The New World, William Turner High School Watercolor

4. Curriculum – Studio – High School Watercolor Class

STUDIO CURRICULUM –

Time Travel with Watercolor, Unit 4–

1. Islamic Illumination
2. The New World
3. Portrait of Today
4. Paint Your Travels

Unit 4 Lesson 2, The New World

I. GOALS OF THE LESSON:

A. I hope students will be able to …

1. create a landscape using watercolor on paper
2. represent a scene in nature that fills the page
3. represent perspective through horizon line, foreground, middle ground, and
background.
B. I hope students will learn about…
1. William Turner
2. Applying a wash
3. Value studies
4. Focal point

II. OBJECTIVES OF THE ART LESSON:

Students will make a watercolor landscape in the style of William Turner. Students will
use a wash technique to create atmospheric perspective, choose where they want a
horizon line, and show perspective including foreground, middle ground and back
ground.

A. MOTIVATIONAL OBJECTIVES:
Students will
1. look at and talk about four visuals (see list in V. Materials) …
2. identify similar characteristics in the four visuals (see list in V.) such as ….
a. landscapes
b. horizon line
c. foreground,
d. middle ground
e. background
f. shades of gold, brown, and blue

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The New World, William Turner High School Watercolor

B. ART MAKING OBJECTIVES:

Students will make landscapes that
1. fills the page
2. has a horizon line
3. has a foreground
4. has a middle ground
5. has a background
6. shows shades of gold, brown, and blue

III. MATERIALS, SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT, TOOLS, VISUALS, RESOURCES:

A. Materials and Supplies

Pencil
Sketch paper
Watercolors

B. Equipment and Tools

Sketch boards
Easels, if desired
Paint brushes
Water holders
Blue tape

C. Visuals. Digital images are pictured on page 11.

VISUAL 1
1. Scene On A River
2. William Turner
3. 1838
4. Watercolor on paper
5. 14cm x 19cm
VISUAL 2
1 Cowes, Isle of Wight
2. William Turner
3. 1827
4. Watercolor on paper
5. Size unknown
VISUAL 3
1. Prudhoe Castle, Northumberland
2. William Turner
3. 1827
4. Watercolor on paper
5. 40.8 x 29.2 cm

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The New World, William Turner High School Watercolor

VISUAL 4
1. Storm Clouds Sunset
2. William Turner
3. 1825
4. Watercolor on paper
5. 24cm x 34cm

D. Resources (Use APA Style)

1. William Turner, Scene On A River, Storm Clouds Sunset, Cowes, Isle of Wight,
retrieved February 27, 2012 from http://www.abcgallery.com/T/turner/turner.html
2 William Turner, Prudhoe Castle, Northumberland retrieved February 27, 2012 from
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/turner/

IV. INTRODUCTION:
We have been studying washes to create background and sky in our paintings. Today
you will look at some artwork by an English painter, William Turner. Wherever he
visited he studied the effects of sea and sky in every kind of weather. After talking about
the artworks you will have an opportunity to create your own landscape using skills you
will learn today.

V. MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITIES:
TIME: 10
CLASS ORGANIZATION: Students are seated at their tables and viewing images on
the screen in front of the classroom. Teacher will be displaying visuals from the
computer.
Students will participate in discussion about the art including art criticism, art history,
and aesthetics.

A. ART CRITICISM:
What gives this gives these paintings a sense of depth?
What colors are similar between the paintings?
Is this an urban landscape or a nature landscape?

B. ART HISTORY: See attachment on page 6

C. AESTHETICS:
Q: Would you find William Turner’s paintings in an Art Museum?
A: yes
Q: What is significant about this author or his work that his work would be in an Art
Museum?

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A: He is the forefather of watercolor and his work tells a story of what the land
looked like. He was successful in selling his artwork.

VI. TRANSITIONAL STATEMENT: We looked at paintings by William Turner and

talked about his work. His work has a common theme of gold, brown, and blue. His
work shows a horizon line and perspective with a foreground, middle ground and
background. He used washes during his process. I will demonstrate the skills now that
you will need to create your own landscapes.

VII. DEMONSTRATION OF SKILLS: Attachment pages 7-10.

TIME: 15
CLASS ORGANIZATION: I will have my painting set up in the front of the room
where there are no desks. Students will bring their stools and set around me to watch the
demonstration, in a half circle.
ACTIVITIES: See attachments on pages for demonstration of skills.

VIII. ART MAKING and CREATIVITY:

TIME: 30 minutes
CLASS ORGANIZATION: 6 students will hand out tape, paintbrushes, paints, pencils,
and pre cut paper and take them to their desks. Each student will get his or her own
board for painting on and water holder.
ACTIVITIES: After the teacher has given students directions as to who hands out
supplies etc, they will each get to work at their tables beginning by drawing their horizon
lines and creating a landscape lightly with their pencils.
Students can use their creativity in choosing where they want their horizon line to be, the
placement of colors, and what they want their sky to look like after they use their wash
technique.

IX. TECHNOLOGY: Images are looked at on the screen in front of the room via the
teacher’s computer.

X. VISUAL CULTURE: Show clips of tv show ‘Storm Chasers’. This is an extreme

weather tv show where people watch storms coming across the horizon such as chasing
tornados and chasing them or being chased by them.

XI. CLEAN-UP:
TIME: 5
CLASS ORGANIZATION: Students will clean up. Choose 6 students to collect
supplies. Students will return their drawing boards and water holders? Artwork will be
placed on the drying racks in the back of the room. Teacher will be directing students to
collect any missed items or supplies and watching over the students. The teacher will be
noticing which students put out the extra effort to help others and make a note of it
ACTIVITIES:.
Students will: Take their artwork to the drying rack.
Put away materials if they are done early.

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The 6 students who the teacher chooses at the end of class will collect and
put away pencils, paints, tape and paintbrushes.
The 2 students who the teacher chooses at the end of class will sponge
tables quickly, if necessary.

XII. EVALUATION:
TIME: 10
CLASS ORGANIZATION: Students will return to their tables.
ACTIVITIES:
A. MOTIVATIONAL OBJECTIVES: Students will self evaluate with their grading
rubric today.

B. ART PRODUCTION OBJECTIVIES: During the next class period we will look at
everyone’s paintings and discuss how many of them met the objectives. Names will not
be visible on the paintings while they are displayed in the front of the class. Students will
be encouraged to express what parts of the creating were easy and which parts were
challenging and why. Teacher will go through the list of motivational objectives during
this discussion and discuss each one with the students as a class
Grading rubric is attached on page

XIII. EXTENSIONS
Gifted and talented students who are finished early may look at pictures of extreme
weather online using the teacher’s computer and create a second smaller painting of an
extreme weather condition. For those who are slower they may use a smaller piece of
paper or choose not to fill the entire paper to save time.

XIV. TEACHER REFLECTION:

Complete this section after you've taught the lesson.
 Summarize the general level of student learning, i.e., the degree to which the
objectives of the lesson were met. Which concepts did students understand, which
ones did students not understand.
 What worked, what didn’t work with planned strategies and general flow of the
lesson plan.
 Indicate the activities or instructional procedures that worked particularly well.
 List modifications that may enhance future effectiveness of the lesson. Students may
have suggestions on what they liked, didn’t like, or what they would like to explore
some more of.

ART PRODUCT: Art product is a watercolor painting in the style of William Turner with the
same criteria that the students will be following to create their paintings.

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The New World, William Turner High School Watercolor

Art History

John Mallord William Turner (1775-1851). One of the finest landscape artists was J.M.W.
Turner, whose work was exhibited when he was still a teenager. His entire life was devoted to
his art. Unlike many artists of his era, he was successful throughout his career. Joseph Mallord
William Turner was born in London, England, on April 23, 1775. His father was a barber. His
mother died when he was very young. The boy received little schooling. His father taught him
how to read, but this was the extent of his education except for the study of art. By the age of 13
he was making drawings at home and exhibiting them in his father's shop window for sale.

Turner was 15 years old when he received a rare honor--one of his paintings was exhibited at the
Royal Academy. By the time he was 18 he had his own studio. Before he was 20 print sellers
were eagerly buying his drawings for reproduction. He quickly achieved a fine reputation and
was elected an associate of the Royal Academy. In 1802, when he was only 27, Turner became a
full member. He then began traveling widely in Europe.

Venice was the inspiration of some of Turner's finest work. Wherever he visited he studied the
effects of sea and sky in every kind of weather. His early training had been as a topographic
draftsman. With the years, however, he developed a painting technique all his own. Instead of
merely recording factually what he saw, Turner translated scenes into a light-filled expression of
his own romantic feelings.

As he grew older Turner became an eccentric. Except for his father, with whom he lived for 30
years, he had no close friends. He allowed no one to watch him while he painted. He gave up
attending the meetings of the academy. None of his acquaintances saw him for months at a time.
Turner continued to travel but always alone. He still held exhibitions, but he usually refused to
sell his paintings. When he was persuaded to sell one, he was dejected for days.

In 1850 he exhibited for the last time. One day Turner disappeared from his house. His
housekeeper, after a search of many months, found him hiding in a house in Chelsea. He had
been ill for a long time. He died the following day--Dec. 19, 1851.

Turner left a large fortune that he hoped would be used to support what he called "decaying
artists." His collection of paintings was bequeathed to his country. At his request he was buried
in St. Paul's Cathedral. Although known for his oils, Turner is regarded as one of the founders of
English watercolor landscape painting. Some of his most famous works are Calais Pier, Dido
Building Carthage, Rain, Steam and Speed, Burial at Sea, and The Grand Canal, Venice.

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The New World, William Turner High School Watercolor

Art Production Techniques – Washes and Horizon Lines

Charge your brush with paint from the darker mix, and starting in the upper left corner touch
your brush to the paper and gently pull a straight line of paint to the upper right corner.

Dab your brush on a sponge or paper towel and refill your brush with the lighter mixture.
Start your second stroke overlapping the bottom of the previous stroke.
Notice that the left side of the stroke has already flowed together with the top stroke. Let
gravity do it's work.

Rinse your brush and blot it on a towel or damp sponge, refill from the lighter mixture.
Make your next overlapping stroke

Rinse clean and dip your wet brush into the lighter mixture, further lightening the wash.
Lay your next overlapping stroke.
TIP 1: If your stroke doesn't flow evenly or breaks up, charge your brush and repeat the stroke
IMMEDIATELY.

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The New World, William Turner High School Watercolor

Rinse your brush well and using clear water start your last overlapping stroke.
Squeeze the water out of your brush and pick up the bead of paint at the bottom of the wash.

Ask the paint settles and flows, minor imperfections in tone will usually smooth themselves out
before they dry.
This example shows some graining in the final wash. Cobalt Blue is a coarser and heavier
pigment that settles into the texture of the paper.

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The New World, William Turner High School Watercolor

Establishing the Horizon Line

The Horizon Line is an imaginary line positioned at eye level and is the primary line of reference
when constructing perspective. It is important to understand that the horizon line referred to in
drawing is not the same as the horizon we would typically refer to in daily life (the line at which
the sky and earth meet). When it comes to drawing, the horizon line is not constant; it changes
according to the position of the viewer. To establish the horizon line from any working position,
hold a ruler in front of your eyes horizontally so you see only its upper edge. Make a mental note
of the line the ruler makes across the scene in front of you. Mark this line across your drawing to
represent the horizon. Depending on the composition you wish to create, you can draw this line
anywhere on your paper to incorporate subjects above and/or below this line. One can also affect
the illusion of depth in a drawing by altering the position of the horizon line. To create a painting
that has great depth, one needs to assume a high horizon line in the composition. Conversely, a
low horizon creates a more shallow composition, emphasizing the foreground.

The photos on the following page demonstrate this effect of depth created by the horizon line:

High horizon line creates depth in the image

Low horizon line creates a shallow image, emphasizing foreground

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The New World, William Turner High School Watercolor

Above the Horizon Line

On the Horizon

Below the Horizon

Perspective, is a system of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface

(e.g. a sheet of paper), giving the illusion of depth.

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The New World, William Turner High School Watercolor

Visuals

William Turner, Scene On A River, 1838, watercolor on paper,

14cm x 19cm

William Turner, Cowes, Isle of Wight,1827, watercolor on paper

William Turner, Prudhoe Castle, Northumberland,

1827,watercolor on paper, 40.8 x 29.2 cm

William Turner, Storm Clouds Sunset, 1825. Watercolor on paper,

24 x 34cm

D. Resources
1. William Turner, Scene On A River, Storm Clouds Sunset, Cowes, Isle of Wight,
retrieved February 27, 2012 from http://www.abcgallery.com/T/turner/turner.html
2 William Turner, Prudhoe Castle, Northumberland retrieved February 27, 2012 from
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/turner/

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