The fifth grade course of study in our school introduces the students to American realism, as exemplified by Edward Hopper. In this lesson, we first read through * Mike Venezia’s biography on Edward Hopper. Once the students experienced a healthy cross-section of the various subjects Hopper painted, we mimicked his style by using watercolor to create our own lighthouse painting.
The basics were as follows:
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- Sketch a lighthouse in pencil
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- Go over the pencil in black sharpie
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- Fill in the white spaces with watercolor pencil. Using shading to create more depth.
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- Use a brush and water to blend the colors for the final product.
It’s a rather simple project, though having to draw something as realistically as possible proves to be a challenge for some students. The subject of a lighthouse provides fifth-graders (or younger) a perfect opportunity to practice drawing three-dimensionally. I created the following powerpoint presentation to instruct the students on each step of the art project: Edward Hopper Lighthouse Watercolor Powerpoint
Materials used:* watercolor pencils, watercolor paper (9X12), black sharpie, pencil.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate. Suitable for 4th-6th graders.