Grade:

2nd

Duration

3 Lessons / 40 minutes each

Overview

The students will each create an individual

abstract work based on the elements of
art, which will be put together to create a
class mural.

Goal

This project utilizes the elements of art in a step-by-step approach to allow the students to
experience them in a sequential order. The students will explore how artistic choices at each stage
affect the final outcome. Students will explore how each individual piece of the mural affects the
mural as a whole.

Objectives

Students will use the elements of art: line, color, shape, texture and value to complete an abstract
piece. They will use crayon and watercolor for crayon resist. The class will view the works together
as a mural in different stages and discuss how their work relates to the mural as a whole. Once
completed the individual works will be displayed as a class mural.

NYS Learning
Standards
Addressed

Standard 1Creating, Performing,

and Participating in the Arts

experiment and create art works, in

a variety of mediums (drawing,
painting, sculpture, ceramics,
printmaking, video, and computer
graphics), based on a range of
individual and collective
experiences (a)
develop their own ideas and
images through the exploration
and creation of art works based on
themes, symbols, and events (b)
understand and use the elements
and principles of art (line, color,
texture, shape) in order to
communicate their ideas (c)
reveal through their own art work
understanding of how art mediums
and techniques influence their
creative decisions (d)
identify and use, in individual and
group experiences, some of the
roles and means for designing,
producing, and exhibiting art works
(e).

Elements of Art
Class Mural

Standard 2Knowing and Using

Arts Materials and Resources

Standard 3Responding to and

Analyzing Works of Art

understand the characteristics of

various mediums (twodimensional, three-dimensional,
electronic images) in order to
select those that are appropriate
for their purposes and intent (a)

explain the visual and other sensory

qualities (surfaces, colors, textures, shape,
sizes, volumes) found in a wide variety of art
works (b)

Elements of Art
Used
Principles of
Design Used

Color, Texture, Line, Shape, Value

Vocabulary

Abstract Art, Complementary, Mural

Prerequisite
Knowledge

Students should have an understanding of the elements of art including: Color, Texture, Line, Shape
and Value. A pervious exploration in different types of lines is helpful. Students will also need to
know classroom procedures for paint projects.

Movement, Repetition, Contrast, Variety

Materials
needed

Watercolor paper 10 x 10

Texture plates

Brushes

Cups for water

Permanent marker

Watercolors

Crayons

Paper towels

Procedures
Lesson 1

Pre-Lesson Prep

Using the Permanent marker, make 4 small marks on each side of the watercolor paper 2
inches apart.

Motivation / Anticipatory Set (10 minutes)

Review pervious lessons use of line exploration and line variety.

Explain to the class they will be creating an abstract piece and show examples of
Kandinsky and Calders work explaining how abstract works use the elements of art.

Demonstration (5 minutes)
Show students the square watercolor paper, pointing out the four marks on each side.

Instruct the students that they are going to take their dots for a walk and
create a variety of lines on their paper.

Explain to the students that the only rule they must follow is that the lines have to
start at a mark and end at a mark.

Remind the students to press hard with the crayon so it will show up better when
the watercolor is applied.

Inform the students to continue until all the marks have a line.

Set Up / Student Work Time (10 minutes)

Students will collect supplies according to assigned jobs.

Students will create their lines while the teacher will monitor the work and offer
assistance as needed.

Once students have supplies the teacher will remind the students to write their
name on the back of the paper.

Group Critique / Additional Demonstration (10 minutes)

Once the students have created their lines the teacher will tell them to bring their
work to the demonstration table.
The teacher will lie out the pieces on the table, matching the black marks.
The teacher will trace some of the lines as they pass and change from one piece
to another, trying to include as many of the student works as possible. Sound
effects for the lines can help keep the students attention.

Clean Up (3 minutes)

Students will return supplies according to assigned jobs.

Closure (2 minutes)

Inform the students the next step of the project will be shape and texture.
Suggest to the students to be aware of lines when they go home and see where their lines
will take them.

Lesson 2

Motivation / Anticipatory Set (10 minutes)

Review what was completed in the prior class.

Explain that they will be adding texture to their project.
Discuss how an artists choice of texture affects a work of art.

Demonstration (5 minutes)

Demonstrate how to pick out some of the shapes that were created by their lines
overlapping.

Explain how he students will fill in these shapes using texture.

Demonstrate how to use texture plates to do crayon rubbings to fill in the shapes.
Remind the students they will need to press hard since the watercolor paper is
thicker than regular paper.

Set Up / Student Work Time (20 minutes)

Students will collect supplies according to assigned jobs.

Allow students to experiment with rubbings on scrap paper then once the students are
ready instruct the students to fill in some of the shapes on their final work.

Clean Up (3 minutes)

Students will return supplies according to their assigned jobs.

Closure (2 minutes)

Lesson 3

Explain that they will be applying the watercolor in the next class.
Encourage students experiment with rubbings with things they find at home.

Pre-Lesson Prep

Prepare watercolor supplies.

Motivation / Anticipatory Set (5 minutes)

Review what was completed in the prior class.

Explain that the students will be adding the watercolor to their project.
Discuss some of the color choices the students can make including: Contrast,
Complementary Colors and Value.

Demonstration (8 minutes)

Show the students how to apply the paint over the crayon, pointing out how the
crayon wax resists the paint.

Demonstrate wet on wet color blending.

Review clean up procedures with the students.

Set Up / Student Work Time (20 minutes)

The students will collect the supplies according to assigned jobs.

The teacher will monitor the work and offer assistance as needed.

Clean Up (6 minutes)

Call the students over by table to place their work on the drying rack.
The students will clean up the supplies according to assigned jobs.

Closure (1 minutes)

The teacher will tell the students they discuss the mural as a whole once it has been
mounted in the hallway

Adaptations

Students can print and color four copies of a design from the computer

Assessment

The teacher will assess using general rubric