Painting – JSS2 Cultural & Creative Arts Lesson Note (First Term)

Painting is the art of using colours to create pictures on surfaces such as paper, canvas, walls or wood. The three main types in this lesson are still-life, nature and landscape painting.

• Class: JSS2
• Subject: Cultural and Creative Arts
• Term and week: First Term, Week 10
• Duration: 40 minutes

Behavioural objectives

By the end of this lesson, pupils should be able to:

1. Explain what painting means in their own words.
2. Name and describe three types of painting.
3. Tell the difference between still-life, nature and landscape painting.
4. Name the parts of a landscape painting.
5. Appreciate paintings as a form of art and expression.

What materials and previous knowledge does the lesson need?

The lesson needs sample paintings, simple drawing materials and real objects for a still-life display.

Materials needed

• Sample paintings: pictures showing still-life, nature and landscape scenes.
• Chart paper: examples of each painting type.
• Drawing paper: one or two sheets for each pupil.
• Pencils and erasers: for sketching.
• Coloured pencils or crayons: for adding colour.
• Real objects: fruits, a bottle and a book for the still-life demonstration.

Previous knowledge

• Pupils have learned about colours, colour mixing and colour application.
• Pupils know how to use basic painting materials.

How does the teacher introduce the lesson? (5 minutes)

The teacher starts by showing a painting, either on the classroom wall or brought from home.

1. Ask: “What do you see in this picture? How do you think the artist made it?”
2. Listen to the pupils’ answers, then explain that the picture was made by painting.
3. Ask if anyone has watched someone paint, such as a parent painting a house or an artist painting a signboard at the market.
4. Tell pupils they will learn about painting and the different types of painting.

What is painting? (7 minutes)

Painting is the art of using colours to create pictures on surfaces such as paper, canvas, walls or wood.

What do the words in the definition mean?

• Art: something beautiful that we create with skill.
• Colours: the paints, dyes or crayons we use.
• Create pictures: make images of things we see or imagine.
• Surfaces: the materials we paint on.

How is painting different from colouring?

• Painting: we create our own picture from what we see or think about.
• Colouring: we fill in lines that someone else has drawn.

What do painters use?

• Brushes: different sizes for different work.
• Paints: powder paint, poster colour, oil paint and watercolour.
• Surfaces: paper, canvas, cardboard, walls and cloth.
• Water containers: for cleaning brushes and mixing paint.
• Palettes: for mixing colours.

Who are some famous Nigerian painters?

• Ben Enwonwu: a well-known Nigerian artist.
• Yusuf Grillo: a well-known Nigerian painter.
• Bruce Onobrakpeya: a well-known Nigerian artist.

People in many countries admire the works of these artists.

What are the types of painting? (20 minutes)

There are three types of painting in this lesson: still-life painting, nature painting and landscape painting.

What is still-life painting?

Still-life painting is a painting of objects that do not move.

• Meaning of the word: “still” means not moving, so the objects stay in one place while we paint them.
• Classroom activity: the teacher arranges three oranges in a bowl, a water bottle and a book on a table.
• Pupils’ task: observe the objects carefully, then point out the objects in a sample painting.

What can we paint in still-life?

• Fruits: oranges, mangoes and bananas in a basket.
• Flowers: flowers in a vase.
• Books: books on a table.
• Kitchen items: a pot, cups and plates.
• Containers: bottles and jars.
• Vegetables: any vegetables arranged together.

Why do artists paint still-life?

• Practice: to learn to draw and paint objects correctly.
• Study: to study shapes, colours and shadows.
• Beauty: to show the beauty of everyday things we usually ignore.
• Light: to learn how light falls on objects.

What is nature painting?

Nature painting is a painting of living things from the natural world, such as plants, animals, birds, insects and flowers.

• Focus: it shows one thing or a few things from nature.
• Close-up: it can show details such as a butterfly’s wings or the petals of a flower.
• Starter question: “What do you see outside? Trees? Flowers? Birds?” These are all parts of nature.

What can we paint in nature painting?

• Tree: a single tree with its branches and leaves.
• Bird: a bird sitting on a branch.
• Insect: a butterfly on a flower.
• Pets: a cat or a dog.
• Fish: fish swimming.
• Flower: a flower shown in detail.
• Other small subjects: an anthill or a lizard on a wall.

What is landscape painting?

Landscape painting is a painting of a large view of an area, showing land, sky and everything seen in the distance.

• Meaning of the word: “landscape” means the land as we see it, with features such as hills, valleys, rivers, buildings and sky.
• Starter question: “What do you see far away from your house? Hills? Roads? Houses? The sky?”
• Classroom activity: take pupils to the window if possible, or ask them to imagine standing outside.

What can we paint in landscape painting?

• Village: a village scene with houses and trees.
• Hills: mountains or hills in the distance.
• Road: a road leading to the horizon.
• Farm: farmland with crops.
• Water: the seaside, or a river with the sky above.
• Market: a market square with buildings around it.
• Sky: a sunrise or sunset over land.
• City: buildings and streets.

What are the parts of a landscape painting?

A landscape painting has four parts: foreground, middle ground, background and sky.

1. Foreground: things close to us, which look big.
2. Middle ground: things a medium distance away.
3. Background: things far away, which look small and less detailed.
4. Sky: usually the top part of the painting.

What is the difference between nature painting and landscape painting?

Nature painting shows one plant or animal up close, while landscape painting shows a big view of many things together.

• Class activity: show a picture of a single rose and a painting of a parrot, then ask pupils to describe the details and colours.

Evaluation (5 minutes)

1. What is painting?
2. If you paint three mangoes on a plate, what type of painting is it?
3. What is the difference between nature painting and landscape painting?
4. You paint your school compound with the building, playground, trees and sky. What type of painting is it?
5. Name one thing you would like to paint for each type of painting.

Assignment

Choose one type of painting and make a pencil drawing of it. Then write two sentences saying which type it is and how you know.

• Still-life: draw three objects from your table at home.
• Nature: draw one plant or animal you see around you.
• Landscape: draw the view from your house, showing sky, buildings or trees, and ground.

Teacher’s notes

• Next lesson: pupils do practical painting of the type they choose.
• Preparation: have enough painting materials ready for the practical class.
• Outdoor task: if possible, take pupils outside for 5 minutes to observe a landscape.
• Encouragement: tell pupils who say “I can’t draw” that art is a way of expressing yourself and does not have to be perfect.
• Display: keep the sample paintings in class for pupils to study during the week.