UNIT: Art: Water colours
GRADE: 1-12
LESSON: Starfish using salt and alcohol techniques
THEME OR TOPIC: effects of various treatments
MATERIALS: water colour paper taped on coraplast, brushes, liquid water colour paints, paint trays, alcohol, and salt, spritzer bottle, water cups, water dump bucket and bottle of clean water, drying rack.

ACTIVATE: (5 min) Have kids review last water colour lesson and explain techniques they used. Show them sample of starfish and explain that today we will be making them.

EXPERIMENT: (35 min)

  1. Use water colour pencil crayon to draw small pentagon in centre of page (it works as centre of starfish)
  2. Draw a wavey line shooting off from each side of the pentagon, this will form the legs – try not to go towards the corners. If you go toward the corners your eye will want to continue looking off to the corner and away from your picture. Your leg can go off one side if you choose it does not need to stay on the paper.
  3. Outline with water colour pencil crayon.
  4. Draw a second outline about ½ a cm from the first one… this will remain “white space”
  5. Using water colour pencil crayons draw small circles for barnacles and add texture.
  6. With a wet paint brush paint clean water on your starfish (or spritz bottle)
  7. Drop in colours and paint starfish. Add small areas of different colours.
  8. If desired sprinkle small amounts of salt on starfish to add salt texture and technique.
  9. Once starfish is coloured move on to paint outside sections one at a time.
  10. Get the section wet with water. Once again drop on colours…. Make sure some of the colours are represented in the starfish. Add salt and alcohol to make the barnacle and water effects
  11. Repeat one section at a time until picture is complete
  12. Allow time to dry before moving wet pictures.

CONCLUSION:(5 min) take time to admire others art work

Grade 1-3

Primary steps over various days (I did 4 days and also practiced drawing starfish in journals and on smart board)

Activate by looking at sample and talking about water colour –possibly introduce famous water colour artists.

Practice Drawing (white boards / chalk boards or sketch book)

  • Directed drawing in on white board
  • ‘house’ with crooked walls
  • wavey lines out (not squiggly)
  • bubble around shape

Water colour pencil crayons

  • practice on white boards
  • pencil sketch ‘light’
  • check with Ms. McKay / Ms. Story
  • trace over top with ‘water colour pencil crayon’
  • teacher does second outline as ‘home work’ to help students out. Child can choose blue/green

Learning the medium:

  • if they have never used water colour paint brushes before talk about respect for supplies and how to use
  • let them experiment with water colour paint
  • practice strokes and not scrubbing
  • practice painting with 2 boxes one inside other. Paint inside box one colour and around outside box another colour, be sure to practice leaving ‘white space’

Painting Water

  • Section at a time (only spritz one section with water and have them put hand up when ready to move on)
  • Stroke with brush
  • Don’t rub back and forth
  • (only give blue/green to start with – let them add colours later otherwise some go overboard. )

Painting - Starfish

  • Painting star fish – choose one bright colour (purple, orange, red, yellow)
  • Only paint to inside bubble be sure to leave ‘white space’
  • Teacher does rubbing alcohol drops and student does salt.

Conclude by admiring each others art