watercolor lessons – Art with Mrs Filmore

The group of 4 pics below are my teacher examples (students artwork below!)

I have a FREE hand drawn umbrella template (PDF) in my TpT (Teachers pay Teachers) store to download and print for this lesson!

You can get my FREE umbrella template at https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/art-with-mrs-filmore

BTW- in case you’re not a teacher, did you know that anyone can create a TpT buyer account. It’s EASY and completely FREE! Creating an account to browse and download resources is free and open to all.

*****I recommend printing the umbrella out on 9×12” 80# white drawing paper (which is what I used), tagboard or cardstock for this lesson. But it could be printed as an 8.5” x 11” on any of those papers too *****

Steps on how we made these and the learning goals for the lesson are below students artwork!

Students Artwork below

These few below are from last year (I deleted my previous April Showers brings May Flowers lesson with pics in my 2nd grade page, because I wanted to edit how I wrote it and update this lesson— so I’m including these here!)

This lesson is one of my favorites for springtime, and could easily work with 1st or 3rd grade as well! It takes 3 (40 min.) art classes to complete— although I’ve had some classes finish up in just 2 art classes!

STEPS FOR THE LESSON:

Students each received a 9×12” 80# sheet of drawing paper with the umbrella pre-printed. I drew the umbrella by hand with pencil then traced over with black sharpie and photocopied x35 for each class (extras are always a must just in case kids need a new sheet).

Then students followed along with me as I drew under the document camera showing them how to create the raincoat, shorts, legs and rain boots in pencil.

Once that was complete, we drew a curved line for the hill, and a few clouds in the sky. I explained how clouds can be created by drawing a connected lowercase letter “m”.

Students had lots of choices for their drawings. They could add other details like a sun peeking out from a cloud, or along the horizon line (with a face or no face), lightning bolts coming from the clouds for a stormy setting, their pet sitting beside them, and any designs or patterns within their clothing. Then we traced over everything except for the line for the hill, with a black sharpie.

Then students colored in the person and umbrella with crayon —making sure to press really hard as they colored so the colors would be vibrant! I told students they could use any colors they wanted, and could draw any designs within their umbrella and clothes. (In my video I show how to create the rainbow “tie-dye” look for the umbrella, like in my first photo up top). They also colored in their sun, rainbow and lightning bolts if they added them, making sure to press hard as they colored.

Students then drew flowers in their hill with crayons ( no pencil first. ) I showed students how to draw 3 different flowers. I demonstrated how to draw simple tulips (by drawing the letter U and then a capital letter W at the top, a simple daisy shaped flower (a small circle in the center, then a bumpy line all around) and a simple “button flower” (drawing a small circle, coloring it in, then another circle around it and coloring that in with a different color.

I told students (and say this in my video too— ) that they can create their own type of flower as well!

Then they drew flowers all around the hill with whatever colored crayons they wanted, pressing hard as they colored.

After the flowers, students used two shades of green crayons; a lighter lime green (we used Crayola’s “yellow-green”) and a darker forest green (we used the Crayola crayon just called “green”) and while holding both crayons in the same hand —a bit tricky! But they got the hang of it!—they drew grass blades all over the hill, right over the flowers, letting the lines overlap and go diagonal at times, making sure to press hard as they drew. I also explained to create blades of grass going a bit beyond the hill line we drew earlier. We talked about how creating the grass adds a ton of texture to our art too!

I like to have kids hold two crayons at once during this process so that #1 it goes faster, and #2 it forces them to cover the hills with overlapping lines. I also like the 2 shades of green rather than just one, for more color and variety. It’s also a great way to increase fine motor control as well!

I did explain to students (as well as in my video) that if they had a difficult time holding 2 crayons at once and drawing the grass, that they could certainly just use one crayon at a time. But this wasn’t really an issue—-in all 4 of my 2nd grade classes, only a few students used one crayon at a time, and both ways work fine!

Then using a white crayon we created rain in the sky by drawing diagonal lines (making sure to press VERY hard, since we’d be painting over the rain with watercolors —creating a crayon wax-resist technique )

We talked about how although you can’t really see where you’re putting the rain drops —since it’s white on white—you can actually see the waxy sheen/ texture it has on the paper when you tilt your paper in the light. See pic below

Then, using a wet-on-wet technique, I demonstrated how to add only water with a paintbrush to the sky right over all the rain.

Students had a choice of painting either an all blue sky, a sunset sky (using yellow first closest to the horizon line, then orange, then red and then blue) or a stormy sky (using blue and purple). (I demonstrate all these varieties in my YouTube video as well).

I explained to use mostly water on their brush than paint, and to dip their paintbrush tip into the water a few times after getting paint on their brush, to get rid of excess paint. (***This is explained in my video as well. I also show how to get rid of any “pools” of paint too!)

Students painted their sky over their raindrops, creating a crayon-wax-resist. It never gets old seeing students excited to see their raindrops magically appear! They LOVE that part!

Then students used the wet-on-wet technique again for the hill. They wet the entire hill with only water first. Then painted over their hills (right over the grass and flowers) using green watercolors.

Such a beautiful and colorful art lesson for springtime!!

Here’s some fun pics of my students creating their beautiful paintings! Learning Goals are posted below the pics!

LEARNING GOALS:

Students can define and create a wet-on-wet technique with watercolors

Students can create, define and identify texture within their artwork

Students can utilize and identify the elements of art: LINE, SHAPE, and COLOR to create their art

Students can define and create a crayon-wax-resist painting

To get a FREE PDF umbrella template visit my TpT store in the link below!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/art-with-mrs-filmore

Please also check out some of my previous posts below!

(Clicking on the link will bring you right to that post! )

Mixed Media Cake inspired by Wayne Thiebaud

Mixed Media Watercolor Self-Portraits – 5th Grade

One point Perspective Cityscapes – 5th Grade

Blackout poetry – 5th Grade

Draw your own Inventions – 1st Grade

Winter Northern Lights! 5th grade Art Lesson

I also added a page “springtime art lessons” recently, that have 39 springtime art lessons all in one place, with pics and links to my original posts with detailed steps. That can be found under the main menu OR you can just click Here!

******Visit my page “Art Instruction Videos” (under the main menu) to view all 12 of my Youtube video tutorials!******

Thank you so much for visiting my website today! I’ll be posting again soon 🙂

Additional artwork below!!

This easy and fun 2 day art lesson focused on the elements of art; Line, Shape, Color and Value. Students also learned about a new watercolor resist technique using rubber cement before painting!

Special shout out to artroombritt.blogspot.com for this lesson idea!

DAY 1

Students observed various drawings of dandelions and reviewed the meaning of composition in artwork, (composition= the way things are laid out or where things are drawn/placed on paper).

Students drew three stems spaced apart a bit coming from one side of a sheet of 9×12″ tagboard with pencil. They could be drawn coming from either side of the paper going towards the middle.

They drew a small circle at the tip of each stem for the dandelions center and then lightly drew a large circle around it to act as a guideline to where their dandelion seed heads would be drawn to, to create a full, fluffy dandelion puff.

Students drew 1 large dandelion and 2 smaller ones on either side of the large one. Then drew a variety of seed heads stemming out from the center of each dandelion. I demonstrated various seed head tips for drawing before students drew on their own papers. I also offered a handout to refer to and observe, if they wanted while drawing.

Then once all three were drawn, they added drifting seed heads blowing away from the dandelion puffs in the wind. These drifting seed heads were drawn traveling in different directions (just like in real life) and not only adds interest, but creates a nice composition with the three dandelions along the opposite side.

Then students went over their stems lines and dandelion puffs lines and drifting seed heads with a black sharpie. After using sharpie they erased any pencil lines that remained.

Once that was done, after class, (when students were no longer in my art room), I brushed on a thick layer of rubber cement where each circular dandelion puff would be, as well as on the drifting seed heads. The rubber cement was a bit stinky and isn’t healthy to breathe in, so I worked next to an open window. This is why I applied the rubber cement and not the students.

The rubber cement was left to dry until the next class. (BTW- This doesn’t take up much rubber cement at all- I used about 3 small jars for 4 classes (roughly 24 students per class).

I used an old tempera brush rather than the rubber cements brush that it comes with. I found it was much easier to spread that way.

DAY 2

Before applying paint to our drawings, we reviewed warm and cool colors.

I had ice cube trays filled with liquid watercolors (one end with warm colors (warm colors=reds, pinks, oranges and yellows) and the other end with cool colors (cool colors= blues, greens and purples).

We also reviewed the wet-on-wet watercolor technique before painting. After demonstrating, students applied water only to 1/2 their paper quickly with a watercolor brush. THEN applied dabs of either just warm colored paint OR just cool colored paint onto the wet areas using one color at a time.

Students noticed how the paint spread outward from where they dabbed little bits of paint over the watered down paper. The water helps spread the paint and it also changes the value of the color making the color lighter and less vibrant (value= the lightness or darkness of a color).

Then once one 1/2 of their paper was painted, they dabbed the painted section with a paper towel while still wet, to help soften the color and spread the paint even more.