I loved this lesson! This was a challenging lesson for the children (and some of the grown ups 
) but the sense of achievement was pure delight!
The first task was to apply the theory of secondary colours to three drawings. Each had to be coloured using only primary colours, to produce secondary colours as the final result. While most children despaired at first, after holding their work at a little distance they were able to see how they had achieved mixing colours with pencil.
The second task elicited groans of despair and disbelief that I would require such of them. 
It was to copy a picture of two ducks, and to then use primary colours to create a colourful picture. The result should include primary and secondary colours.
It was a lesson for me in communication, as one dear student misunderstood the instructions and coloured her ducks green. When I (as nicely as I could) enquired why she had given her ducks cholera, she explained that if she could only use green, purple and orange…
Miss 7 was very proud of her results, and attempted this task several more times after this first effort. (You can see this was done before we had the talk about using a ruler to make your borders!)
There really was a lot of opposition to this task from both art groups, but everyone was so pleasantly surprised at how well they did, and there were many ducks drawn in the students free time to attest that a challenge is often a good thing
This lesson was great for teaching secondary colours, and for stretching the students in their perception of their abilities.
July 1, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Your 7 year old drew the bottom picture?
Wow! I’m impressed.
Coming up our way to do art lessons any time soon? These art lessons look really good.
July 1, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Ruby, that was the fun thing about this lesson: all of the children (and the mothers I coerced into participating) were so surprised at how well they did. And even though they ALL grumbled terribly when they were given the task, at the end everyone was so proud of their work!
It might be a little far for us to drive to come to you, but if you wanted to grab a “Feed My Sheep” book and art right along with us, we could have a virtual art group
It really does add to the enjoyment when you can see what everyone is doing in their lessons, and you could blog your art journey, too.
July 3, 2009 at 2:50 pm
As one of the *ahem* coerced mothers involved, I must say that the “abominable ducks” really did end up being not so abominable after all.
Even Mr Five Peas exercised his artistic skills and completed the ducks, after checking out his wife and son’s efforts!
A most surprising lesson indeed. Thanks Mrs BB.
July 3, 2009 at 9:09 pm
After seeing the impressive little book for the Creation competition and this drawing, both completed by Miss 7, I am thinking she has enormous talent and skill as a budding artist.
Seriously!
July 4, 2009 at 7:27 am
Actor, broadcaster and opera singer Jan Rubes has passed away.
This is really a terrible loss- he was a wonderful singer, actor and gentleman.
We’ll miss him. May he rest in peace.
July 4, 2009 at 7:39 pm
I have to mention here that Mrs Fivepeas was not the lady with the green ducks. I will however, should the dear heart with the green ducks ever read this comment thread, state categorically and without reserve that it was my poor communication skills that resulted in a certain set of abominable ducks contracting cholera. Yep, all my fault
Amanda, thank you on behalf of Miss 7! She is a clever bunny, but we have a lot of great talent in our little art class, so thankfully her head doesn’t get too much chance to swell
Dan, I’m afraid I had to wiki Jan Rubes. I am not much of an opera girl, and out of the very long list of films and television series he had been in, I hadn’t seen a one! (I’m not much of a film and television person, either.) Now if he’d been an author, perhaps I’d have had a chance…