Watercolor Painting - Explore Color Through Wet-On-Wet Watercolor Painting

This class is a beginner level class in wet-on-wet watercolor painting method. 
Students will learn this special painting technique while exploring color relationships through story and season-related themes.

Painting in the wet-on-wet watercolor method leads the students into the experience of the colors spreading into one another, blending, and producing soft edges and flowing forms. The lack of rigid lines is freeing and challenging at the same time. It encourages each student to find their way into this art practice without the pressure of strictly defined cutting lines present in other forms of painting. 

What will be taught? What topics will you cover?
- Skills for preparing supplies and working with the method of wet-on-wet watercolor painting
- Color explorations through this medium will be guided in each class through blending and color composition
- Form shaping and painting composition when using the wet-on-wet watercolor method

How is your class structured? How will you teach?
1. Each class will begin with a Greet&Share section where students will greet each other and share either their finished painting from the previous class, a question, and inspiration, or a highlight from the past week.
2. The first part of the class will be dedicated to exploring the theme (each class theme is noted in the below class outline details) through class conversation.
3. The second part of the class will be dedicated to the guided work on the paintings based on that class' theme. During this time, the teacher is painting with the class while guiding the work. This is also the time during which the teacher will be checking in with each student individually to provide encouragement, support or guidance, as needed.
4. Each class will end with a chance for each student to say goodbye, share their work in progress, or a question.

What's your teaching style?

How much will learners get to interact with you and each other?
Beginning and end of each class is the time for students to share things with the class. Conversation and theme discussion time will give the students a chance to share their inspirations and thoughts about the theme. 1on1 check-ins during work time in each class will provide each student a chance to receive individual encouragement, support or guidance from the teacher.

Any required experience or knowledge learners need?
Students do not need prior knowledge to participate in this class.

Outline listing the themes and work planned for each lesson in this four-week series is below.

Lesson 1
- Introduction and Review of class materials
- Steps necessary to Set up the workspace - This will be taught with detailed instructions in the first class, but students will be expected to have their spaces set up for work before each class that follows
- Instruction and Introduction of the wet-on-wet watercolor method through a 3-color exercise which will give students the experience with laying down the paint, blending the colors, exploring the color wheel, lifting the color, and forming a simple shape in the flowing medium of wet-on-wet watercolor painting

Lesson 2
- Theme introduction through a class conversation on the season-related topic: Summer
- A Guided Painting exercise - students working along with the teacher - theme Summer

Lesson 3
- Theme introduction through a class conversation on the season-related topic: Autumn
- A Guided Painting exercise - students working along with the teacher - theme Autumn

Lesson 4
- Theme introduction through a class conversation on the season-related topic: Winter
- A Guided Painting exercise - students working along with the teacher - theme Winter

Lesson 5
- Theme introduction through a class conversation on the season-related topic: Spring
- A Guided Painting exercise - students working along with the teacher - theme Spring

Lesson 6
- Theme introduction through a retelling of the fable The Sun and The Wind
- A Guided Painting exercise - students working along with the teacher - theme: The Sun and The Wind (Aesop's Fable)

Lesson 7
- Theme introduction through a retelling of the folk tale Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky
- A Guided Painting exercise - students working along with the teacher - theme: Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky (African Folktale)

Lesson 8
- Theme introduction through a retelling of the fairy tale The Frog Prince
- A Guided Painting exercise - students working along with the teacher - theme: The Frog Prince (a fairy tale from the Grimm's collection)