EMOTION ABSTRACT ART: PAINTING FEELINGS

EMOTION ABSTRACT ART: PAINTING FEELINGS

Learning Description

Students will create abstract artworks that convey different emotions using color, shape, and texture, fostering self-expression and emotional awareness.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 3
CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS & HEALTH
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"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can create an abstract artwork that effectively conveys different emotions using color, shape, and texture, demonstrating my understanding of the relationship between art and emotions.

Essential Questions

  • How do artists use their own emotions and experiences as inspiration for creating abstract art, and how does this influence the viewer's emotional response?
  • How can color, shape, and texture be used to convey emotions in abstract art?
  • What role does personal experience play in interpreting and expressing emotions through art?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

HE3.1 Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health.

HE3.1.c Prevent and manage emotional stress and anxiety in healthy ways.

Arts Standards

VA3.CR.1 Engage in the creative process to generate and visualize ideas by using subject matter and symbols to communicate meaning.

VA3.CR.2 Create works of art based on selected themes.

VA3.CR.3 Understand and apply media, techniques, processes, and concepts of two-dimensional art.

VA3.CN.2 Integrate information from other disciplines to enhance the understanding and production of works of art.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Standard 1: “Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health” (NHES, 2007).

M-3.1.1 Identify examples of mental, emotional, social, and physical health.

M-3.1.3 Identify healthy ways to communicate (e.g., verbal, nonverbal, written).

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use the elements and principles of art to create artwork.

Benchmark VA.CR I can combine several elements of art to express ideas.

Indicator VA.CR NM.1.2 I can combine several elements of art to construct 2D or 3D artwork.

Anchor Standard 2: I can use different materials, techniques, and processes to make art.

Benchmark VA.CR NM.2 I can use some materials, techniques, and tools to create artwork.

Indicator VA.CR NM.2.1 I can use two-dimensional art materials to explore ways to make art

Anchor Standard 4: I can organize work for presentation and documentation to reflect specific content, ideas, skills, and or media.

Benchmark VA.P NL.4 I can show and describe the idea of my artwork.

Indicator VA.P NL.4.2 I can describe my artwork.

 

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Emotions - How a person feels inside

Arts Vocabulary

  • Color association - The idea that color is associated with concepts
  • Color symbolism - The idea that colors can represent concepts
  • Overlapping - A technique where one object is placed in front of another, so it partially covers the object behind it
  • Layering - The technique of building up multiple layers of materials or elements to create depth, texture, and complexity in a piece
  • Variety - The differences in a work, achieved by using different shapes, textures, colors and values
  • Shape - A flat, enclosed line that is always two-dimensional and can be either geometric or organic
  • Composition - How an artist arranges the Elements of Art (line, shape, form, value, color, space, texture) to create an artwork

Materials

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Begin by discussing the importance of expressing emotions through art.
  • Show examples of abstract artworks that convey emotions through color, shape, and texture.
  • Explain that students will be creating their own abstract paintings to express different feelings.
  • Lead a guided discussion about emotions, asking students to identify and describe different feelings they experience.
    • Use prompts such as "What does happiness feel like?" or "How does anger look?".
    • Encourage students to share personal experiences or examples of times when they felt each emotion.

Work Session

  • Color exploration:
    • Introduce the concept of color symbolism by discussing how different colors can evoke different emotions.
    • Show examples of color associations (e.g., red for anger, blue for sadness, yellow for happiness) and discuss why certain colors might be linked to specific feelings.
    • Have students write various emotions on a blank sheet of paper. Allow students to experiment with mixing colors on their palettes or paint trays to represent these emotions.
    • Have students then create custom color palettes for their artworks based on the emotions they want to express.
  • Planning:
    • Have students look at additional examples of abstract artwork–particularly those that have a variety of shapes and textures (examples by Vasily Kandinsky).
      • Ask students to look at the shapes the artists used. Have students identify how the artist used layering, overlapping, and variety.
    • Have students sketch a plan for their compositions.
  • Artistic expression:
    • Distribute canvases or heavyweight paper to students.
    • Students should then sketch their plan lightly on their paper/canvas..
    • Encourage students to experiment with brushstrokes, layering, and texture to express the intensity and complexity of emotions.
    • Remind students to consider how color choice and composition can enhance the emotional impact of their artworks.

Closing Reflection

  • Sharing and reflection:
    • After completing their paintings, invite students to share their artworks with the class.
    • Ask students to describe the emotions they aimed to convey in their paintings and explain how they used color, shape, and texture to represent those feelings.
    • Facilitate a reflection discussion on the experience asking questions such as, "How did it feel to express emotions through abstract art?" and "What did you learn about yourself and others?".
  • Closure:
    • Summarize the key concepts learned during the lesson, emphasizing the power of art to convey emotions and foster self-expression.
    • Encourage students to continue exploring and expressing their emotions through art as a way to enhance emotional awareness and creativity.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students by observing students' discussion responses, observing their paint palette explorations and artwork plans, and checking in with students throughout the artmaking process.

Summative

 

Differentiation

Acceleration: 

  • Display the students' abstract artworks in a classroom gallery and encourage them to write short descriptions or titles for their pieces.
  • Explore the work of abstract artists who have depicted emotions in their artwork, such as Wassily Kandinsky or Joan Miró, and discuss how their use of color and form conveys feelings and experiences.
  • Collaborate with the school counselor to integrate discussions about emotional regulation and coping strategies into the art lesson.

Remediation:

  • Chunk the artmaking process for students.
  • Allow students to work with a partner to create their artwork.
  • Generate a class list of colors and feelings that are associated with those colors.
  • Provide shapes for students to trace.

 

Credits

U.S. Department of Education- STEM + the Art of Integrated Learning

Ideas contributed by: SAIL Grant Teacher Leaders–Chad Itnyre, Kristen Alvarez, Leah Patel, Lucerito Gonzalez, Tamu Clayton, Sandra Cash, Erin Smullen

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  August 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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