Beyond Rothko!

Art Teachering Experience, Children Paint the Masters, Children Paint! Mixed Media

A few years ago, when I was student teaching at a Middle school, I wanted to create a lesson for my new students that was quick and fun. They had just completed a painstakingly detailed project, that took 10 art classes worth of time and used color pencil exclusively. I began by discussing color theory and then introduced them to the work of Mark Rothko with a slide show presentation and then I gave them this assignment:

  1. Make 2 or 3 Rothko inspired paintings using either a Complimentary , Monochromatic or Analogous color scheme.  Pick 2 or 3 sheets of colored paper and decide what colors you want to work with and then paint…. with your finger!
  2. Mix paint directly on paper. Create a rectangle or line or square using at least 2 colors of paint that work with either the Complimentary, Monochromatic or Analogous color scheme (the color of your paper will be part of your decision making process and help determine what color scheme). 
  3. Paint using your finger- add color as need – add white or add black – color in your shape, but also let the color of the paper show through the shape. Remember to leave edges or a frame around your shapes — (don’t paint from edge to edge, remember, that the paper itself is part of your color scheme). 
  4. Once you have your shapes painted, you can use a wet brush to soften the edges if desired and then let the paintings dry …. Tempera paint dries quickly and will have a matte finish.
  5. Once you have completed 2 or 3 Rothko- inspired paintings – you will choose one to submit for grading as a “Rothko”—then pick one of the others to enhance in your own creative style…. make it your own!
  6. I suggest that the painting you turn in is as your “Rothko” is the most successful one, i.e. follows the correct color scheme – has nice forms and color mixing etc…
  7. On the other painting you are going to draw using oil pastels… add color and texture or draw something over the underpainting— a fish, a flower, a face— or other shapes, designs, or patterns— whatever you want because this is your creative opportunity!!! 

The resulting creations were so fabulous that I hung the most successful works in the school lobby for all to enjoy! This is a fun and inexpensive project, it only requires basic construction paper, tempera paint (red, yellow, blue, white and black only) and oil pastels.