Watercolour Pattern Exploration

In this lesson students explore the work of Patricia Braune. Students analyse Braune’s use of pattern and her process. Students will explire techniques with blending watercolour paints and using washi tape in a resist method. Students will work over their watercolour sections with markers to create patterns inspired by nature.

Lesson 1

Students explore the work of Patricia Braune. Discuss Braune’s use of pattern in her work and how she captured details and a sense of movement in her pieces. Analyse how Braune uses simple and repeating shapes to emulate nature and her process of how she works from photographs when she travels and then turns inspiration from these photos into pen on paper pieces before working towards a finished artwork.

Students explore water colour blending techniques. Show students how they can use washi tapes to create water colour sections on paper. Students create their own water colour shapes on paper using this washi tape technique.

Lesson 2

Students work over their watercolour paper from the previous lesson. Students draw inspiration from nature similar to Braune. Students use black and white markers of different sizes to emulate the shapes and patterns in nature within the different sections of their water colour shapes.

Students remove the washi tape used in their work and display their finished piece.

Reflection:

Students reflect on how they have created pattern in their work and how they have created contrast in their piece. Students can compare and contrast their work to that of Braune.

Extension:

Students can work collaboratively and in large scale to complete their work. Students could also take photos of natural flora and fauna and use these photos to create pen drawings before working on their final piece.

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