by Nisa Sharma – published in Parent:Wise Austin magazine -March 2007 – copyright

I’m progressive when teaching art: there is no “right way” to do things and messes are encouraged. Color, however, is complex and has rules. Of course, these rules can and should be broken by the artist, but a strong foundation on the subject is what gives the artist freedom to express herself fully.

Color complex? Of course! Ever tried to name all 120 crayons in the biggest box without cheating? Since I can’t pack a whole class on color theory on one page, here is a starting place for discussing colors with kids of any age – and a few things to try:

Red, blue, and yellow are the primaries, the building blocks of colors. Purple, green, and orange are secondary colors created with equal parts of two primary colors. Red + Yellow = Orange; Yellow + Blue = Green; Red + Blue = Purple. And by adding more of any color, any color can be achieved!

A color wheel is a good map for understanding blending and color relationships. Start with a big circle on a page, and think of a pie with six pieces. Color in red, blue and yellow in wedges with blank wedges in between. Have a helper figure out what color belongs between each primary color. The color wheel is a good way to see complementary and contrasting relationships: a wedge’s opposite side is its contrast, and the wedges next door on both sides are its complements!

Discuss color with your kids. Driving is a goldmine! When your toddler says, “Look, bus!” Respond, “Yes, look at that yellow bus!” Kindergartners will enjoy listing other yellow things, and big kids can describe the landscape outside the window. With older kids, discuss why red, orange, yellow are considered warm colors and why blue, green, and purple are considered cool colors. Touch on color conveying mood, and remember to have fun!

BLENDING COLORS WITH KIDS

Here are some simple ways to introduce kids to the concept of blending color.

• Blending small balls of primary colored playdough.
• Finger painting: a wonderful way to discover how to make brown!
• Blend primary watercolor paints on a page.
• Using tempera, put primary color drops on each side of the center of a white sheet of paper. Fold the paper in half and squish to blend.
• Mix food colors with water in clear cups, one drop at a time, blending primary colors.
• Have a surplus of broken crayons? Make big crayons! Peel and separate by color (or experiment with blending) into an old muffin tin and bake at 250 for 20 minutes. Cool completely then pop them out!
• Get magazines & scissors and cut out every color possible. Paste like colors together or refer to the color wheel to create a rainbow effect.
• Gave a household color hunt to collect solid colored objects. With a rainbow of construction paper, observe how the objects look on different backgrounds. Which colors compliment the object? Which colors contrast with it? Which are the same tone?

Nisa Sharma puts this magazine together each month and occasionally teaches preschool art. She and her husband have just finished a year-long project and are thrilled it’s over. They live in Cedar Park with their two crayon loving kids.