Monochromatic Paintings!

Nothing too exciting is happening in my life today (although I wouldn't mind going to see a movie, but I don't that that is going to happen), so why not talk about Monochromatic Paintings, and give a lesson about it???!!!

First of all, what is a monochromatic painting? It is a painting in which the color scheme is created from using shades and tints of only one color.

Here are a few examples of some monochromatic works:


Student Example



Blue Landscape #1 by Maria Bales; Shades of blue!



The Guitar Player by Pablo Picasso; Muddy browns and other muddy colors!

Now, here is something you can do with students regarding Monochromatic colors and paintings! I found this activity in a book called the Art Curriculum Activities Kit Grades 1-8 . You can buy it on Amazon here.

Materials needed:

• 12" x 18" manila paper
• white heavy paper, 12" x 18"
  
• pencil and eraser
• 4 baby food jars (or any other container)
• popsicle sticks
• tempera paint
• masking tape
• paintbrushes, various sizes
  

Directions for students:

1. Draw a sketch of a landscape for your painting. It could be underwater, outerspace, or anywhere that you want it to be.
2. Copy it onto your white paper. Any easy way to copy your sketch is to tape your first drawing under the white paper, tape this to a window, and trace the drawing.
   
3. A monochromatic painting uses dark and light shades or values of only one color.
4. Begin preparing your paints by filling two baby food jars each about one-third of the way with the ONE basic color you have chosen. To one jar, add nothing. To the other jar, add a small amount of black paint.
   
5. Begin your third color jar by filling it about one-third of the way with white paint. To this jar add a very small amount of your chosen color.
6. Make your fourth color jar by by filling it about one-third of the way with black paint. To this jar, add a small amount of your chosen color.
   
7. Mix each color with a popsicle stick. You should now have four very different shades or values of the color you have chosen.
8. You can now see that adding white always lightens a color, and that adding black always darkens a color.
9. Using the correct sized paintbrush for each area, being to paint in the landscape.
10. Try to use high contrast colors (colors that are light next to colors that are dark) to make the objects and shapes stand out clearly.
    
11. If you run into the problem of an object or shape not showing up, you can outline that shape with a darker or lighter color.
12. Remember never to paint next to a "wet" area. Paint in another part of the paper and come back to that area when it is dry.
13. When working this small, it is best to hold your hand as far down the brush next to the bristles as you can because you will have better control.

Enjoy!!!