Teaching Kids About Color Using Oil Paints

If you have noticed the lack of crafts lately here on creative jewish mom, do not jump to the conclusion that we are not crafting, on the contrary we have been delving into the world of drawing and painting (and of course ceramics), and don't have much to show for it just yet. What I would like to share with you is the idea of helping your little and not so little crafters understand color and the power of color!

One really great way to do that is to simply employ the idea of making your own color chart, with paint and a large piece of paper. So simple and yet a great educational tool for anyone interested in painting or even learning how to use color effectively. And for those interested in classic art training (highly recommended) even on a small scale, it is important to become familiar with the names of paints generally used, and of course more specifically the names of the paints that you have. The goal is that paint colors should become as familiar as say ingredients in a recipe, such that when one wants to achieve a particular color, one simply combines the necessary color to achieve the desired result! Sort of like baking, right?

The chart is made by painting little squares of color and writing the names of the colors beneath each square. Then additional squares are made by mixing colors that are a combination of the tube colors, and those too are labeled. The ability to mix a range of colors that vary in value and tone is really a very major part of painting, and is actually quite interesting. So give your kids (and yourself) a little boost in the art direction and try this activity.

We are currently using oil paints, so those are the colors you see here. One can certainly use acrylic paint as well, though I do believe that classic color study via classic colors is more do-able using oil paint. Plus all that oily mess really gets one in the creative groove!