Watercolor Bridge Silhouettes
Learning Targets
I can...
- Create an original Watercolor Bridge Silhouettes using drawing techniques learned in class
- Use color combinations (analogous, complementary, primary), line types (horizontal, vertical, diagonal), and space (positive, negative) inspired by French Painter (1840-1926) Claude Monet
- Use painting techniques (underpainting, blending, dry brush, texture) and design principles (composition, proportion, gradation) based on Impressionism
- Define Hue (a pure color that is found on the color wheel and has nothing added to change properties)
Lesson One
Day One, Art Start
1. Waterloo Bridge, Sunlight Effect (Effet De Soleil) (1903) Claude Monet
2. Read Mackinac Bridge: The Story Of The Five Mile Poem by Gloria Whelan
3. Discussion Questions "What do you see? Where do you think this painting is set? What does the weather look like? What kind of clothes would they weather in this weather? What time of day might this painting show? What time of year? What colors do you see? How many hues of blue can you find? Are these things actually blue in real life, or just painted with blue? What materials is the bridge made of? How long is the bridge? Does the bridge connect one place to another? What kind of bridge is it? Is it a straight road, arch-shaped, have many steps, or lack support like a swinging rope bridge? What is beneath the bridge? Does the bridge connect one place to another? Is these soft grass, calm water, a rough river, or a highway with heavy traffic? Is there any environment surrounding the bridge, and if so, what is it like? Is it sunny with trees and many living things or cloudy and deserted? Where do you place yourself in the image, as represented by the dot? Are you on the bridge, and if so, which part? Are you at the beginning, middle, or toward the end?"
Lesson Activities
1. Use recognizable basic shapes (geometric, organic, free form) to outline the positive space (bridge) of the bridge paintings
2. Use black sharpie markers to outline recognizable basic shapes (geometric, organic, free form) of the negative space (background) of the bridge paintings
3. Use rubber erasers to remove any pencil lines from the positive space (bridge) and negative space (background) of the Watercolor Bridge Silhouettes
Day Two, Art Start
1. Retrieve Watercolor Bridge Silhouettes for Assigned Tables
2. The Bridge At Argenteuil (1874) Claude Monet
3. Discussion Questions "What is a bridge? What interesting facts do you know about each bridge? Are there other stories with historical significance? How do you know this information? What is the longest bridge in the world? Why do bridges look so different in different parts of the world? How long did it take to build these huge bridges? What is the oldest manmade structure in the world? How would you build a bridge in a whole day? Why were bridges built throughout history? How did the artist use geometric shapes to draw the bridge? Did the artist use watercolor effectively? What are the main features of bridges? How were bridges built?"
Lesson Activities
1. Use watercolor techniques (dry brush, blending, overlapping) to fill in the positive space (bridge) of the bridge paintings
2. Use watercolor techniques (dry brush, blending, overlapping) to fill in the negative space (background) of the bridge paintings
3. Add decorative patterns (plants, fish, people) to the negative space (background) of the Watercolor Bridge Silhouettes
Day Three, Art Start
1. Retrieve Watercolor Bridge Silhouettes for Assigned Tables
2. Set Up Studio Area (watercolor, paint brushes, paint bucket)
Lesson Activities
1. Use neutral colors (black, grey, white) to outline decorative patterns (plants, fish, people) in the negative space (background) of the bridge paintings
2. Use neutral colors (black, grey, white) to outline decorative details (cables, towers, decks, anchorage) in the positive space (bridge) of the bridge paintings
3. Add highlights (reflective light, light source) and shadows (cast shadow, reflective shadow) to the positive space (bridge) of the Watercolor Bridge Silhouettes
Artist Examples
Student Examples
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