Painting the landscape
Putting together what you have learnt
To the Teacher
Be prepared to set aside a few sessions for this landscape painting, as you will want your students to work with care and attention and become fully involved in the process.
You will need:
Paper: at least one A2 (or A3 if necessary) sheet of good quality paper per student
Viewfinders cut by students
Board to press on
Paint trays for clean paints or polystyrene trays
A clean palette for mixing colours
Paints: all the primary colours, plus black and white, prepared for each student on a punnet or other suitable paint holder (small ice-cube trays work very well)
Brushes: at least two sizes per student – small, and medium or large; students can swop at times
Containers for water
Take a chair to sit on and wear a hat to protect your face from the sun.
Choose the view you like the most, and set up your paints, board and paper in an appropriate spot.
Draw in the broad outlines first, using a thin brush dipped in watery paint (of any colour). As with the charcoal drawings, you can begin to lay out your composition using broad marks, leaving the details for later. Again, it may be simplest to start with larger areas of colour, and then focus on fine texture or detail.
Use your brushes to create interesting marks and textures.
Remember what you learnt while mixing your own colours. Try to mix the colours you see in front of you. There are endless hues and tones in nature.
Exhibiting your work
The amount of time invested in these works deserves recognition. Put your work up in neat rows in the school hall or passageways, and have an exhibition that other classes can view. Get some outsider feedback!
More about using paint and brushes
Different shapes of brushes will extend the range of marks you are able to make. Using the tip of the brush will create very different kinds of marks to using the side of the brush.
You can load your brush with paint if you need to block in large areas of colour, but if you want to work in a fine, intricate way you may become frustrated. To make fine lines and sharp edges, work with the tip of a small brush and a small amount of paint. If the paint has more water in it, the brush will slide quickly and easily across the page and the colour might also look lighter. If the paint is thicker it will create a denser, more even surface of colour. If the brush is very dry, a bristle texture will be left on the page, or a “scumble” of thick paint.
Always wash your brushes thoroughly after you have finished working with a colour, especially if you want to work with a very different kind of colour next. It is important to replace the water in your jar once it becomes dirty, otherwise the colours will become dull and dirty too! Keep the paint clean and avoid the temptation to dip a brush loaded with one colour into a completely different colour.
Instead, use a palette or plastic tray to mix your colours together into new colours.
And remember to clean all the brushes thoroughly at the end. Do not “scrub” them hard against the paper – this will permanently bend the bristles out of shape. Just wash them well in running water.