Teaching My First Art Class
One day, I got a WhatsApp text from a dear mommy friend of mine *who by the way is a homeschooling mom to five kids and is such an inspiration mashaAllah tabarakAllah!* asked me if I would like to teach art to her kids. Me being all excited about anything art related said yes right away! I was a bit nervous at first as it would be my first time teaching anything to kids (ages 4-6) but I immediately put on my 'artist's cap' and planned the first art module.
The day we arranged for the session happen to be within the week of Hajj, so I wanted to do an activity that would incorporate that.
We did three activities:
1. Making a Primary/Secondary colour wheel
2. Learning 5 watercolour painting techniques
3. Painting a Hajj Journey map
1. Making a Primary/Secondary colour wheel
As it was our first ever class, I wanted to cover some basics. What's more basic in art than a colour wheel? Using paper plates, we drew a pie/pizza chart and began by colouring in the first 3 primary colours (Red, Yellow and Blue) into every second pie. Then, by mixing the colours in the palette we made the Secondary colours respectively, (Orange between Yellow and Red, and so on for Green and Purple.) Kids had fun seeing the colours mix and change. Later I tested them again to see if they remembered which primary colours made a particular secondary colour.
2. Learning 5 watercolour painting techniques
After drawing 5 boxes on the paper, we began learning each technique in each box.
First technique: Water on water
Load the brush with only water and brush all over the first box, making sure it's wet through. Then take any colour of your choice and dab the brush on the moist paper. Use different colours to mix and see the colours blending together nicely.
Second technique: Splatter
Load the brush with colour of choice and dip it into water for it to be really wet. Then lightly tap on the handle of the brush to make the splatter effect onto the paper.
Third technique: Dry brush
Load the brush with colour of choice but do not dip it in the water. Paint a solid colour in the box.
Fourth technique: Dabbing
Load the brush with colour of choice and lightly wet it with water. Dab on to the paper to make dots.
Fifth technique: Wax
Take a wax crayon and make a drawing in the box. A simple shape or scribble/pattern would do. Then load brush with watercolour and see the image in drawn in wax emerge.
3. Painting a Hajj Journey Map
Paint a simplified journey map of Hajj by using the techniques learnt previously. (Eg, Using the dabbing technique for the people around Ka'bah making tawaaf and using the splatter technique for Jamrah to repsresent throwing the stones.)
Alhamdulillah the kids really enjoyed it and learned both art and Islamic studies in one session. *I* really enjoyed it too. A few days later my friend offered me to do this regularly at her place and that was the beginning of my art teaching journey. Will be sharing more on the art lessons that took place after that inshaAllah.
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