:Cr1.2.Ia)

Task 1: Guided Sunset Painting

Objective: Students will be able to demonstrate proper painting materials and techniques.

After noticing a trend of students wanting to paint sunsets (often with errors), I decided to use the sunset subject to walk students through essential painting materials, procedures, and techniques. They learn basics and create a more accurate painting of a topic they are interested in. Win-win!

Painting Procedures Slides • Guided Notes • Sunset Painting Rubric

Task 2: Monochrome Painting

Objective: Students will be able to create an abstract painting using at least 4 different values (tints and shades) of one color.

This painting gives students practice with making tints and shades of one color before mixing multiple colors. They also practice applying an even coat of paint.

Monochrome Painting Slides • Monochrome Painting Rubric

Task 3: Color Wheel

Objective: Students will be able to mix the 12 basic colors using only the primary colors and place them in the correct spot on the color wheel.

Combined with the tints and shades practice they just completed, this painting exercise gives students the knowledge of how to make any color they desire. Knowing the color wheel also prepares students for the next content: color schemes.

Color Theory Slides • Color Wheel Rubric

Task 4: Color Schemes Practice

Objective: Students will be able to demonstrate complementary, analogous, and triadic color schemes.

After taking notes on the color schemes, students test their knowledge with a Kahoot! quiz. Then they use colored pencils to practice creating three color schemes.

Color Schemes Practice

Task 5: Artwork Analysis

Objective: Students will be able to make a claim about the meaning or emotion of an artwork and support their claim with evidence.

I frequently show students artworks to reinforce important content, such as color theory, and deepen their understandings of our visual culture. In each unit, students write about a specific artwork. Southern High School used the claim-evidence-reasoning format for writing, so this task follows that template.

Blank CER • Scaffolded CER

Monet Slide

Summative Assessment: Color Scheme Painting

Objective: Students will be able to create an original painting in a chosen color scheme that answers the prompt:

Where do you see color in your life?

Criteria:

Responds to prompt
Uses color scheme and multiple values
Can be realistic or more expressive

Students are encouraged to think about the prompt both literally and figuratively. They choose a subject and a color scheme and create a plan in their sketchbook before starting. While painting, they revise their work based on feedback from me and their peers. Once finished, they reflect on their artwork and process.

Color Scheme Painting Slides

Color Scheme Painting Rubric