Kandinsky circles

By: Ryan Benedetti

Kandinsky circles

This is a very simple lesson based on the work of russian artist Wassily Kandinsky . just about every art teacher has some version of this lesson in their repotare. I have done it many times and many different ways, and have found this method to be my favorite.

I usually do this simple, 2 class lesson with 1st graders but I would be right at home in any 2nd or 3rd grade class.

It is a great lesson for increasing young artists dexterity and control, through the drawing of concentric circles. In addition to increasing fine moter skills this lesson is a wonderfull introduction to art history, as well as materials such as oil pastels, water colors and of course the wax resist, painting technique.

Materials• Oil pastels

• 12x18 white drawing paper

• Water colors• Water color brushes

• water

Kandinsky circles

Farbstudie Quadrate Painting by Wassily Kandinsky

Class One

Materials•12 x 18 white paper•Oil pastels

In this class the students will be folding their paper and drawing their circles with oil pastels.

Step oneWhith your 12x18 piece of paper fold the paper so that it

has 8 rectangles on it

Drawing the circles

Using oil pastels draw a dot of any color in the center of your first rectangle. Next draw a ring of color around the dot in the middle. Next draw a ring of color around the previous ring, and continue this until you have multi colored concentric rings extending out to, (just shy of) the edge of the rectangle. To the right is one circle from start to finish. “It is not nessary to do 8 rings of color, do as many or as few as you would like”.

1

7 8

5 6

32

4

Drawing the circles

Now repeat these steps in every rectangle until you have concentric circles in every rectangle.

Class twoMaterials•Oil pastels•Water color paint•Water color brushes•Water buckets

in this class the students will be painting the background of the individual rectangles created by the folding of the paper. Any students who arent finished with the pastels must finish before painting but should have plenty of time to get caught up and finish

Painting• Using water color paints paint over each rectangle with different

colors. The water colors will resist the water color and it will fill in all uncolored paper.