Elementary Art Lesson – Edward Hopper Lighthouse Watercolor
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.