PAINTING DREAMS – Medicine Wheel, Spirit, Lines, Space

Students create a mixed media artwork using watercolour paints, a cut out image to represent themselves, and black, fine line markers to doodle textures and patterns.

Supplies:

Crayola Marker & Watercolour Paper - 22.9 cm x 30.5 cm (9" x 12")
Crayola Watercolour Paints
Crayola Paint Brushes
Crayola Glue Sticks
Crayola Fine Line Markers - Black
Drawing Paper - 30.5 cm x 45.8 cm (12" x 18")
Photograph of Self or Image to Represent Self
Water Containers - 1 per student
Table Salt
Paper Towels

Steps:

Begin with a circle and divide it into 4 equal sections.
Label each of the quadrants.
- In the east is spiritual energy (our spirit);
- in the south is emotional energy (our hearts, our feelings);
- in the west is physical energy (our bodies, our actions);
- in the north is mental energy (our thoughts, our thinking). Focus on the spiritual aspect of human beings.
Reflect on your dreams,
- when you close your eyes and imagine your vision for yourself, what do you see?
Draw a dream that you have for yourself, a goal, in the eastern quandrant of the medicine wheel.

Brainstorm words and images connected to the spiritual aspect of your life.
Use a variety of shapes to express the spiritual area of your life.
Reflect on what you enjoy creating.
Express how you imagine your dreams, your goals.
- What vision do you have for your future?
- Where do you enjoy spending your time?
- Where is your favourite place to go to when you are outdoors?
- What makes your spirit feel alive and happy?

Use a small piece of watercolour paper to experiment with different colours and techniques.
Begin by painting the paper with a small amount of clear water.
Dip your brush into water and choose a colour for the foreground.
Paint the foreground colour then choose a new colour for the middleground.
Allow the colours to move naturally, bleeding into each other.
Repeat for the background.
Add salt to a few areas of your painting and watch how it changes the colours.
You can use paper towels to lighten some areas.
Try dipping a dry brush into a colour and using it to paint with.
- How does the dry brush differ from a wet brush?

Use a large piece of watercolour paper to paint your background.
Reflect on the colours in your life that are beautiful, peaceful, colours that inspire your imagination.
When you close your eyes and imagine your dreams, your goals, a vision of possibilities for your life, what do you see?
Paint with colours you love, and create a foreground, middle ground, and background for your dreams.
Allow the colours to bleed naturally into each other.
Add salt to the sky, and lighten areas with a paper towel.

Reflect on a time when you are creating, or connecting with the natural world.
What are your dreams, your goals?
Find a photograph of yourself or one from a magazine that represents you, and your vision for yourself, creating, being outdoors, or spending time doing what you love in life.
- When does your spirit feel alive?
Cut out the image.
Use a variety of coloured pencils to brightly colour the cut out photo.

Use glue stick to glue the image onto your watercolour painting.
Place the image representing yourself in the foreground of the painting.

Use a black, fine line marker to draw small shapes and lines.
Repeat the images to create patterns and a variety of textures.
Add repeating contour lines to the human form.
Integrate the image representing yourself into the watercolour using the patterns and textures.
Listen to instrumental music while you draw, take your time.