Early Childhood: Exploring Color

Oil Pastel and Watercolor

You will explore colors and mark-making techniques using different materials!

Grade Level

Pre-K & K

Media

Oil Pastels & Watercolors

Theme/ Big Idea

There are colors all around us! We can mix many colors in different ways using oil pastels and watercolors.

Unit & Lessons

Lessons

Lesson 1: What are Oil Pastels?

Lesson 2: Two Color Mixing (Blue and Yellow)

Lesson 3: Two Color Mixing (Yellow and Red)

Lesson 4: Two Color Mixing (Red and Blue)

Lesson 5: Three Color Mixing (Yellow, Red, Blue)

Lesson 6: Adding White (Mixing Tints/Pastels)

Lesson 7: What Are Watercolors and How Do I Paint with Them?

Lesson 8: Painting with Color

Lesson 9: Mixing Colors with Watercolors

Lesson 10: Painting with Many Colors

Materials and Tools

Set of oil pastels
9 x 12” paper or 12 x 18” paper
Paper towel
Set of watercolors
Cup of water (use a shallow container with a wide base that won’t spill)
Paper towel to dry brush

Resources

Lesson 1:

Artwork:

Books:

The Line by Paula Bossio
A Line Can Be by Laura Ljungkvist
The Straight Line Wonder by Mem Fox

Lesson 2:

Artwork:

Books:

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Green on Green by Dianne White 
Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lioni

Lesson 3:

Artwork:

Books:

The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater

Lesson 4:

Artwork:

Books:

I Don’t Draw, I Color! by Adam Lehrhaupt

Lesson 5:

Books:

The Colors of Us by Karen Katz

Lesson 6:

Artwork:

Lesson 7:

Artwork:

Books:

Lines That Wiggle by Candace Whitman

Lesson 8:

Artwork:

Books:

Dawn by Uri Shulevitz

Lesson 9:

Artwork:

Books:

Mix It Up by Hervé Tullet’

Lesson 10:

Artwork:

Books:

Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg

Credits

Exploring Color

Written by Andrea Burgay, Associate Director or Programs and Curriculum with support from Sassy Kohlmeyer, Director of Early Childhood Programs

Hasna Muhammad, Ed.D., Chair, Board of Directors, Studio in a School Association
Alison Scott-Williams, President, Studio in a School NYC