Watercolor Landscape

Minnesota 9-12 Visual Art Standards
Used in this Lesson

  • 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of the arts area.
  • 1A. Analyze how the elements of visual art including color, line, shape, value, form, texture and space; and principles such as repetition, pattern, emphasis, contrast and balance are combined to communicate meaning in the creation of, presentation of, or response to visual artworks.

  • 1b. Evaluate how the principles of visual art such as repetition, pattern, emphasis, contrast and balance are used in the creation of, presentation of, or response to visual artworks.

  • 1c. Analyze how the characteristics of Western and non-Western styles, movements, and genres in art contribute to the creation of, presentation of, or response to artworks.

  • 1d. Apply understanding of the health and safety issues related to creating in art.

  • 2. Demonstrate knowledge and use of the technical skills of the art form, integrating technology when applicable.
  • 2a. Integrate the characteristics of the tools, materials and techniques of a selected media in original artworks to support artistic purposes.

  • 3. Demonstrate understanding of the personal, social, cultural and historical contexts that influence the arts areas.
  • 3a. Analyze how visual artworks influence and are influenced by personal, social, cultural or historical contexts, including the contributions of Minnesota American Indian tribes and communities.

  • 3b. Synthesize and express an individual view of the meaning and functions of visual art.
  • 4. Create or make in a variety of contexts in the arts area using the artistic foundations.
  • 4a. Create a single, complex artwork or multiple artworks to express ideas.

  • 4b. Revise artworks based on artistic intent and using multiple sources of critique and feedback.

  • 4c. Justify an artistic statement, including how audience and occasion influence creative choices.
  • 5. Perform or present in a variety of contexts in the arts area using the artistic foundations.
  • 5a. Present, exhibit, publish or demonstrate collections of artworks for different audiences and occasions.

  • 5b.Revise presentation based on artistic intent and using multiple sources of critique and feedback.

  • 5c. Justify artistic intent, including how audience and occasion influence presentation choices.
  • 6. Respond to or critique a variety of creations or performances using the artistic foundations.
  • 6a. Analyze, interpret and evaluate works of visual art by applying self-selected criteria within the traditions of the art form.

  • 6b. Justify choices of self-selected criteria based on knowledge of how criteria affects criticism.

    • Additional Tie-ins

  • Observing nature
  • Guest Artist Charlotte Laxen
    • As students follow along, painting with the teacher, the teacher demonstrates how to make birch trees with a credit card, paint a dead branch with quick strokes of a vertical brush, how to use wet into wet techniques to make a sky, and how to scrape out little details like branches and small buildings. (Because I don't feel that I have the skills necessary to teach watercolor painting thoroughly, I use videos of watercolor artists.)

    After watching the Landscape Painting video, students are given the opportunity to paint a landscape using techniques demonstrated in class and on the video(s).

    List of videos: (held locally on my computer)

    Lindsay Weirich's Winter river landscape
    Susie Short's Winter birch landscape
    Steven Cronin's Imaginary landscape

    When possible guest artists are invited to show their work and techniques. In February 2016 we were very fortunate to have Charlotte Laxen show us how she makes her watercolor paintings.

    Images of other professional water color landscapes are shown as well.

    Evaluation:
    2 points Based on reality
    2 points Use a variety of watercolor techniques
    2 points Utilize paper for highlights
    2 points Color mixing and blending
    2 points Artistic merit and composition
    10 points total



    Charlotte Laxen's Example done in class:

    Charlotte Laxen's work: