Circles,CirclesEverywhere!

Grade:KindergartenMedium:TemperaorWatercolorLearningObjective:Studentswilluseasingleshapetocreateanartisticcomposition.

Author:RachelleRoberts

ElementsofArt/PrinciplesofDesignShape:aflatfigurecreatedwithinjoinedlines.VocabularyWordsCircle:aroundfigurewithallsidesthesamedistancefromthecenter.Materials&Supplies

• HeavyWhitePaper• OilPastels(orcrayonsifoilpastels

arenotavailable)• LidsandCups(varioussizes)• TemperaCakesorWatercolors

• Brushes• WaterBowls• PieceofYarnorString• ScrapPaperorNewsprinttoCover

Desks(optional)

Context(Historyand/orArtists)RobertDelauney:(1885-1941)RobertDelauneywasaFrenchpainter.Raisedbyhisuncleandauntformostofhischildhood,heapprenticedtwoyearstoatheatricaldesignerandpaintedsetsforthetheater.Afterthattime,hebegantopaint.Helovedbrilliantcolorsandgeometricdesigns.Inschool,Robertwouldoftenputtheliduponhisdeskandpaintwithwatercolorsinsteadoflisteningtohisteacher.SoniaDelauney:(1885-1979)SoniaDelauneywasaRussian-bornmulti-disciplinedartist.everyAtherfirstone-personshowshewasintroducedtoseveralartists.OneofthemwasRobertDelaunaywhoshelatermarried.BothRobertandSoniawereveryinterestedincolorandhowcolorsreactedwhenplacednexttoeachother.Soniamadeapatchworkquiltforherson,Charlie,andwasfascinatedbyhowthestripsofcolorsworkedtogether.Shebegantoexperimentwiththisidea

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usingmanycreativeoutlets.Shedesignedherowntextiles,madecostumesanddesignedfurnitureusingthisconcept.Sheevenhadherownboutiqueandherdesignsweresoldworldwide.WassilyKandinsky:(1866-1944)WassilyKandinskywasaRussianPainter.Hisparentsweremusiciansandheplayedthepianoandcello.Hewenttolawschoolandbecameateacheroflaw.Atage30hedecidedtobecomeanartistandwenttoartschool.Apioneerofabstractmodernartandinfluencedmanyfutureartists,helovedtouseshapesinhisartwork,especiallysquares,trianglesandcircles.Kandinskyfeltthathecouldconveyfeelingsandmusicthroughhispaintings.Hewasasynesthetewhichmeansthathecouldhearcolorsandseesounds.Henamedmanyofhisartworksliketheyweresongsormusicalworksusingsuchnamesas“Composition”and“Improvisation.”AdvancedPreparation

• Collectseverallidsand/orcups(fortracingcircles).• Locateimagesand/orprintsneededbyartistsmentionedabove.• Ifusingtemperapaintcakes,makesurethecolors/texturesarelightenoughthattheywill

resistandnotcovertheoilpastelwhenpaintedover.Itwilldependonthecombinationofoilpastelsandpaintstobeusedsotryitoutbeforehand.

Tips&TricksCollectlidsandcupsofvarioussizesbeforethislesson(kidslovebringinginusableitemslikethisfromhomeforspecialprojects).Usestencilscutfromheavycardstockortagboardiflidsarenotavailable.Coverthedeskswithnewspaperorscrappapersothestudentscanpainttotheedgeoftheirpage.DiscussionPoints

• Ashapeisalinethatisconnectedandclosed• Acirclehasnocornersorstraightsides• Whatmakesaninterestingcomposition(picture)?

InstructionsforLesson

1. Showhowacircleisalinethatiscurvedandconnectedbytakingapieceofstringoryarnandcurlingitintoacircle.Therearenoedgesorcorners.

2. Askstudentstopointtocirclesaroundtheroom.Whatelsecantheythinkofthatisacircle?3. Showseveralabstractcompositionsthatincludecircles.Examplescouldinclude:

Delaunay,Robert.LePremierDisque,.Rythmen°1orCircularForms.Delaunay,Sonia.PrismesélectriquesorRythme.

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Kandinsky,Wassily.SquareswithConcentricCircles,CirclesinaCircleorSeveralCircles.4. Askstudentswhattheynoticeabouttheartwork.Howdidtheartistusecircles?Wheredid

theyplacethem?Whydoyouthinktheyputthemthere?Doesitfeellikethecirclesarestillormoving?(Therearenorightorwronganswers.)

5. Demonstratetracingoneofthelidsbyholdingdownthelidwithoneortwofingersofonehandandtracingaroundthecirclewiththeotherhand.

6. Passoutthepaper.Thestudentswilltracelidsandcupsofvarioussizedcircleswithoilpastels.Thecirclesmayoverlap,goofftheedgeofthepaper,beinsideofanothercircle(concentric),orbeinanycompositionthestudentdesires.

7. Thecirclescanbecoloredinwithdesiredcolorsusingoilpastels.

8. Demonstratehowtousethetemperacakesorpan(tray)watercolors(disregardifusing

liquidwatercolors).Wetthebrush.Chooseacolorand“tickle”(swirlthewetbrush)onthedesiredcolor.Addthepainttothepaper.

• Toswitchcolors:wipeanyexcesspaintonthescrappapercoveringthedesk,apapertowelorawetsponge.Thendipthebrushintothewateruntilitlightlytouchesthebottomofthewatercontainerandwigglethebrusharound.Wiggleitin

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thewateragainuntilclean(orsomewhatclean,dependingonthestateofthewater).Repeatwithanewcolor.

9. Havethestudentspaintvarioustemperacolorsoverthecirclecompositiontocreatea

resistpainting.

10. Optional:outlinethecirclesinblackoilpastel.

11. Havestudentssigntheirnamesinbottomrightcorner.

ReflectionPoint(AssessmentofLearningObjectives)Studentshavecreatedapaintingusingcirclesofvariousshapesandsizes.Examples:

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ReferencesandAttributions:"Kandinsky,Wassily."WebMuseum:Kandinsky,Wassily.N.p.,n.d.Web.30Mar.2017."ArtHistoryandArtists."DuckstersEducationalSite.N.p.,n.d.Web.30Mar.2017.Alley,Ronald."RobertDelaunay(1885-1941)."Tate.TateModern,n.d.Web.31Mar.2017."RobertDelaunayBiography,Art,andAnalysisofWorks."TheArtStory.TheArtStory,ModernArtInsight,n.d.Web.30Mar.2017."WhoisSoniaDelaunay?"Tate.TateModern,9Apr.2015.Web.31Mar.2017."SoniaDelaunayBiography,Art,andAnalysisofWorks."TheArtStory.TheArtStory,ModernArtInsight,n.d.Web.31Mar.2017.http://www.wassilykandinsky.net/ForEducators

21stCenturyThinkingSkillsDecisionMaking:Choosingfromalternatives.Inthislessonchildrenchoosefromavarietyofcirclesizestocreatetheirownuniquepieceofart.Theyalsochooseavarietyofdifferentcolorstosuitetheirartisticstyle.CauseandEffect:Recognizingactionsandtheirreactions.Childrenwillexperimentwithhowhardtopresstheoilpasteltogetamoreorlessvibrantcolor.Childrenwillexperimentwithreloadingtheirpaintbrushinthepainttogetamoreorlessvibrantcolor.WAStateLearningStandards(VA:Cr1.1.K)a.Engageinexplorationandimaginativeplaywithmaterials(VA:Cr2.1.K)a.Throughexperimentation,buildskillsinvariousmediaandapproachestoart-making.Childrencreateanartworkwiththethemeofcirclesusingoilpastels.(VA:Re7.2.K)a.Describewhatanimagerepresents.StudentslookatartworkbyWassilyKandinsky,RobertDelaunay,andSoniaDelaunayandrespondtoartwork.

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ArtsIntegrationOpportunitiesMath:Counting:studentscancountthenumberofcirclesintheirartandwritethenumber.Subtraction:askthechildrentocoveruponeoftheircircle,havethemre-counttheircirclesandwritethenewnumber.