GRADIENT LANDSCAPES

By Morgan Johnson, Art Room Intern

Students will paint a landscape of their choosing using a tonal gradation method to produce a sense of distance and atmosphere in their piece.

Inspiration:

Supply List:

• 1 Piece of Watercolor Paper
• Watercolor Paint
• Paintbrush
• Water
• Water Cup
• Paper Towels

Grab your supplies and let’s get painting!

Start by choosing the type of landscape you wish to depict. It could be a city skyline, rural hillside, or mountainous terrain. You will only be painting the outline of the landscape.

Then, choose the paint color you will use for the entire piece (Any color can work!).

Start by painting the first outline of the landscape (towards the bottom of the page) the darkest shade of this color. You may need to add black to your color to achieve a very dark shade.

Paint each new layer a slightly lighter shade than the last by using less black and adding small amounts of white paint or water (for watercolors) to each layer.

Try to get the final layer to an almost white color with only a hint of the original color you started with! Alternate sides of hills by painting some on the left and some on the right side of the page for a dynamic effect!

Gradient Landscapes!

ABSTRACT COLLAGE

By Morgan Johnson, Art Room Intern

“The shapes I paint are random and flow off my brush effortlessly as if they are a language I can write proficiently, but don’t totally understand. I don’t “plan” my paintings. I allow them to evolve and speak to me as I go along.” — Reggie Laurent

Using organic shapes and lines, students will create an abstract collage inspired by Reggie Laurent’s unique style.

Reggie Laurent

Reggie Laurent Work Inspiration:

Supply List:

• 1 Piece of Black Construction Paper
• 2 to 3 Pieces of Colored Construction Paper
• Crayons
• Scissors
• Glue

Grab your supplies and let’s get creating!

Using the colored construction paper, cut various shapes out to use for your     collage. These can be rectangles, triangles, squares, circles, or organic shapes. 

Cut both big and small shapes.

Start to layout and glue the colored shapes you have cut onto the black piece of     construction paper. Leave a little bit of room to still see the black paper peeking     through in between the shapes.

Using crayons, add design details, such as stripes, cross hatching, or outlines onto the glued shapes.

With a white crayon, draw a “white thread” that goes between the shapes onto the black background.

Try to emulate Reggie Laurent’s style by not overthinking the design as you create! 

Go with the flow and see what happens!

Abstract Collage!

ART ROOM QUOTES

WATERCOLOR FLOWER

By Morgan Johnson, Art Room Intern

“Colors and shapes make a more definite statement than words.” — Georgia O’Keeffe

In this playful project, inspired by Georgia O’ Keeffe’s work, students will create larger than life watercolor flowers.  Students will gain practice in watercolor shading techniques and experiment with scale in their colorful pieces.

Georgia O’Keefe Flower Inspiration: Hibiscus with Plumeria, 1939

Supply List:

• A Real Flower or Images of a Flower for Inspiration
• 1 Piece of Watercolor Paper
• Pencils
• Black Marker
• Watercolor Paint
• Paintbrush
• Water
• Water Cup
• Paper Towels

Grab your supplies and let’s get making!

Find a flower outside to use as inspiration for your piece or identify a picture of a     flower you like online.

Using a pencil, start by sketching the center of your flower and identify specific lines and forms you want to capture on your page.

With pencil, sketch the petals of your flower, allowing the edges to go off of your page (Optional) Use a black marker to outline the pencil marks.

Using watercolors, paint your flower and give it an interesting background color. 

Let the flower you choose guide the shape you draw. Most flowers will not be symmetrical or have matching petal shapes.

Watercolor Flower!