1st Grade Color & Line Compositions

Here are some very gorgeous color and line compositions made by my first graders over the past two weeks. This year, I chose to work "backwards," having the students first paint as many colors as possible all over the paper by mixing. Usually, I have them do the lines as the first step. During this painting session, we talked about being scientists and experimenting to see who could come up with the neatest colors. It was fun hearing them name their colors as they worked: buttery yellow, black cherry, monster blue. This type of experimentation was wonderful and reinforced primary, secondary and neutral color families and color mixing.

The second week, we took some time to work on the Promethean board and practice drawing lines. Students also recorded a line chart in their sketchbook as we took turns on the activeboard. As soon as our practice was over, either black paint or black oil pastel was used to make a menagerie of lines all over the painting. Aren't the results stunning?!