Monochromatic Paintings

Our 4th graders were studying the color wheel, mixing colors, and color theory.  We created these paintings in one class period, believe it or not!  I gave the students a 11"x11" piece of paper and instructed them to draw 4-5 geometric shapes on their paper using a black marker.  Next, I walked around the room with my paint tray and let each student choose 1 color of paint to use, plus white and black.  Then I demonstrated how to paint each space with either a tint or a shade of their color.  In fact, I had the students mix their color right inside of the space they were painting.  These paintings were fast, fun, and successful - an Art Teacher's dream come true!