I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold – Elementary Art Lesson on Charles DeMuth

I have taught lessons on Charles Demuth three times now as part of our school’s fifth grade art program. This project was the most successful for the kids. Despite students constantly asking if they can alter this or that about each and every project I teach (and why shouldn’t they, art is supposed to allow them to explore their creativity, right?), I find that sometimes giving them strict(ish) parameters ensures good outcomes. And good outcomes build confidence often as much as exploring creativity.

This lesson is also great because the kids get to practice color mixing to create tints and shades. Mixing paints is just plain fun. So they quickly get over their disgruntlement that they “have” to paint a number 5 (as opposed to a 73 or 24) once they get mixing.

So here’s the project:

Begin with a large sheet of paper (the thicker the better and at least 9X12), egg cartons for paint mixing. Several colors of tempera paint plus plenty of black and white to make tints and shades.

Draw a number 5 that fills the page.
Using a ruler, draw several intersecting lines across your paper.
Erase all the lines within the number 5.
Select a color of paint and use it to fill in several sections.
Mix in white paint to achieve a lighter tint and use that to fill in several more sections.
Add more white and mix in to attain an even lighter tint. Use this tint to fill in a few more sections.
Mix your original color with a bit of black to get a darker shade. Fill in the remaining sections (minus the number 5) with this shade.
Use gold paint to fill in the number 5.
Feel free to use the following Powerpoint that explains the project in your classroom.Download