Art class: Complementary colours part 1

Our study of colour is getting a little harder now, as we move into the area of complementary colours.  I started with a revision of the colour wheel of primary and secondary colours.  Having the colour wheel visible on the whiteboard was very useful in the class to help the children relate to what we were to study in the class in terms of complementary colours being opposites of each other.

Rather than have the children memorise the relationships between the colours, I let them experience the colour relationships for themselves by using coloured cellophane sheets.  I used the primary coloured sheets, one at a time, to let them see the respective complementary colours for themselves -- by first focusing their gaze on the middle of the paper, then seeing for themselves the afterimage when the paper was removed.  It was a wonder to see their faces lit up when they saw the 'magic' of the afterimage appearing.

Once the concept was understood, the children were set the task of drawing a picture in the opposite colours of what they would normally use.

This was a challenge for most of the girls in the class.  I do not fully understand the reason for their struggle, but my speculation is that perhaps the girls found it difficult to fill in colours that they perceived to the "wrong".  Regardless of their initial struggle, everyone in class eventually settled down to complete the exercise in earnest, producing vibrant and unique pieces of work.

This post is linked up to several blog hops, where you can see what other homeschoolers have been busy with.