Students in the third grade began this lesson by viewing five examples of painting done in the abstract expressionist style. Students were instructed to consider how color can be used to represent non-concrete concepts such as emotional feelings. Each of the five paintings were shown in slide form and shown to students for one minute, during which time students wrote down the emotions they felt were best represented in each painting, or any emotions the colors in each painting evoked within them. Answers were then discussed and explained while viewing the works again.
Students were then shown a demo for using watercolor paint in different techniques so as to effectively convey different color qualities, such as bleeding colors together or painting with minimal water to achieve crisp brushstrokes. These techniques would be necessary to consider when students had to make their own color decisions when depicting a specific emotion in their own painting. Each individual student was assigned an emotion to depict, from four possibilities: joy, fear, anger and sadness. Students were encouraged to make thoughtful decisions, and to also consider shape, line and paint quality, in addition to making color choices, to best represent their assigned emotion.
JOY
SADNESS
ANGER
FEAR
