Color Wheels - Painting

Grade: 9-12

Curriculum Area: Visual Art

Unit of Study/Art history/Cultural context: Color Wheel, Color Theory, Color Symbolism

SPI's/Standards of Art: TN: 1.1.1-1.1.4, 1.3.1-.1.3.4, 1.4.1-1.4.4, 2.1.1-2.1.4, 3.1, 4.1

Objectives:

Students will analyze and comprehend the element of Color: Color Theory, notably the Color Wheel and its purpose. (1-3)

Students will practice using paint and color mixing to create a color wheel. (2.1)

Students will practice color mixing to create 3 value scales for 3 colors. (2.1)

Students will understand color relationships and how they change throughout different cultures. (4.1)

Materials:

Pencil Eraser 14x18” Bristol board Tempera paint Palettes Brushes

Assessment Strategies:

Questions and responses during presentation to show understanding. Individual monitoring during guided & independent practice (double-check comprehension). Rubric for the final project: scoring based on how well Objectives were met in the project. (Good

effort; cleanliness and craftsmanship; accurate color wheel; accurate value scales for 3 colors; opaque paint is applied.)

At the end of the semester, the final exam will include questions about Color Theory.

Guided Learning Steps:

PowerPoint Introduction – Students learn about Color Theory. This includes the Color Wheel and its functionality as a “map”, which explains color mixing and color schemes. Students learn about primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, and how the last two are made. They also learn about different color schemes and how they relate on the color wheel. Vocabulary terms are covered, and value is re-discussed in terms of mixing white or black/compliments into colors for tints and shades. Color schemes are presented, and students discuss what moods they convey and how meanings of color differ from culture to culture (e.g. blue can be seen as sad in one, but happy or calm in another).

Demonstration/Guided Practice – Students will draw out the color wheel (“pie” design) and practice coloring in appropriately with colored pencils. They will have to use only primary colors, and layer them to create secondary and tertiary, like they will do when mixing paint.

Individual Practice (Project) [3-4 days] – Students will re-draw the pie design on 14x18” Bristol board, as well as 3 value scale boxes, 5 square sections for each. After a demonstration, students will take primary colors of tempera paint and mix them together to create other colors to paint their color wheel. They will also mix white and black/compliments to create tints and shades for their value scales for 1 primary, 1 secondary and 1 tertiary color. Colors must be opaque, meaning multiple layers of paint must be applied, and it must follow the real color wheel (no random placement).

Reflection – Students will discuss how they liked the process of color mixing and painting.

Vocab: color wheel, primary/secondary/tertiary colors, hue, intensity, tints, shades, color schemes

Essential Questions:

1. What are the components of color theory?

2. What is the color wheel, and how does it tell us about color theory?

3. How are secondary and tertiary colors made?

4. What are the different types of color schemes?a. What moods can they convey?b. How do meanings of color change throughout cultures?

5. How do you create value ranges for colors?a. What are tints and shades? How are they made?