I show this tints & shades tutorial before students get materials and that keeps their focus on instruction and NOT on the messy materials in front of them. I try to remember to ask for clarifying questions before students get up and start moving so they don’t tune me out!
Acrylic tree painting techniques for beginners
This was the final art project before winter break for our 7-13 year olds. To make it extra special, each student was given a 20×30 stretched canvas! They were pretty excited about this.
Inspiration for this fun project came from The Art Sherpa on youtube. The video lesson can be found here.
This was a teacher-led, step by step process. I demonstrated and explained each step in detail, and students then followed. What I love about this project, other than the festive aspect, is the many different acrylic painting techniques that are built into it.
Process:
We began by using foam rollers to spread an even tone of blue paint on our canvas. Then we used a tooth brush to splatter a starry night into our sky. Next, we used a dauber brush to swirl in light and airy powdery-looking snow. We dried the canvas before moving on to the next steps.
We painted in our tree trunk to a few inches from the top of our canvas using the edge of a flat brush. Using a # 4 or 6 round brush, we brushed in strokes of dark black-green branches, getting wider as we went down (leaving an inch of trunk). Then we did the same thing, but used a lighter green/blue color (by adding some blue and white to our already black and green brush), and leaving lots of dark under branches showing. This gives us that depth we are looking for. Using our flat brush again, we added a few horizontal strokes of shadow under the tree. We then used a tiny detail brush (number 0 or 1) to paint in some glimmering stars in the sky. With the same brush we added the large star on the top of the tree, and several smaller sparkling stars in the tree. Using a Q-tip we added red christmas tree balls. Once dry, we used our tiny detail brush to added white highlights to our red balls, as well as to all our stars. This makes everything instantly glimmer and glow.
These are fun and festive, and we exercised so many techniques and tools in the process. Best of all: since they are on stretched canvas, they can be instantly hung up on our walls at home to add to our festive holiday decor.
Happy holidays!
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| Teacher Sample |
Acrylic Techniques, Colours and Tools
The palette knife acrylic technique, for me, is great for landscape paintings and semi abstract techniques. It is an excellent painting technique for ‘loosening up’ especially beginners.
I find it stimulates not only my own creativity, imagination, freedom – but those of my students as well. They love it!
Acrylic Paint Colours
Colours chosen reflected my feelings on the day. I wanted a warmer lighter summer like palette. I’m not compelled to duplicate the bark that is set before me. I’m influenced by it…just not compelled to replicate it.
I felt the need to maintain a limited palette: white, permanent rose, burnt sienna and hanse yellow light.
Plenty of Paint is needed.
I did big broad thick buttery layers of paint with a well loaded knife. With each glide of the knife across the canvas, I then fully reloaded the knife again.
I know, it seems ‘such a waste of paint’ but it really isn’t. By putting enough paint on the first go, I’m more encouraged by the results than when I’m mean and stingy with the paints. (Then, end up trashing the whole thing… That’s wasteful!)
Day 5: Shades
I introduce how to paint a shade after students have had time to experiment with tints and gradients. I want to still limit their colors to just their base color and white so their palettes stay organized. Once I know students have the hang of it, we introduce a second base color and black for mixing shades. I explain how black and white make gray, and although it’s not wrong, mixing a tint with black will gray it out to a very neutral color. I emphasis a clean and organized palette and keeping each color clean and only mixing in one space.
I also explain that some colors aren’t as “pretty” (subjective, I know) as other shades. Yellow makse a funky green, orange turns really brown etc. Students can pick whatever base color they want, but this lesson could totally be revised to include a monochromatic color scheme, complimentary colors, split compliments etc. Students could also mix their own secondary and tertiary colors too! It’s whatever you have the time and gumption for, depending on your grade level. I would totally do this assignment in a high school Art 1 class (with a little bit of a stricter rubric ).
Day 5-7: Tree Painting
I really struggled with what to do with the tree. I thought about painting it solid white or black, but I wanted a little bit more of a challenge. I decided this time to do gray trees so they could continue their practice of making gradients and playing around with darks and lights. This takes a least two class periods for students to completely finish. I usually spend the third day reminding students about craftsmanship and how to pull a paint brush to create a smooth line. I don’t require that students outline each branch, but I show that as a technique to cover up any “oopsies” from their paint mixing.
After each technique has been reviewed, I give students the choice about which one to focus on for the day. Some students want to do one at a time and others want to bounce all over the place.
Day 8: Assessment
After some time for make up work, it’s time to turn these bad boys in! I always do a gallery walk with my students so they can look at their classmates art. Sometimes we vote for student choice awards, sometimes we write a compliment for another student, sometimes we do a peer critique (two stars and a wish, typically).
Once the fun stuff has been done, then we go over the rubric one last time and they fill in their grades and comments. I ALWAYS have students grade themselves first. It gives them ownership and accountability. It makes it much easier for me to grade and it makes students completely aware of their strengths and weaknesses.
This artwork was such a relaxing and time consuming way to spend our dreaded testing days. Students could come in to class and confidently get to work on an artwork that was engaging after spending all morning taking a test. Students told me this reminded them of stained glass, feathers, camouflage and peacocks. And they loved learning about such a broad range of artists.
What are your go to acrylic painting lessons? What do you do to survive testing seasons? Who is your favorite landscape artist?
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