Oil Painting Unit - High School
Oil Painting is a practice that goes back millenia; practiced by students and masters alike. During this unit, students will learn and study artists from the Impressionist period, practicing the techniques and studying the color schemes used by who western scholars consider masters of the medium. Students will experiment with color mixing, paint layering techniques, brush techniques, and more throughout this introductory unit. Prior to beginning a thorough dive into the specific style of Impressionist painters, students will be provided with the time and opportunity to do some personal experimentation and exploration with the medium.
Students will complete several Practice Paintings prior to completing their final Painting. They will complete a series of Value Scales, a Greyscale, a practice painting completed entirely in Greyscale, a Still Life using the Primary colors, and finally a Landscape Painting using a Color Scheme from a film of their choice. The primary focus of this final painting is on color mixing with oils.
This unit could reference a variety of art historical periods. As it is written, students will focus on the work of the Impressionists.
Fine Arts Goals/Objectives:
Learn and experiment with mixing oil pigments to create desired colors.
Be able to utilize different strokes to create different moods or feelings in a piece.
Recognize artists from the impressionist period.
Replicate the loose, experimental, textured style of the Impressionists.
Nat’l Core Arts Standards:
VA:Cr1.2.HSI
Shape an artistic investigation of an aspect of present-day life using a contemporary practice of art or design.
VA:Cr2.1.HSII
Through experimentation, practice, and persistence, demonstrate acquisition of skills and knowledge in a chosen art form.
VA:Cr3.1.HSIII
Reflect on, re-engage, revise, and refine works of art or design considering relevant traditional and contemporary criteria as well as personal artistic vision.
VA:Re7.1.HSII
Recognize and describe personal aesthetic and empathetic responses to the natural world and constructed environments.
VA:Re7.2.HSIII
Determine the commonalities within a group of artists or visual images attributed to a particular type of art, timeframe, or culture
ELA Standards:
1. Read/Examine closely to determine what the text/image/score/performance says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific contextual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the piece.
6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text/image/score/performance.
9. Analyze how two or more texts/images/scores/performances address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors/artists/composers take.
Vocabulary Acquisition:
Impressionist
Neo-Classical – Neo-Classical art is characterized by ultra-realistic rendering, purposeful lack of brush strokes, and typically depicted historical subject matter.
Material Vocab:
Turpenoid
Citrus Solvent
Turpentine
Palette Knife
Soft Brushes
Bristle Brushes
Technique Vocab:
All Prima – The process of completing an entire painting in one sitting
Glaze – translucent layers of paint that blend through an optical combination rather than direct physical mixture. Produces more depth and glow than traditional mixing.
“Fat over Lean” – the process of painting over a base that is less oily than the next layer.
Wet-on-wet – a variation of All Prima; uses undiluted oil paint and blending on the canvas itself.
Extended All Prima – completing a painting by building thin layers of diluted washes on top of one another.
Wipe Out Method – removing pigment from your canvas with a rag or paper towel; possible because oil paint remains wet for a long period of time.
Key Artistic Concepts (SWBAT):
Students will be able to prepare, handle, and clean up oil paints safely without exposing themselves to overly toxic materials.
Students will be able to mix oil pigments to create desired colors.
Students will be able to use different strokes purposefully to emphasize specific moods in their final work
Students will be able to work with a full value scale.
Students will be able to recognize artists from the impressionist period.
Artmaking Materials Needed:
Oil Paints
Paint Brushes
Palette Knives
Rags or paper towels to wipe brushes with
Oil Paint cleansing soap
Turpenoid, Citrus Solvent, or other paint thinner
Jars to contain thinner
Flat Palette or Palate Paper
Canvas, or Canvas Paper
Gesso
Contemporary/Historical/Multicultural/Popular exemplars:
Impressionists–
Claude Monet
Mary Cassat
Supporting Materials:
See Following Posts for more information on Practice Projects