 Nguyen Vu, a volunteer, helping paint the children's faces Face Painting: An experiential approach to teach the use of paint brushes and the color wheel Face painting is a much better way to elevate children’s imaginations than a coloring sheet. Students feel the feather light touch of the soft hair paint brush as it glides and flows across the tender plains of the child’s cheek. In painting with young children, getting them to understand the delicacy of the bristles in the paintbrush is sometimes rather abstract. When I was teaching art at Harris Hillman School in Nashville, Tennessee, I would orient the children to the abilities and properties of the paint brush by painting their arm with warm soapy water or run a dry brush in the palm of their hand. The world is so concrete for pre-puberty children. They need to learn through experience and personal application. The face painting process, can teach the feel of an image being painted and that gives them a point of reference when beginning to paint. It is popular today much like tattoos. It may be a way of creating an identity with something a child perceives as notable. I painted some rainbows and thought of the lessons I am providing at my current elementary schools as we have been studying the color wheel. I wanted to take time to show the students the pallet I was using. I was mixing thalo blue and yellow to create a lovely spring green and mixing rose with yellow to create a pleasant orange and rose with thalo to make a lively violet. If time would allow in the classroom, this would be a great way to approach this art lesson. Unfortunately time is a big factor in a group setting where resolving behaviors and settling children in their seats takes a little more than a minute. Even so, I learned from this face painting adventure in Centennial Park that the task can be made if plans are made for special activities outside of the classroom. Perhaps a school fair, or at the parent teacher conference or as in the case of ARTS ALIVE, it can be done at a community gathering. I encourage those interested in teaching the color wheel to students, to create an opportunity to have a face painting activity. You can use; tempera paint, acrylic paint or grease paint like is used in the theatre. It does well when you have good paint brushes. Students need to be sitting down as they are more likely to stay still that way. Parents of course should be consulted as the personal space of a student is a concern. My motto is if learning can be fun, then why not! --Renee Somers (March 7th, 2007) |
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Face Painting: An experiential approach |