Three Colour Art – Spring


How wonderful is it to have warm temperatures and green spreading everywhere outside. Some of you may not like rain as much but I absolutely love it. This is why I have decided to include it into this Three Colour Art art class project with the use of green, white and black.

This project also covers the practice of layering, mixing of colours, composition and abstract painting.

Guess what! Children loved it. If you ask my students what is their favorite artwork of this season I’m quite sure that all of them will mention this one.

Collection of student’s Artwork

If you like it too you can simply follow a few steps and create it with your child. The first step is to create vertical lines, white and light gray from the top of the canvas down to about 2/3rd of canvas’ height. The second step is to create horizontal lines on the remaining 1/3rd of canvas with lots of blending, just keep darker gray and black to the sides and lighter white and gray in the middle. It was the first layer and background of your three colour art.

Next step is to add background trees which should be the same hight as initial vertical lines just this time use darker shades of gray. Those trees don’t need to have too many branches, just a few here and there. Keep those trees to the side of the canvas, on the left and right.

Next, you will add a line of bushes which is going to cover the place where background trees are meeting “the ground”. Paint those bushes fuzzy and make sure you add shading to create volume and distance. Bushes should be a lighter colour at the top and darker to the bottom.

Now you are ready to paint first stage trees. Make the trunk and branches black. Two or three trees on each side with few branches will do. Make sure to add some more black on the ground, around the tree trunk to create an illusion of shadow underneath. There is one, much smaller, a lonely tree at the back and closer to the right of the canvas.

Next thing to do is to add leaves on the first plain trees. Use a couple of shades of gray and green and obviously some black too. Simply dab it with a medium round brush, overlapping each other. Children really enjoy this part of the painting.

The last element is the lady in the jacket with an umbrella. Those are just a few simple lines. A five-year-old can follow if you break it down for them. First an umbrella curve, then line of the hair, then a line of the jacket and last legs and small shadow around them.

Three colour art could be a fantastic element of a birthday party or family afternoon. It takes about 1.5 hours to complete it if you provide support to the younger artists. Remember to display all artwork accomplished by your children it will give them confidence and pride in this what they create.