1. Docent Material & Setup List: Docent Clean up List:
Outer Space Watercolor
Docent Material & Setup List:
Docent Clean up List:
Give each student:
Make sure names are on paper(s)
Place completed art work on drying racks – remember to label with teachers name
Wipe down tables, refill any items and return to bins as you found them
Close the lens cap to turn the projector off
Send to parents about the lesson – thanks for doing this and leading the lesson!
Pencil
Paper (watercolor)
Paintbrush (wide)
Give each table:
Oil pastel trays x 2
Salt shakers x 3
Black liquid watercolor (diluted) a small amount per table
Outer Space laminated handout
Please remember to come back and put your art work back in your bins once they have dried – thanks!

2. Outer Space Watercolor
Welcome in the students. State the lesson name. Today’s lesson is curriculum based and we will be using watercolor paints today.

3. Today’s Lesson Skill Development: Outer Space Watercolor
Introduction to watercolor painting.
Curriculum extension, students are applying their knowledge of outer space into an art piece today.
Introduction to Winslow Homer
You will learn how to:
Paint a flat watercolor wash
Use salt to create atmospheric dust
Today you are going to create your interpretation of outer space using watercolors and various tools to create the atmosphere of outer space.
This is a Curriculum linked lesson
Explain the lesson objective and description. The techniques should be known to the students, if not please demonstrate.
The next few slides introduce students to one of Americas most prominent watercolor painters. We have several of his works available on display.

4. Who was Winslow Homer? Outer Space Watercolor
Winslow Homer was a self taught artist and illustrator.
He worked as a documentary artist during the Civil War.
From the late 1870s, Homer began to devote his summers exclusively to direct painting from nature in watercolor.
After 1883, the sea became the dominant theme in his work, and by the 1890s he had become generally recognized as one of the leading American painters.
There are many great watercolor artists, today we are going to focus one of the most influential American WC artists. Homer was exposed to the work of Barbizon School of painters during a visit to France and thereafter adopted his mature style and sense of Realism.
Winslow Homer
Painter (1836–1910).

5. Outer Space Watercolor
Few of Homer's watercolors rival this one for its effects of shimmering sunlight and steamy atmosphere, achieved through the rapid application of wet-on-wet surfaces, the judicious sponging of wet pigment, especially in the shadows, reflecting light off the water. This picture is also exceptional for the number and visibility of its pencil marks. By contrast, Homer, in masterly fashion, merely daubed in the figures freehand, sacrificing nothing of their form and weight—they even seem to speak.
Winslow Homer
Fishing Boats, Key West, 1903

6. Outer Space Watercolor
Winslow Homer
The Red Canoe, 1884

7. Outer Space Art@Booksin
Please use this slide to bring it back to today’s lesson. So what does outer space look like? Here is an image. Students will have covered this in class so you should be able to generate a good discussion on this.
Remind students that we are creating a watercolor and oil pastel art piece of outer space. Talk about the colors of the planets and encourage students to think about using those colors in oil pastels, then talk about the atmosphere – is it one color or various shades / hues – how can we recreate that with watercolor, how can we create the sense of atmospheric dust – using salt.
Now move into the practical lesson. This is a fun lesson – would love your feedback. So what does you outer space look like? Lets start …

8. Outer Space Watercolor
Some details for re-creating the planets using watercolors and pastels - encourage students to think about using those colors in oil pastels

9. Write your name on the paper
Outer Space Watercolor
Write your name on the paper
Sketch out the planets per your vision (use various sizes)
Color these planets in oil pastels, blend colors to create movement (use the handout as a guide for color tones)
Paint the entire art piece with the watercolor
NOTE: whilst still wet shake a SMALL amount of salt over the painting to create atmospheric dust (this is optional you can create dust using pastels too)
This is an example of the art piece you will be creating. Here the artist painted the colors of each planet (note the color choices in Earth and Jupiter) This artist added in atmospheric dust using paint and not salt and a shooting star. Docents please emphasize perspective by reminding students to paint their planets larger or smaller as they are in space.
Show how to create atmospheric dust by first ‘washing’ the background with liquid watercolor (thick long strokes of black liquid watercolor across all of the painting and oil pastels BEFORE it dries sprinkle salt on the watercolor and watch it react. This creates ‘dust’ an is a student favorite. Gently shake off the excess salt once dried.
Using salt creates a wonderful dimension to the art piece. As always, there is no right or wrong method this is to give options and allows each student to create a piece unique to them.

10. Lesson plan adapted from MRSBROWNART.COM
Art history lesson slides are original and built from various sources.
By Tara Button
November 2015, updated November 2016