Exploring Colour - Visual Arts - Years 3 & 4

Activity Introduction

Quick summary: In this lesson students will explore the visual convention of colour using connector pens. As an introduction to colour theory students discuss the question ‘what is colour?’, before experimenting with complementary and analogous colours in the colour wheel. Students will apply their knowledge of complementary and analogous colours in two number of contemporary artworks, then apply their understanding in their own artwork.

Faber-Castell has long understood the importance of creativity to all people, especially to young people. It is also continuously searching for environmentally friendly processes and high-quality materials to enhance children’s creative experience throughout every development phase. For more information about Faber-Castell, click here.

Learning intentions:

Students will understand the primary and secondary colour wheels.
Students will use a colour wheel to select complementary and analogous colours.

21st century skills:

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptions:

Year 3 & 4 Visual Arts

Use materials, techniques and processes to explore visual conventions when making artworks (ACAVAM111)
Present artworks and describe how they have used visual conventions to represent their ideas (ACAVAM112)

Syllabus outcomes: VAS2.2, VAS2.1, VAS2.2.

General capabilities: Critical and creative thinking.

Relevant parts of Year 3 to 4 achievement standards: Students discuss how they and others organise the elements and processes in artworks.

Topic: Creative Thinking.

Unit of work: Creative Sustainability – Years 3 & 4 – Visual Arts.

Time required: 60 mins.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – Facilitate group work and run a colour mixing demonstration.

Resources required: Student Worksheets – one copy per student. One A3 colour printed Primary Colours Wheel. A paint brush and around a bottle cap of red, yellow and blue paint (watercolour pencils will also work). A cup of water for cleaning a paint brush. Data projector and internet access. A large selection of connector pens in different hues of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. Colour Wheel Factsheet, Colouring-in outline image.

Keywords: Visual arts, art, colour theory, colour, colour wheel, connector pens.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher Preparation

Learning intentions:

Students will understand the primary and secondary colour wheels.
Students will use a colour wheel to select complementary and analogous colours.

Success criteria:

Students use a secondary colour wheel to find analogous and complementary colours.
Students identify analogous and complementary colours in an artwork using a colour wheel.
Students use complementary and analogous colours in an artwork to draw the viewer’s attention to important areas of the work.

Teacher content information: Since humans first walked the Earth, creativity has driven exploration, invention and ingenuity. By inspiring your students to be creative you will be helping them develop and strengthen skills and attributes across a range of disciplines, and will be preparing them to meet the demands of the 21st Century.

All people are born with the capacity to be creative, but creativity won’t necessarily develop on its own. It requires nurturing, enco

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Student Worksheet

Thought starter: "Colour Speaks all Languages" - Joseph Addison

Colour game rules

Creating colour wheels

Use the colours in your Connector Pen colour wheel to draw a colour wheel here:

Reflection

Work independently to answer the following questions:

1. How would you rate your understanding of colour wheels before this class?

1 = I didn't understand at all, 5 = I fully understood

2. How would you rate your understanding of colour wheels after this class?

1 = I didn't understand at all, 5 = I fully understood

3. What new things did you learn about colour in this lesson?

4. What uses can you think of for this new colour knowledge?

5. What further questions do you have about colour?

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Activity: Exploring Colour – Visual Arts – Years 3 & 4