PAINTING
When very young students show that they can produce watercolor crayon paintings neatly and responsibly, they may move into our painting program. Watercolors are suggested first for this age group, as a continuation of what they have been practicing. Older students may choose from any of the painting mediums, at the discretion of the teacher. We suggest students plan to do several paintings before advancing into a new medium, as each is very different and offers opportunities to learn new skills and techniques.
Each student is required to have his/her own brush set, which is available through the office. A variety of brush sizes and types are important In each medium, students will learn to mix colors, how to use various brushes and materials to create interesting effects and textures, and to apply paint both thick and thin to achieve various appearances. Some of the techniques that will be learned are scumbling, scuffling, blending, stippling, masking, applying interesting textures with a sea sponge for rocks and other objects, and even splattering fine drops of color with the aid of a toothbrush (which works great to create the image of sand). These are just a sampling of the things that students enjoy experimenting with.
Watercolors: Watercolor paints have a water-soluble binder, are transparent when mixed with water, and produce different levels of transparency based on the desires of the artist. Students will learn to create many different effects based on the amount of water used, whether painting on a dry paper or one that has been dampened, and using various other techniques.
Acrylics: Although acrylics are water-based, as are watercolors, they have a plastic binder and therefore have a very different feel when painting and create different effects. Acrylics are typically applied as a thick, opaque paint but can also be applied in thin layers. Acrylics dry very quickly and once dry, cannot be removed, which contrasts to watercolors which when re-dampened allows color to be lifted.
Gouache: Gouache is a medium less familiar to many people. It is an opaque, water-soluble paint that has similarities to both watercolors and acrylics. Many of the techniques used with watercolors and acrylics can be applied to painting with gouache as well. do we have it in cabinet?-
Oils: Traditional oil paints have a binder of oil and therefore cannot be mixed with water. These paints that can be applied in transparent or opaque layers depending on the amount of fluid added to the paint. It is very slow drying, which gives opportunities to work the paint in very different ways than other mediums.
Mixed Media: Students will have opportunity to combine what they have learned in two or more mediums and create mixed media works of art. An example would be sketching pastels over a watercolor painting. This allows for a lot of experimentation and many new effects.
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