Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Mayes, and I am so pleased you have chosen to learn with me today.

We are going to have a great lesson, and I'm here to support you for any challenges you might encounter.

Let's get started.

Today our lesson is about how has water been depicted by artists, makers, and designers.

Our unit is Reflections on water: introducing painting.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to make different colours to depict water using watercolour paint.

You might find this a bit challenging, but I am here to support you through your learning today.

We have three keywords for our lesson today.

I'm going to say the word, and I'd like you to repeat after me.

The first word is colour.

I say colour.

You say.

Very good.

Well done.

Our second word is water.

I say water.

You say.

Excellent job.

Well done.

Our third word is depict.

I say depict.

You say.

Excellent.

Well done.

That was a superb job of repeating those words.

Let's have a look at those meanings together.

The word colour is what we see when light hits an object and reflects back to our eyes.

There are many different hues of colour, such as blue, yellow, and red.

The word water means a clear wet liquid that we drink, wash with, and see in rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Our third word is depict.

It means to show or represent something through pictures, words, or actions.

Our first learning cycle is about exploring the colours of water.

This artist has depicted water.

What do you think it might remind you of? I'm going to pause to give you some time to think about that question.

Have you had a good think? It might have reminded you of splashes or moments or drips of water, perhaps some water that you might have seen in a swimming pool or a lake or an ocean.

How might you describe the colours that you can see? Has anything about those colours surprised you today? I'm going to give you a moment to think.

You might have noticed blues or blacks or oranges and even yellows.

Perhaps those are colours which you've used to depict water before.

Artists can depict water using different techniques.

This artist has focused on depicting the splashing movement of water.

Can you see all those drips making their way down the page? Artists such as Susan Knight, Claude Monet, Katsushika Hokusai, and Maggi Hambling use different media to depict water.

Media, remember, is another word for artistic materials.

You can depict water using any media that you choose.

This artist has used watercolour paint.

Now you can see watercolour paint sometimes comes in tins that look like these.

The artist has chosen to depict the ripples of water in this image.

That's when water is moving gently.

What colours can you see in this artwork? Do any of them surprise you again? You might have noticed in this picture that there are purples and blues and greens and some of those yellows as well, but it still looks like water.

Does anything surprise you about the colours in these different depictions of water? Perhaps you noticed some of the oranges and purples that we've already spoken about.

Maybe you noticed the greens and the blues, and those were less surprising.

Lucas is looking at these pictures of water as well.

He noticed that the water is lots of different colours and not just the blue that we might see in other images.

Sometimes artists use the colour blue to depict water, but they can use many other colours as well.

Let's look back at this image.

We might have spotted pinks, purples, blues.

There are still lots of blues in this image.

Maybe even some browns where the water starts to get a bit more murky.

And our greens as well.

Did you spot any other colours? Now it's time for you to have a go at a question.

True or false? Artists always depict water using the colour blue.

I'm going to give you some time to have a think about that question.

Well done for thinking so hard.

Let's have a look at the answer.

It's false.

Let's have a look at why.

Artists can use blue to represent water, but they can use lots of other colours as well, thinking back to those artworks we've already looked at.

Sofia is looking at this image of water.

The watercolours in this painting look a bit murky, with browns and purples.

Perhaps the artist was looking at the water in the early evening as the sun was going down.

Here are three other pictures of water.

Artists sometimes choose to make an artwork inspired by water.

They can do this in lots of different ways.

Water can look different at different times of day and in different types of light.

Let's have a look at that first image.

The light in this image is dark as it is cloudy, and the water looks grey and murky.

In the second image, the water is brighter because the sky and light are brighter.

It looks like a sunny day to me.

In the third image, we are looking at the water from under the sea or lake.

In this image, the light is at the top but is a lot darker down at the bottom.

Because water reflects light, the time of day and the weather can change how an artist might see the water.

In this image, the sun is quite high in the sky and it's a sunny day.

You can see really light areas of water where the sun is reflecting off it, and even on the horizon, the water is a light grey blue.

At the front of the image, you can see that the water becomes a little bit more sandy coloured, but it's still got some light foam where the waves are crashing.

In this image, the water is darker towards the horizon, with angry greys and blues, and right down at the front we can see there's a very dark area of water just in front of the foam.

With the foam, it's frothy and yellow where sand has been churned up into the sea.

And we can see in both images the water looks quite different.

Let's have a look at that first image again.

In this image of the sea, the water reflects a warm and yellow light.

There are light yellow patches on the water, and the sea is a light blue, greeny grey.

I am now going to look at this image of water and describe the different colours that I can see.

It's the same image that we've just looked at.

So here we have that warm white with yellow where the sun is reflecting off the water.

We have a grey mixed with blue just as the waves are crashing.

And here we have a brown mixed with a yellow just where the waves meet the sand.

Now it's your turn to look at an image of water and describe the different colours that you can see.

I'm going to pause the video here so you can really take time to think hard about that task.

You might have noticed a dark grey mixed with blue just on the horizon of the water.

A light brown where the images show us that water foaming and churning in the middle of the image.

And finally, a dark grey with greeny colour just here at the front where we can see beneath that foam.

They are different colours because the light and the conditions of the water are different.

Now it's your turn for a task.

We've practised how to describe the colours we can see of the different images of water.

Now you are going to describe the colours of water that you can see in these two images.

The first image shows us a pond or a lake, and the colours are quite different from the other image, which shows us a river estuary.

Your second task is to discuss how are the colours the same and how are they different? I'm going to pause here, or you can pause the video so you have time to complete that task.

You may have noticed in the first image we have dull greys, deep browns, and murky greens where that water gets a little bit deeper.

In the second image, you might have noticed pale blues at the back of the image, light blues and greys in the middle of the image, and right at the front we have sandy browns where the water gets a little muddier.

For your second task you may have discussed: Sam says, "There is blue water in this image, but also water that is muddy and quite a light brown, the colour of the earth." Andeep had a different image.

He says, "This pond water looks weedy and green.

There are dark patches where I think the water gets deeper.

There are dark browns but also lighter greens." Well done.

You have described those colours incredibly well.

Superb job.

Let's have a look now at our second learning cycle.

For this learning cycle, we are now going to be painting the colours of water.

Artists might choose to use watercolour paints to depict water.

Those are those type of paints that come in a tin that we've already discussed.

These paints are special for a few reasons.

This is what your watercolour paints might look like.

To make a colour lighter using watercolour, an artist can add more water.

Let's have a look what that looks like.

So in the first swatch of paint, we can see the colour is quite dark.

It's a really dark green.

As the artist has added more water, the paint becomes lighter.

To make a colour darker with watercolour, an artist can add black.

So in the first swatch of paint, the colour is a medium dark or lightness.

But as the artist has added more black, it becomes much darker.

Now it's your turn to think about this question.

Which colour do we add to make a colour darker? Is it white like A, green like B, or black like C? I'm going to pause so you have time to think about that question.

Oh, that was some great thinking.

Well done.

Let's have a look at the answer.

It was C.

To make a colour darker with watercolour, an artist can add black.

To make a colour more vibrant, we can add more paint and less water.

Let's have a look at what that looks like.

Here, the artist has started off with their paint colour and is painting a swatch of paint in their sketchbook.

Can you see how they're swirling their brush around in the painting to add more of the hue of paint? When this now goes onto the sketchbook, we can see the paint has become more vibrant.

It's not darker because they've added black, but it's a more intense or strong colour.

Now it's your turn to really think about what you've just seen.

Which paint sample has had the most black added? Is it A, B, or C? I'm going to pause so you can really think about your answer.

Well done.

That was some excellent thinking.

Let's have a look at the answer together.

It's A.

By mixing black with a colour, the colour becomes darker.

Jacob is having a look at this image.

He's trying to make the colour he sees in the photograph of a river estuary.

Can you see where the arrow is pointing? This is the colour that Jacob is trying to make.

What colours from this watercolour palette do you think he will need? Jacob is thinking really hard about this.

He says, "It is a bluish green, so I will mix those colours together." So these are the four colours that he has mixed together, and this is what his first paint swatch looks like.

Now it's okay, but it's not quite the colour that he's trying to make.

So what does he need to do next? Jacob has a think.

He says, "Hmm, it's too bright.

I could add some black to make it a bit darker." I think that's quite a good idea.

Let's see what Jacob makes now.

Ah, now it's not bad.

It's quite a nice colour, and we're getting closer.

I wonder if Jacob's colour is a little bit too dark.

Perhaps he could think of a way to make it lighter.

What would you do to make a colour lighter? Jacob goes back to his paint swatches.

Jacob says, "Right, I think I have nearly got it.

I could add more water, or white, to make it lighter." Jacob has a go adding a little bit more white.

Let's have a look at his colour now.

Ooh, getting much closer.

I think he's nearly there, don't you? Do you think Jacob needs to do anything else to make this colour more accurate? Now it's your turn to have a go at something similar to Jacob.

I'm going to mix my watercolours to make this colour.

It's similar to Jacob's, but it's not exactly the same.

It's a little bit greener and a little bit darker.

Let's have a look.

First I start with a blue and then I add a little bit of green, but it's still not quite there.

I've made it a bit darker.

I've added some black.

Now I've added some more water.

I'm nearly there.

I think perhaps even more water needed to be added.

Now it's your turn to mix watercolours to make this colour.

It's exactly the same as the one I'm mixing.

Remember, it might take you a few goes to get the colour that you want, just like Jacob and me.

How did you get on? It can take a few tries for an artist to achieve the colour they want, and we can record all those tries in our sketchbook.

Well done.

I think you've done a brilliant job.

This is now time for task B.

You are going to mix watercolours to match these colours in your sketchbook.

Let's have a look at the colours now.

You might choose the first image with these three colours.

You might choose the second image with these three colours.

Or you might choose the third image where the colours are a little bit more murky.

Have a look really carefully to decide which colours you want to mix the most.

You can pause the video to give you time to complete that task.

Let's have a look at how you got on.

Your task was to match these colours of water in your sketchbook.

You might have noticed it took you a few tries to make the colour that you wanted.

You might have added black to make your colour darker, and you might have added white to make the colour lighter.

You might have noticed that there were lots of different colours of water.

Well done on your incredible effort with that task.

It was really challenging to make those many different colours of water, and it's great to see how many experiments and tries you had a go at.

Well done.

Let's have a look at what we have learned today.

You have learned that artists use lots of different colours to depict water.

You know that at different times of year and different times of day, water can be many different colours.

And finally, you know that artists can use watercolours to depict water, adding black, white, and more water to change the colour of their paint.

Thank you so much for joining me for our learning today.

I have really loved learning alongside you.

Bye.