Elementary

The Essential Question
How can we create a one-point perspective painting using primary colors, black, and white?

Objective
Students will create a one-point perspective painting with a focus on color-mixing.

Materials
watercolor paper, tempera paint (primary colors, black, and white), cotton swabs, paper plates, pencils, rulers

Procedures

1. Discuss one-point perspective and show students various examples.
2. Students draw a horizontal line slightly above the center of their paper and add a dot in the center of the line.
3. Students draw five to seven dots across the bottom of the page, then connect the bottom dots to the center dot to create rows of flowers.
4. Above the horizontal line, stu-dents draw trees, a house, a wind-mill, and any other features of a farm they would like to include.
5. Students start with primary col-ors of paint, mixing to create various greens for the grass and trees. Stu-dents use a cotton swab to apply the paint in a pointillist style.
6. Provide black and white paints for students to use along with their primary colors. Students mix paint for their flowers, objects on the horizon line, and sky, again using a cotton swab to apply the paint in a pointillist style. Encourage students to fill their entire paper with color with minimal white space.

Colleen Lam is an art teacher at Edgewater Elementary in Edgewater, Colorado.