Hands-On Studio Project: Experimenting With Light

• Introduce students to light in art by discussing the works included in this issue of Scholastic Art. Address the ways Claude Monet and the featured contemporary artists create emphasis with light.

1. Explain that students will each develop a composition. They might choose to work on a still life, a landscape, or a portrait. Encourage them to create compositions that reflect a personal connection to the subject.
2. Have students think about the light source in their compositions. Ask: Will the light source be visible? Will you work with natural or artificial light?
3. Instruct students to sketch the major forms in their compositions in their sketchbooks. They should simplify the scene in the sketch and emphasize the highlights and shadows.

1. Review key ideas about how color and light are related. Remind students that the color and strength of light vary depending on the source.
2. Prior to beginning their final compositions, have students explore several color schemes in their sketchbooks. Encourage students to experiment with varied intensity and tone in their color studies to develop a range of light and shadow.
3. Invite students to think about the materials they’d like to employ. They might work in paint, color pencils, pen and ink, or even black-and-white media such as charcoal or oil pastels. Give them the freedom to get creative. For example, they might make a monochromatic work with pops of color to create emphasis.
4. Have each student create a color scheme for his or her painting.

1. Have students begin sketching the basic shapes in their compositions. Then have them build the scene, working from the lightest areas to the darkest. Encourage students to paint with careful attention to the way they show light and space. Remind students that using a range of values creates visual interest and emphasizes the mood.
2. Explain that students should be consistent with shading to create an overall sense of unity.

1. Did student demonstrate an understanding of how artists can use light to create emphasis and mood?
2. Did student synthesize what he or she learned to create a composition using light to add emphasis?

—Prepared by Lisa Yamaoka

South Kamloops Secondary School

Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada