Lesson # 10 - Warm and Cool Colors
Objective
The student will identify warm and cool colors as expressed in two works of visual art.
Focus Element - color
Focus Principle - emphasis
Standards
(AP)Artistic Perception - Identify the elements of visual art. (1.3)
(CE) Creative Expression - Create original works of art. (2.5)
(AV) Aesthetic Valuing - Analyze one's own and others' artwork.(4.1, 4.2)
Open Court Themes
Pictures Tell Stories
Stick To It
Shadows
Friendship
School
Concept
Colors in artwork can express feelings. Some colors are warm and some are cool.
(Please note that not everyone feels happy when looking at warm colors and is saddened
by cool colors. Response to colors is unique to each individual.)
Vocabulary words
warm
cool
happy
sad
calm
excited
content
peaceful
oil pastel
Resources
ART CONNECTIONS: pp. 58-59A
ART EXPRESS: pp. 58 & 59
PORTFOLIOS: pp. 12 & 13
Art examples:
Mesas at Sunset, Juanita Cruz
Mountain Landscape at Clavadel, Ernst Kirchner
Materials
 Two art prints showing warm and cool colors
 oil pastels or crayons, divided into sets of warm colors (red, yellow, orange) and
cool colors (blue, green, purple)
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12" x 12" drawing paper
pencils
erasers
Kindergarten, lesson #10
DIRECTED LESSON
Get Set
What colors make you happy? Do any colors make you sad? Which colors make us feel
warm when we look at them, and which make us feel cold?
Focus
Compare and contrast two artworks which show warm and cool colors. How do the
pictures make you feel? How did the artists use colors to communicate those feelings?
Which of these examples was painted with warm colors? Which was painted with cool
colors? Tell students that red, yellow, and orange are warm colors, while blue, green, and
purple are cool. Model doing a simple line drawing of a real object that fills the page, and
coloring in with either warm or cool colors.
Develop
Have students observe a real object or close-up photo of an object with simple lines, such
as a flower or a stuffed animal. Have students do a contour line drawing of the object.
Remind them to fill the whole paper and to look for lines and shapes. When students
have finished their drawings, give them either a set of warm or a set of cool colors. Have
them color in with either warm or cool colors. (Both groups may use brown, black, and
white if desired, as they are neutral.) Make sure students fill in the backgrounds of their
artwork.
Evaluation
Looking at all students' work, have students tell if they used warm or cool colors.
Summary
Art can express feelings. Artists may use warm and cool colors to show us feelings.
Journal writing prompt
Draw a happy or a sad picture. What colors did you use? Why?
Extensions
 READING - Read Frederick, by Leo Lionni. How did Frederick use colors to warm
up the mice?
Assessment
(AP) I know that red, yellow, and orange are warm colors, and that blue, green and purple
are cool colors.
(CE) I used lines and colors in my drawing to express feelings.
(AV) I described what I saw in my own and others' works of art.