Visual Arts Basics: Color Mixing

Every year it's important that I teach some basic art lessons before I jump into my integrated lessons. It helps the integrated lessons run smoother and I can focus on the content of what I am teaching and not on if the students have the basic art skills that they need in order to complete the project.

I have to admit that for years I would try mixing colors and sometimes they would look really good together and sometimes they would look like a hot, brown mess. I don't know if I was ever taught, or maybe I just didn't listen, that when you mix a secondary color with the third primary color it makes the hot, brown mess. (Remember when I said that all of this art stuff is new to me?)

So for this lesson I put up a color wheel and students used three of the balloons to blend a secondary color with the third primary color to see what happens. It is great because the students can experience for themselves how the blending of colors works.

On the remaining balloons they get to choose the color they want to use. It's a great way for them to see what they like and what they don't like.