ART II: NEGATIVE SPACE PAINTING (HW)
NAME:_________________
LESSON FOCUS:
This lesson focuses on creating a watercolor painting that emphasizes positive and
negative spaces.
VOCABULARY:
Contour drawing: A drawing in which contour lines alone are used to represent subject
matter.
Contour line: A line or lines that surround and define the edges of an object or figures.
Foreground: Are of a picture that appears closest to the viewer.
Negative spaces: Empty spaces surrounding shapes and forms. The shape and size of
negative spaces affect the interpretation of positive spaces. Negative spaces are also
called ground.
Positive spaces: Shapes or forms in two- and three-dimensional art.
Salt technique: The use of salt sprinkled into a wet wash of watercolor or ink to produce
textures and effects.
Shape: A two-dimensional area that is defined in some way.
Silhouette: Outline drawing of a shape. Originally a silhouette was a profile portrait,
filled in with a solid color.
Watercolor: Transparent pigments mixed with water. Also, paintings done with this
medium are known as watercolors.
Wet-in-wet: Colors are applied over or into each other while they are wet, leaving them
partially mixed on the paper.
PROCEDURE:
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Choose three colors, one red, one yellow and one blue.
o Do a wet-in-wet mingling of the colors on the entire sheet of watercolor
paper.
o While it’s still wet, sprinkle salt onto your painting and let dry.
o Once dry, remove the salt by lightly rubbing it off.
Do a simple line drawing that includes a foreground line, a tree with a few
branches, and a line near the top of the paper, indicating leaves. This may be
stylized.
Paint the negative spaces/shapes you created using a different red, turquoise blue,
and orange.
o Do a wet-in-wet mingling of the colors on the entire sheet of watercolor
paper.
o While it’s still wet, sprinkle salt onto your painting and let dry.
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o Once dry, remove the salt by lightly rubbing it off.
Draw another ground line, two trees with some branches that are slightly narrower
than the first tree, and another leaf line.
Paint the negative spaces/shapes you created using just the turquoise blue, and
orange.
o Do a wet-in-wet mingling of the colors on the entire sheet of watercolor
paper.
o While it’s still wet, sprinkle salt onto your painting and let dry.
o Once dry, remove the salt by lightly rubbing it off.
Draw another ground line, three trees with some branches that are slightly
narrower than the first two sets of trees, and another leaf line.
Paint the negative spaces/shapes you created using a different blue and green.
o Do a wet-in-wet mingling of the colors on the entire sheet of watercolor
paper.
o While it’s still wet, sprinkle salt onto your painting and let dry.
o Once dry, remove the salt by lightly rubbing it off.
Draw another ground line, several trees in the negative spaces, and another leaf
line.
Paint the negative spaces/shapes you created using a different blue and green.
o Do a wet-in-wet mingling of the colors on the entire sheet of watercolor
paper.
o While it’s still wet, sprinkle salt onto your painting and let dry.
o Once dry, remove the salt by lightly rubbing it off.
MATERIALS:
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14”x 17” watercolor paper
Watercolor paints (assorted colors)
Brushes (assorted shapes and sizes)
Pencil and eraser (if needed)