Painting with water as a subject
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use sketching marks and wax resist to paint water.
Key learning points
- I know that light marks can be used to sketch an outline.
- Artists can choose to hold their paper in a landscape or portrait position.
- Oil pastel or crayons and watercolour can be used to make a wax resist artwork.
Keywords
Sketch - a quick, simple drawing which is not detailed or perfect
Portrait - when the paper is taller than it is wide
Landscape - when the paper is wider than it is tall
Wax resist - where an artist draws on paper, and then paints over it
Common misconception
That portrait means the picture is always a person's face, and landscape means it can only be a big outdoor scene.
Remind children that portrait just means the paper is taller than it is wide, and landscape means it’s wider than tall. You can use both for many different kinds of pictures, not just faces or outdoor scenes.
Teacher tip
Wax resist works best with deeper pigments of watercolour, where contrast between two colours can be seen.
Equipment
Watercolour paints, wax croyons, oil pastels, sketching pencils, paintbrushes, water pots
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Texture is a word to describe how something looks or ...
Q2.Is this artwork in a portrait or landscape position?
Q3.Which word describes the texture of this water?
Q4.Which statements describe things a paintbrush does not like?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.How should an artist hold their paper if they are painting a scene outside?
Q2.An artist should use heavy, dark marks when sketching an outline.
Q3.Curves and splatters might be useful for showing ...
Q4.Which materials have been used in this image?
To help you plan your 1 art and design lesson on: Painting with water as a subject, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 1 art and design lesson on: Painting with water as a subject, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 art and design lessons from the Reflections on water: introducing painting unit, dive into the full primary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.