“I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.” ~Georgia O’Keeffe
Why do we learn colour and how do we know it?
Colour is at the heart of what it means to be a child. Opportunities to manipulate, explore and control colour through means of colour are at the heart of a child’s artistic development and expression. The study of colour through paintings, drawings (both historical and contemporary) empower children as they develop a relationship to concepts, issues and communication.
From the beginning attempts to teach colour, children need colour vocabulary. This will occur naturally and most effectively as the students learn the names of colour by using them, talking about them and identifying colour terms in their own artwork and that of their peers.
Students will come into our classrooms equipped with various strategies of picture-making, and our roles are to extend their exposure to new materials, work habits, handling of materials and foster a space that encourages each of them to talk about their work during the process of making.
In your class students will be familiar with crayons, pencil crayons, pastels (chalk, oil), paint (tempera, watercolour, acrylic) and brushes to name a few. Set up opportunities for discovery and create space to share those discoveries with the other students, letting students take the lead. Be fluid and direct with observations and comments.
Comments such as ” Isn’t _________________ a great picture” will not mean as much nor provide the insight for growth as ” Look at how __________________ has combined different amounts of blue and yellow to make various shades of green.” This direct observation of the students’ skills will pique their peers’ curiosity and encourages them to further their own skill sets.
Sensory connections are essential for students before they begin responding to their given creative tasks. Asking them to paint a tree without teaching them to first see, feel and be surrounded by trees will only produce a symbol of what a tree is supposed to be. Use sensory connections as sources of motivation as these experiences will lead to more interesting, detailed, expressive and authentic processes. Get them to dig deeper into what they are surrounded by in their colour-filled world.
(Source: 99designs)
What are the principles of colour theory?
The basic principle of the colour wheel starts with three primary colours red, yellow and blue. The colours are placed equal distance on the wheel. Primary colours are the basis for all other colours and any colour can be made using a combination of primary colours.
Is a white a colour? Why is black not a colour?
Black is the absence of light. … Some consider white to be a colour because white light comprises all hues on the visible light spectrum. And many do consider black to be a colour because you combine other pigments to create it on paper. But in a technical sense, black and white are not colours, they’re shades.
What is a colour of a mirror?
As a perfect mirror reflects back all the colours comprising white light, it’s also white. That said, real mirrors aren’t perfect, and their surface atoms give any reflection a very slight green tinge, as the atoms in the glass reflect back green light more strongly than any other colour.
The Colour Wheel….a great place to start
