In the Grade 6 art classes, we recently completed a fun unit all about watercolour painting! Students learned various watercolour techniques, such as flat wash, wet into wet, graded wash, and using a dry brush – all to achieve various results. They also learned how to use some interesting materials, such as kosher salt, cling wrap, and the tip of a paintbrush, which provided them with even more ways to produce various effects. The students practiced using all of these various tools and techniques and realized that they can create a painting using much more than just paint and a paintbrush.
Our final assignment in this unit was to choose a nature photograph and to recreate it in a watercolour painting. Students needed to examine their chosen photo and decide what techniques they could use to best capture the essence of their photograph. Photographs included those of icebergs in water, a sandy desert, a spring-time forest, a tree in a sunset, and many other unique photos! Students enjoyed experimenting with colours, using various size brushes to help them with detail, using kosher salt to add texture, applying cling wrap to help with water and sky scenes, and using a host of other techniques to recreate their photograph in a painting. By combining all of these techniques together, beautiful results were had!
Be sure to check out our Facebook page for a look at the everyone’s amazing work!
