painted Koi Fish

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B !2

painted Koi Fish

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

12” x 18” white sulphite

paper

Light colored chalk pastel

Liquid tempera paints

(background colors plus koi

fish colors)

Containers of black tempera

paint with added water

(consistency of cream)

Medium round paint brush

Small pointed paint brush

Koi Fish are a favorite subject of many art teachers for

obvious reasons; they’re relatively easy to draw and have

wonderful markings. Most of the lessons I’ve seen have

been done with watercolor paints. I would have done the

same but my sixth grade students hadn’t yet worked in

tempera paint so I needed for them to experience that

medium.

I found a few drawings on the internet and used them as a

guideline to demonstrate the drawing. Instead of doing a

directed line drawing with the sixth grade students, I

chose instead to demonstrate a basic technique for

drawing the fish, then showed how to embellish.

TIME REQUIRED: TWO @ 50-MINUTE SESSIONS

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B !3

HOW TO DRAW A Koi FishHOW TO DRAW A KOI FISH

• Chose to draw one large fish or two

smaller ones and position paper

accordingly.

• Use a light colored chalk pastel to draw.

The chalk can be wiped away if the child

makes a mistake and can be covered with

the tempera paint.

• For the HEAD, draw a curved line (either

a letter “C” or a letter “U”). Add a line to

connect the two ends of this line.

• Draw a perpendicular curved line. This

will be the center of the BODY. Add a

TAIL.

• Draw the side lines of the body. be

careful not to make the fish two skinny.

Add FINS to the sides of the body.

• Finally, add the dorsal fin. Notice how it’s

shaped like a letter “S”. Start at the

perpendicular line near the head and

draw the curvy “S” shape towards the

tail.

• Fill in the dorsal fin patterns. Lines to

mimic fins is common.

•Add scales after painting.

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D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B !4

painted Koi FishPAINTING THE FISH: • Set two tubs of blue paint and one green paint on each table. Paint background (pond)

before fish. Add lily pads if desired.

• When background is painted, place containers of orange, red, yellow and black on the

tables for kids to share.

• Demonstrate how to use the double-loading technique to paint the fish. Dip paint brush in

one color (red) then immediately dip into another color (yellow). Paint the fish and watch

the red and yellow blend together on the paper.

• Because children in fifth grade have experience painting, the best method is to allow the

kids to paint their koi fish in a way that

suits them.

• When all the areas have been painted

(white parts of the fish can be left

unpainted), trace over all lines with black

paint. Use a small brush and a container

of watered-down black paint for this.

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B !5

5th grade Koi Fish

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B !6

WHAT IS THE NAME OF YOUR ARTWORK?

HOW DID YOU CREATE YOUR ARTWORK? (What tools, supplies and techniques did you use?)

WHAT DOES THIS PIECE OF ART MEAN TO YOU? (You can use “I” statements and talk about your inspiration and what creating

this piece of art means to you)

Artist StatementYour name

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B !7

CREATING Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work — combine ideas to generate an

innovative idea—demonstrate diverse methods to approaching art making

Organize and develop artistic ideas and work — experiment and develop skills in multiple

techniques through practice—show craftsmanship through care—document objects of

personal significance

Refine and complete artistic work—create artists statements using art vocabulary to

describe personal choices in art-making

Presenting/producing Analyze, interpret and select artistic work for presentation— define roles and

responsibilities of a curator—explaining the skills/knowledge needed to preform curation

Develop and refine artistic work for presentation — develop a logical argument for safe

and effective use of materials and techniques for preparing and presenting artwork

Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work —cite evidence of how an

exhibition in a museum presents ideas and provides information about specific concepts

Responding Perceive and analyze artistic work- compare interpretation of art to another’s

interpretation—analyze cultural associations suggested by visual imagery Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work — interpret art by analyzing form, structure,

context information, subject, visual elements, and use of media to identify mood and ideas

conveyed

Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work— recognize differences in criteria used to evaluate

works of art depending on styles

Connecting Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art- apply formal and

conceptual vocabularies of art and design to view surroundings in new ways through art-

making

Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding

NATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDS-fifth grade

X

X

X

X

X

X

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B !8

CREATING Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work — Combine concepts collaboratively to

generate innovative ideas for creating art.

Organize and develop artistic ideas and work — Demonstrate openness in trying new ideas,

materials, methods, and approaches in making works of art and design.

Refine and complete artistic work—Reflect on whether personal artwork conveys the intended

meaning and revise accordingly

Presenting/producing Analyze, interpret and select artistic work for presentation— Analyze similarities and differences

associated with preserving and presenting two- dimensional, three- dimensional, and digital

artwork.

Develop and refine artistic work for presentation — Individually or collaboratively, develop a visual

plan for displaying works of art, analyzing exhibit space, the needs of the viewer, and the layout of

the exhibit.

Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work —Assess, explain, and provide evidence

of how museums or other venues reflect history and values of a community.

Responding Perceive and analyze artistic work—Identify and interpret works of art or design that reveal how

people live around the world and what they value. Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work — Interpret art by distinguishing between relevant

and non-relevant contextual information and analyzing subject matter, characteristics of form and

structure, and use of media to identify ideas and mood conveyed.

Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work—Develop and apply relevant criteria to evaluate a work of

art

Connecting Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art- Generate a collection of

ideas reflecting current interests and concerns that could be investigated in art- making.

Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding —Analyze how art reflects changing times, traditions, resources, and cultural uses.

NATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDS-sixth grade

X

X

X

X

X

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S’ C L U B !9

Common Core STANDARDS FOR PAINTED KOI FISHCCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and

information.

As students complete an artist statement (page 6), they are supporting claims about what

their artwork means. This requires them to build their answer based on how they created the

work as evidence pointing toward the composition’s meaning.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations

when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

By having students create a work of art inspired by Koi fish, they are visually developing the

main ideas they learned from Asian style of art making by painting a Koi fish using organic

shapes, curved lines, rich vibrant colors and attention to detail.

I can statements FOR PAINTED KOI FISH• Today I will learn about LINE and SHAPE, so that I CAN draw a REALISTIC KOI FISH. I’ll know I

have it when my fish has a slight curve in the body and appears large, taking up much of the

space.

• Today I will learn about COLOR, so that I CAN use TEMPERA paint to paint my Koi fish. I’ll know I

have it when I have used different techniques including DOUBLE-LOADING and STIPPLING.

• Today I will learn about CONTRAST, so that I CAN carefully outline the lines of my fish making

them stand out.