Many students tend to “draw with paint” rather than process the shapes that will lead to complex forms and color development. How do we teach students to switch their thought process when approaching a painting? What process will cause them to develop a deeper understanding of color and move away from local color? How can we teach color theory in a way that will challenge students’ concepts of perceived color? With these questions in mind, I developed a simple still-life project that proved to be a great launching pad for teaching painting and color.
Justine, tissue paper “painting” of a lunch spread.Left: Kayleigh D. Right: Owen M.Kayleigh D., artwork in progress.
For more than thirty years working as an art educator, I’ve struggled to help students understand the differences between drawing and painting. In drawing, we mostly focus on line, edge, massing, and tonal buildup. Paintings, however, are primarily shape-based.
Many students who excel at drawing struggle with painting. They tend to “draw with paint” rather than process the shapes that will lead to complex forms and color development. Students often tell me, “I’m not good at painting” or “I don’t know how to paint.” The anxiety they exhibit about being unfamiliar with this medium and process further complicates teaching them advanced painting techniques. Couple this with balancing the use of a palette, media, brushes, and other tools, and students can become too overwhelmed to focus on good processes.
Questions to Consider
How do we teach students to switch their thought process when approaching a painting? What process will cause them to develop a deeper understanding of color and move away from local color? How can we teach color theory in a way that will challenge students’ concepts of perceived color? With these questions in mind, I developed a simple still-life project that proved to be a great launching pad for teaching painting and color.
Exploring Color Theory
The unit starts with a brief introduction to color theory. Students learn that artists, animators, illustrators, and designers use color theory practices to elevate their work and its effects on the viewer. We look at these seven basic color schemes: monochromatic, complementary, split complementary, triadic, tetradic, neutral, and analogous. I show multiple examples of how artists in various fields use and apply each color scheme. I lay out sample palettes of paint colors to show the difference between theory and practice.
Next, we examine the color applications and theory presented in James Gurney’s book, Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (Andrews McMeel, 2010), and I do a brief demo on the four basic concepts of color: hue, saturation, temperature, and value.
Presenting the Challenge
I tell students they will create a painting using only colored tissue paper. I show samples of previous student work and discuss the process and techniques required. Since they are only using tissue paper, students are forced to work in shapes. There are almost no neutral colors because I remove them from the tissue packs, so students must mix and layer the tissue paper to create the changes they want. (Do not use tissue paper that bleeds when wet.)
To demonstrate the process, I take a contour drawing, tissue paper, and acrylic matte medium. I show the various results that happen when you place light colors over dark, dark colors over light, and double and triple layers over others. For best results, students should apply the medium to a small area of their surface, place the piece of tissue paper on top of the medium, and then brush medium over the top of the tissue paper. This provides the most color blending and removes air bubbles.
Working from a Still Life
On the day of the project, students arrive to see multiple still-life setups around the room. Each is designed to reflect one or more possible color scheme. Students choose the still life they are most drawn to as their subject. Once they have chosen their still life and view, they must identify the color scheme they will attempt and create a set of color swatches (using the tissue paper process as practice) demonstrating the range of their scheme for this project (hue, saturation, temperature, and value).
I have students tape a large 18 x 24" (46 x 61 cm) sheet of 90 lb drawing paper to a drawing board. Then they use an H or HB pencil to draw a simple contour of the still-life objects, shadows, lights, and forms. This will serve as the template for their tissue paper painting.
I remind students that they will need to think like painters. This means they should work from the whole to the parts, from general to specific, back to front, and look for the shapes within our observed reference.
Working with Tissue Paper
Working within their color scheme, students “glue” in the basic colors and shapes for all of their designated forms. Everything should have some tissue paper on it before they develop the piece further. Students love the abstract qualities of these early stages, and the process seems to inspire them to let go of having to achieve perfection.
After they have the surface covered, students look for shapes and forms within the shapes they’ve created. These new smaller shapes should give the viewer more information or build the complexity of the color we are seeing. Students repeat this process as many times as necessary to reach the level of detail desired. Some students will choose to tear the tissue paper; others use scissors or a craft knife.
Questions always arise: “How do I make brown?” or “Do we have gray?” I use these opportunities to teach students how to identify the color within a perceived neutral and how to make those neutrals using complements and other approaches. Students begin to see reflected color, bounce light, the difference between value changes, and saturation changes to create shadows.
Reflections
Ultimately, students become familiar with color application, shape-based thinking, and working with various sized brushes. The limited palette of tissue paper and the forced use of shapes leads them to become more effective painters. If students begin to struggle with a later painting project because they are approaching it like a drawing, I simply say, “Hey, remember that tissue paper project?
Todd Poteet is an art teacher at Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Kansas. Todd.Poteet@usd497.org
National Standard
Creating: Conceiving and developing new artistic ideas and work.
Art teachers start the school year with lessons that engage students while teaching them foundational skills and techniques. High-school students explore shape-based thinking and color theory while creating paintless paintings with tissue paper; middle-school students complete the second half of their self-portraits in the style of a chosen artist; elementary students utilize the elements and principles to draw realistic and abstract landscapes; young students learn about personal preferences while designing paper shoes; and more.
