7th Grade Skill Building

Water Color Pencil Exercise for use in Self-Portrait Process

7th Grade students are beginning their self-portrait process that will last the next couple of months. Students will be developing and using many skills and disciplines as they tackle the difficult possibilities of the self-portrait.

Today students created a small watercolor pencil drawing. Watercolor pencils and paints will be used on the final self-portaits, so today students experimented with the parameters of this dry/wet material. Watercolor pencil pigment was applied dry to watercolor paper, creating the foundation for the watercolor; next students carefully used wet paint brushes to blend and move the dry paint lines across the paper. Student expectations included the creation of a complete composition (filling entire paper) including the exploration of color, and use of varying line density. This mini exercise is meant to increase student focus for the prolonged drawing project beginning after Spring Break.