Observational Painting
November 11, 2020 | Felicity Greene
Last week was the start of a new challenge in paint – observational paintings. This challenge required the children to work on a single painting for more than one day. In the spirit of fall, the children of the Sky Class took a closer look at pumpkins.
“I see a different color at the end of the stem.”
First they discerned what shape the pumpkins were. Next, the children discussed what colors were needed when painting the main parts of the pumpkin, the body and the stem. Finally it was time to get to work!
After two days of focusing on the main parts of the pumpkin, it was time to dive deeper. The children discussed the word details, and took an even closer look at the pumpkins to see what else could be added. They discovered lines running from the stem, to another part of the stem that was hiding underneath the pumpkin!
The children also noticed that there were smaller marks on the pumpkins, some scuffs and dots that were various colors. The children again thought about the colors that they saw and decided that they would need grey, and a lighter brown to represent these markings.
“There’s so many dots! Its multicolored.”
Observational painting helps children slow down in their work and take notice of the way things really look instead of a picture they may have in their brain. It also helps children observe details in an object, which leads to questions and deeper understanding.
Throughout the year, the children will continue to grow their observational skills in many ways including observational paintings and drawings.
Stay tuned!
