Non-Objective Color Wheel Watercolor Lesson

A unique color theory lesson

All art teachers look for new ways to teach the basic concepts of art. Color theory is no exception. The traditional color wheel worksheet is excellent for elementary and beginning art students, but my older students (6th grade and up) were ready for something new to broaden their skills. The non-objective color wheel lesson encourages creative design along with fundamentals of watercolor painting.

Materials Needed: Crayola Artista 8 Semi-Moist Oval Pans Watercolor Set with Brush, paint brushes, Canson Xl Watercolor Paper Pad 12×18-30 Sheets, Speedball 3378 Super Black India Ink, 16 oz. Bottle, water cups, rubbing alcohol, salt, plastic wrap, newspaper to put on tables

Pre-Project Activity: Basic Watercolor Techniques Worksheet

Basic Watercolor Lesson

Instructions:

1. Draw a non-objective design onto a sheet of 11×14″ watercolor paper in pencil, use shape templates & rulers. Use circles, triangles & squares. Make sure to have lines & shapes overlapping one another to create new interesting shapes. Vary the size of the shapes to create interest and emphasis.
2. Color Combinations to Include (minimum): Combinations can be repeated until ALL shapes are painted
   
   1. Yellow + Blue
   2. Blue + Red
   3. Blue + Red + Yellow
   4. Yellow + Orange
   5. Yellow + Yellow-Green
   6. Blue + Green
   7. Violet + Red
   8. Violet + Blue
   9. Yellow + Red
   10. At least 3 single colors of your choice
       

       

       

       

       
       
3. Apply at least one of each experimental watercolor techniques:
   1. Salt
   2. Alcohol
   3. Plastic Wrap
4. Finally, paint the background black with India Ink. *Do not add any water to the brush!!

Teacher Examples

Student Artwork

This post is © Michelle C. East – Create Art with ME. If you choose to reference any part of this post-written, photo or graphic, please link back to my blog Create Art with ME.