GATE Activity Two
September – Week of: _______________________
Art – Famous Paintings & Artists
This week, GATE students will complete in-depth artist reports and create permanent oil
paintings. Students will focus on one artist, his or her techniques, and will select one of the artist
famous painting for reproduction. Students will explore their creative and artistic skills asand
expand their understanding of oil painting techniques. Students will have five days to research a
famous painter and :
1. Create a ten-slide Power Point presentation of the artist (include the artist’s style and
major influences)
2. Select one of the artist’s famous work of art and duplicate it
3. Learn how to use a grid on a canvas and mix a variety of colors
General Instructions
Purchase small tubes of oil paint in cadmium red, cadmium yellow, cadmium orange,
cadmium green and aquamarine blue. Add a medium tube of black and a large tube of titanium
white. You will need a large square paint brush that is about 1 inch wide along with one that is a
half-inch width.
Be sure to get a No. 1 round brush, particularly if you intend to do finer details. Add a No. 3
round to your shopping list. If your budget allows, choose a 1-inch wide fan brush, which works
well for painting clouds.
Choose a subject that you want to paint. Set a canvas board or stretched canvas onto a table or
stand easel. Be sure to wear clothes that can become stained. It is important to keep brushes and
the handles clean. Oil paint can get on anything if it is on your hands and it will stain.
Squirt small amounts of the colors you choose onto a palette. Place a jar of linseed oil or
turpentine close by. You will need this liquid to help thin some of your paint while working. If
using linseed oil, pour brush cleaning liquid such as mineral spirits or turpentine in a second
container.
Lightly sketch an outline of your subject on the canvas with a pencil or use the No. 1 round
brush dipped in thinned paint.
Use a flat brush to start to fill in the background of the painting with colors of your choice. It
is important to load paint into the tip of the brush. If you need to thin the paint out for a light,
thin coat of paint, add a bit of linseed oil to the palette. Drag some paint over into the linseed oil
Cover the stark white canvas with a coat of paint if you want to. It can be quite distracting
when looking at the white expanse. Some artists prefer filling in the entire canvas before painting
with any detail. For example, if you are painting a sunset, you can fill the outer background
edges with orange mixed with a touch of black, orange mixed with a bit of yellow and the
cadmium orange. The sun can be outlined with yellow and a bit of white dabbed into it on the
canvas.
Look at each item on your canvas as a mixture of colors. For example, a cloud can appear to
be wisps of white. Dip the tip of your fan brush into a gray that is tinted with a tiny bit of blue.
Swirl puff-like shapes onto the mid-upper portion of the canvas.
Clean your brush. Pick up a bit of cadmium yellow mixed with just enough white to lighten it
to a creamy yellow. Swirl small puffs on top of the darker-colored cloud portions. Notice that a
cloud is forming and it is anything but white.
Dip the brush into cleaner and wipe paint onto a rag when changing colors. You need a clean
brush for each color change.
Use larger brushes along with flat brushes to fill in the background of buildings, still-life
figures and scenery. Load small amounts of paint onto small round brushes for detail work.
Leave the room for several minutes. Go back in and view your work from at least a 5-foot
distance. You will be able to see how well you have done so far. Notice things that can be added
or where finer detail may be needed.
Regarding creating shadows in your canvas, know this: Shadows Create the Light
Shadows are divided into three categories. First is the shadow side of an object known simply
as a SHADOW. Then the CAST SHADOW which is the absence of light caused by an object
in its environment. Third is the PROXIMITY SHADOW that is caused when objects touch or
nearly touch.
Oil paints are slow drying. Usually taking three days before you can put on another coat.
The drying time is an advantage and disadvantage. The great advantage is that you have time
to refine and adjust what you paint before it dries. This is particularly useful when making
gradual transitions from one color to another. Also if you paint something you don't like, it can
be removed while wet using a rag, palette knife or rubber squeegee and replaced.
Most Oil Paintings Are on Canvas. Canvas is the traditional surface for oil paintings.
Although oil paint can be used on most non-porous surfaces the texture and flexibility of a
stretched canvas is best. Many canvas surfaces are available including canvas-textured paper,
canvas glued to heavy board, primed canvas in a roll and pre-stretched canvases. In all cases
the surface should be primed or re-primed with GESSO. A gesso that has a neutral gray tone
is preferred so the light values are more easily seen. (Acrylic paint will tone the gesso) If you
prefer to use the gesso white, the canvas may later be toned with a thin coat of oil paint.
Each GATE classroom will enter its top paintings into the San Ysidro Women’s Club Art
Festival when such is announced.
Evaluation Rubric
Analysis of A Work of Art : paintings/drawings
4
3
2
Description
Makes a complete
and detailed
description of the
subject matter and/or
elements seen in a
work.
Makes a detailed
description of most
of the subject matter
and/or elements
seen in a work.
Makes a detailed
Descriptions are not
description of some detailed or complete.
of the subject matter
and/or elements
seen in a work.
Analysis
Accurately describes
several dominant
elements or
principles used by
the artist and
accurately relates
how they are used by
the artist to reinforce
the theme, meaning,
mood, or feeling of
the artwork.
Accurately describes
a couple of dominant
elements and
principles used by
the artist and
accurately relates
how these are used
by the artist to
reinforce the theme,
meaning, mood, or
feeling of the
artwork.
Describes some
Has trouble picking
dominant elements out the dominant
and principles used elements.
by the artist, but has
difficulty describing
how these relate to
the meaning or
feeling of the
artwork.
Interpretation
Forms a somewhat
Student identifies
reasonable
the literal meaning of
hypothesis about the the work.
symbolic or
metaphorical
meaning and is able
to support this with
evidence from the
work.
Student can relate
how the work makes
him/her feel
personally.
Student finds it
difficult to interpret
the meaning of the
work.
Evaluation
Uses multiple criteria Uses 1-2 criteria to
to judge the artwork, judge the artwork.
such as composition,
expression, creativity,
design,
communication of
ideas.
Tries to use
aesthetic criteria to
judge artwork, but
does not apply the
criteria accurately.
Evaluates work as
good or bad based
on personal taste.
CATEGORY
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