Contour Line Relief Painting
Materials:
- Watercolor Paper – half a large sheet
- Examples – step by step
- Templates to trace
- Oil Pastel Crayons – peach or white
- Bowls for Pastel Crayons
- Watercolors
- Rinse Water in Bowls
- Paint Brushes
- Paint Shirts
Set Up:
Each student will receive the following:
- Watercolor paper, watercolor paints, a crayon, bowl with water, paintbrush, paint shirt
Class Time:
- For kindergarten, keep it simple – since the project is based on outlining objects, focus on line as the contour of something. Without line, we wouldn’t know what shapes were (give examples and draw squares, triangles, circles, hearts, etc.). Review the different types of lines (see included document, Definition of Line) on the white board. Draw a type of line and ask the students to use their words to describe it and where they might see that type of line in nature or at home (for example, a zig-zag line might look like lightning or mountains, a straight line might look like the edges of a table or the horizon at sunset, wavy lines like hills, etc.
- If there’s time, read the book, Harold and the Purple Crayon (located in the supply cupboard) or Little Green by Keith Baker (check out from Ramsey County Library).
- Have students select a pattern. Trace around each pattern – tell them they can decorate their drawing with a few lines (see samples).
- Students will then paint their drawings using different colors in the different spaces on their drawings (see samples). Students can use as many colors as they wish and can paint the background as well. Try not to soak the paper too much or it will take a long time to dry.
Line Background Information
Is the simplest element of art. It is a series of connected dots that can continue to infinity. A line segment, however, has a beginning and an end. Lines have the ability to change direction, with the three major directions being horizontal, vertical, diagonal. Line is the element of movement or direction (delineation).
It may be a mark made by the point of a crayon, pencil, brush, or other object in motion. A line may also be the edge of a shape, or the divider between one shape and another. Line directs the eye through a picture. Lines have quality. They may be: thick, thin, textured, blurred, sketchy, scribbled, delicate, bold, etc…
A line can also be the beginning of a drawing. It can be continuous or broken, such as gesture, or contour. Lines define form. Outline lines go around the outside edge of an object. Line qualities can be used symbolically to create feeling for example, horizontal, bold lines suggest peace, while zig-zag lines create a feeling of excitement.
Enhancing lines give more detail or create a three-dimensional effect are called enhancing lines. These are used for shading or giving depth to an object.
