Beginning with Acrylics

Overview

Subject: Visual Arts
Year Level: Year 10
Unit: Acrylic Animal Portraits (Lesson 1 of 12)
Duration: 45 minutes
Australian Curriculum Links:

• Curriculum Area: The Arts – Visual Arts
• Strand: Making and Responding
• Content Descriptions (Years 9–10):
  • "Manipulate materials, techniques, technologies and processes to develop and represent their own artistic intentions" (ACAVAM126).
  • "Plan, structure and refine artworks to represent ideas and subject matter for specific purposes and audiences" (ACAVAM127).

---

Learning Intentions

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify the fundamental properties of acrylic paint.
• Demonstrate basic brush techniques (e.g., dry brushing, layering, blending).
• Mix primary colours to create secondary colours and varied tonal values.

---

Success Criteria

Students can:

• Describe the key characteristics of acrylic paint.
• Show at least three different brush techniques in a mini-sample painting.
• Successfully create a smooth gradient by blending two colours.

---

Materials and Equipment

Each student will need:

• Acrylic paint: Primary colours (red, blue, yellow), black, white
• Flat and round brushes (small and medium sizes)
• Palette knives
• Plastic palettes
• Heavyweight paper (A3 size)
• Water containers for cleaning brushes
• Paper towels/cloths
• Aprons or smocks
• Visual examples of acrylic paintings (printed examples for table groups)

---

Lesson Sequence

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

Welcome and Context Setting:

• Briefly discuss the upcoming unit: "Over the next 12 weeks, we will be creating expressive animal portraits with acrylics."
• Show 3–4 inspiring animal portraits painted with acrylics (use printed visuals rather than digital screens to encourage tactile engagement).
• Ask prompting questions: "What textures or brushstrokes do you notice? How do these artists use colour to build mood?"

Mini-Demonstration:

• Perform a quick live demonstration. Show:
  • How thick and fast acrylic paint dries compared to watercolour or oil.
  • How water affects acrylic paint's flow and opacity.

2. Direct Instruction (10 minutes)

Explain Basic Techniques:

• Dry Brushing: Using minimal paint to create a scratchy texture.
• Blending: Mixing paint directly on the canvas for smooth colour transitions.
• Layering: Allowing one layer to dry before adding another for richer depth.

Discuss Key Properties of Acrylic Paints:

• Fast drying time
• Opacity and layering ability
• Flexibility and permanence

(Note: Avoid overwhelming them with too much chemistry—keep it process-focused.)

3. Skills Practice (20 minutes)

Mini-Sample Painting:
Each student creates an A5-size "Technique Sheet" using the following:

1. Dry Brushing Example — rough fur texture.
2. Blending from Light to Dark — mimic ombré animal fur patterns.
3. Layering exercise — two layers: base coat, detail layer.

Teacher Roving:
While students work, move between desks, providing quick on-the-spot mini critiques or tips, e.g., "Try lightly wetting your brush if the paint feels sticky".

Encourage students to swap one technique idea with their table group (peer feedback moment).

4. Reflection (5 minutes)

Whole Class Wrap-Up:

• Quickfire questioning: "What technique felt most natural to you? Why?"
• Link learning forward: "Next lesson, we'll sketch our chosen animals and plan our compositions."

Students to complete an "Exit Ticket" on a sticky note—a brief response to:

"Name one thing you feel confident about and one thing you want to practise more."

Collect stickies at the door.

---

Differentiation

Support:

• Provide visual step-by-step cards at each table for students needing extra scaffolding.
• Offer paint pens for students who struggle with brush dexterity.

Extension:

• Challenge early finishers to create a small thumbnail sketch experimenting beyond the sample sheet (e.g., conceptual textures like feathers, scales).

---

Assessment Strategies

Formative:

• Observation during practice task
• Technique sheet review at the end of the class
• Exit ticket responses to gauge understanding and confidence levels

---

Teacher Notes

• Use professional artist-quality paints if budget allows; it dramatically affects student engagement.
• Don't rush the technique practice. This foundational work underpins the success of the entire animal portrait project.
• Praise risk-taking—even if the blend or brushwork is messy. This encourages artistic courage, essential for future lessons.

---

Future Lesson Links

• Lesson 2: Animal Selection and Composition Planning
• Lesson 3: Drawing Proportionately from Photographs
• (Whole unit scaffold builds toward the development of a final acrylic animal portrait for exhibition.)

---

Additional Tips

• Play soft instrumental music in the background to create a calm studio atmosphere.
• Avoid correcting “mistakes” immediately; let students discover the medium’s qualities organically.
• Encourage peer sharing of discoveries like "I found out you need very little water when dry brushing!”

---

This plan is intentionally rich, structured, and paced for a creative Year 10 Australian classroom under Version 9.0 of the Australian Curriculum standards.