| Basic Skills for Young Teachers | Complete in 2 Hours. How to Run an Art Class That Makes Students Love Painting

At the beginning of the school year, it is very important to make students feel that "art is fun."
If they stumble at the start, they will carry that sense of dislike for the rest of the year.

So, this time, I will introduce an art lesson that can be done in 2 hours and where almost everyone succeeds.
Moreover, it is not just fun. You can understand all the basics of painting through experience.

The key points are "sequence" and "setting the stage."

The goal of this lesson

・Get used to using paints
・Experience gradients
・Feel that art is fun
・Be satisfied with the finished work

And above all,
to create a successful experience of "I was able to do it myself".

Preparation (90% is decided here)

First, the materials.

・Paint set
・Scissors, glue, pencil
・White drawing paper (about B5 size)
・Black drawing paper (same size as the white one)
・A large sheet of paper to place underneath

What you absolutely cannot miss here is,

making the white and black paper the same size.

Since you will layer them at the end, any misalignment will ruin the finish.

[1st Hour] Creating the background (about 20-30 minutes)

① What to do first: Wet the paper

Wet the entire white drawing paper with water.

This will surprise the children.

"Teacher, is it okay if it's soaking wet?"
→ "It's fine. That's the right way to do it today."

It is important to reassure them here.

The paper will curl, so
adding a light laugh by saying, "Maybe the paper is ticklish," will soften the mood.

② Use only 4 colors

・Yellow
・Red
・Blue
・Black

Create a sky using these 4 colors.

At this point, naturally,
the experience of the three primary colors + color mixinghas already begun.

③ Instructions on how to paint (very important)

Explain this carefully.

・Move the brush horizontally
・Like sweeping with a broom
・Paint in the same direction

Give specific instructions like, "Swish, swish, swish, horizontally."

If you don't say this,
the gradation will get messy and fail.

④ Actual flow

① Yellow for 1/3 to half of the area

② Layer red on top

③ Paint the whole thing with blue

④ Lightly apply black on top

Blend the boundaries of the colors with water.

The important thing here is to

tell them, "It's okay even if there's a little less water."

Since the paper is wet, it will turn out beautifully on its own.

5. Finish here for now

The background is now complete.
Let it dry.

*If you keep a good tempo, it will finish in 20 minutes.

Remaining time in the first hour

Draw a picture on black construction paper.

・Pencils are fine
・Looking it up on a tablet is fine
・Copying the teacher is also fine

The point here is to

keep the level of freedom high.

Points of caution (very important)

On this day,do not let them cut it under any circumstances.

The reason is simple.

・It will fall apart
・It will get lost
・It will cause trouble for the next class

Have them write their names and collect them.

[Second Hour] Finishing touches (this is the crucial part)

Lesson design is important here.

Do two things at the same time.

1. Cut the black paper
2. Add the stars

However,

Do not do it at the same desk.

Setting the scene (this is super important)

・Your own desk → Cutting work
・Separate space → Adding stars (handled by the teacher)

Just by separating these,
the class will become smooth all at once.

How to add stars (the exciting part)

Use white paint.

"I am going to cast a starry sky spell now."

With this one phrase, the children will get excited.

Have them hold the brush far back,

Tap, tap, flick, flick, flick

This makes the stars.

*It will fly 3 meters, so make sure the area is wide

Why do it on the second day

If the background is not dry,

・The stars will bleed
・They will look blurry

Therefore, you must let it dry.

The reason for making it a paper cutout (this is worth explaining)

1. Does not mix with paint
2. The layout can be changed as many times as you like

In other words,

Even if you make a mistake, you can start over.

This leads to a sense of security for the children.

Final touches

・Glue it on
・It's okay if it's slightly misaligned
・Fix it later if it peels off

And it's finished.

The reason this lesson works well

This lesson is,

“designed to succeed.”

・Few colors
・Clear steps
・Recovery is possible even if you fail

Therefore,

almost everyone can create a “great piece of work.”

Children's reactions

This is usually what happens after completion.

“Wait, did I draw this?”
“I'm taking it home!”
“Look, look!”

Once you reach this point, it's a success.

Finally

Art is not about talent.

It is determined by the design.

・Order
・Encouragement
・Setting the environment

If you master these, anyone can succeed.

I highly recommend trying this for the first class of the school year.
By the way, if you are unsure about how to use paint, I recommend "Zukonin".