Strand B: Problem Solving and Innovating · Wonder, Explore, Build and Create

Making Art: Drawing, Painting and Building Art

D25.1 D25.2 D25.3 D25.4About 20 minutes

Learning goals

I can draw different kinds of lines and shapes.
I can mix two colours of paint to make a new colour.
I can choose art tools and materials and try new ways to use them.
I can show an idea or a feeling in my art.
I can talk about art made by other people.

Words to know

artist
A person who makes art. You are an artist!

line
A mark made by a crayon, pencil or brush. Lines can be straight, wavy, zigzag or curly.

mix
To stir things together. Mixing two paint colours can make a new colour.

texture
How something feels, or looks like it would feel: bumpy, smooth, fuzzy, rough.

collage
Art made by gluing pieces (paper, leaves, fabric) onto a page.

primary colours
Red, yellow and blue. We can mix them to make many other colours.

You are an artist!

(Grown-up: read aloud.)

An artist is someone who makes art. When you draw, paint, colour, cut and glue, you are an artist! 🎨

Artists solve problems too: What colour should I use? How can I make it look bumpy? How can I make my clay stand up?

An art table with paint brushes in jars, a tray of paints, crayons, balls of play clay and a colourful swirly painting. — An artist's table has paints, brushes, crayons and clay. What would you make? AI-generated image

Lines

Every drawing starts with lines. Let's draw them in the air with our finger first!

Four kinds of lines: straight, wavy, zigzag and curly.

Lines can show feelings too. Zigzag lines can look excited or like lightning ⚡. Wavy lines can look calm, like water 🌊. Curly lines can look like a snail shell 🐌 or the wind.

Colours

Red, yellow and blue are called the primary colours. When we mix two of them, we get a new colour!

Mix these	You get
🔴 red + 🟡 yellow	🟠 orange
🔵 blue + 🟡 yellow	🟢 green
🔴 red + 🔵 blue	🟣 purple

Colour mixing with paint.

Mix two primary colours to make a new colour: red and yellow make orange, blue and yellow make green, red and blue make purple.

Worked example

Let's mix a colour together

We want to paint green grass, but we only have blue and yellow paint. What can we do? 🤔

Put a blob of yellow paint on a plate.
Add a little bit of blue paint next to it.
Use the brush to mix them together. Swirl, swirl, swirl!
Look! What colour is it now? If it is too dark, add more yellow. If it is too light, add a little more blue.

Blue and yellow make green! 🟢 Now we can paint the grass.

Texture and building art

Art can also be bumpy or soft. You can make a collage by gluing torn paper, leaves, buttons or fabric. You can make a rubbing: put paper on a bumpy leaf and rub a crayon on its side over it. The bumpy shape appears like magic! 🍃

You can build art with clay or play dough. If your clay animal keeps falling over, make its legs thicker and shorter, or give it a flat bottom to sit on.

Art from many people

People all over the world make art. Métis artists are famous for beautiful beadwork of flowers and leaves on clothing and bags. Inuit artists in places like Kinngait, Nunavut, make well-known prints and carvings. Look at art with your grown-up (in a library book, a museum, or a website) and talk about it: What do you see? What colours did the artist use? How does it make you feel?

Hands-on activity

Feelings painting

You need: paper, crayons or markers, and paint (red, yellow, blue) if you have it. Or use whatever art materials you have.

Talk with your grown-up about a happy day, like playing in the snow or going to the beach.
Draw it! Use at least 2 kinds of lines (wavy, zigzag, straight or curly).
If you have paint, mix a new colour and use it in your picture.
Try one thing you have never tried before: paint with a cotton swab, a sponge, or your fingers; or glue on some leaves.
Tell your grown-up about your picture. They can write your words at the bottom.

Talk about it: "What part are you proudest of? What would you try next time?"

Just for fun

What colour is the wind?

Blew! (Say it out loud: it sounds like blue!) 🌬️

Your turn

Draw a wavy line in the air with your finger. 〰️

What colour do you get when you mix 🔴 red and 🟡 yellow?

What colour do you get when you mix 🔵 blue and 🟡 yellow?

Name 2 tools you can use to make art.

What kind of line looks like lightning ⚡?

Draw a picture of something that makes you happy. Tell about it.

More practice: warm-up

Is a 🖍️ crayon an art tool?

Point to the primary colours: 🔴 🟢 🟡 🔵

Draw a straight line on paper.

What can you glue on paper to make a collage?

Are you an artist?

More practice: on your own

What colour do you get when you mix 🔴 red and 🔵 blue?

You want to paint a sunset. Which colours would you pick?

Put paper over a leaf and rub a crayon on top. What do you see?

Your play dough dog keeps falling over. 🐕 How can you fix it?

Look at any picture in a book. Tell 1 thing you like about it.

Challenge

You only have red, yellow and blue paint. How can you make green AND purple?

Make a picture without any crayons, markers or paint. What could you use?

Draw a picture that feels calm, and one that feels excited. What lines did you use for each?

Check your understanding

Quiz

🔵 blue + 🟡 yellow makes...

Which line looks like a wave in the water? 🌊

Which one is a primary colour?

Your clay snowman keeps tipping over. What could you try?

🔴 red + 🔵 blue makes...

For parents and teachers

What this lesson is about. Children explore visual arts elements (line, colour, shape, texture), choose tools and materials, use problem solving and imagination while creating, communicate ideas and feelings through art, and look at art from different cultures, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists.

How to help at home:

Focus on the process, not the product. Ask "Tell me about your picture" instead of "What is it?"
Offer a few choices of materials and let your child decide. Recyclables, nature items and old magazines make great art supplies.
Write down what your child says about their art. This connects art to early writing.
Look at art together in picture books, at the library, or in museums. Ask: "What do you notice? How does it make you feel?"

Common difficulties:

Some children worry their art is "not good" or copy others. Praise effort and specific choices: "You used three kinds of lines!"
Mixed paint can turn brown if too many colours are mixed. Start with just two colours at a time.
Washable paint and an old shirt make cleanup easier. Supervise scissors.