Impressionist Horizons Slides
MIDDLE SCHOOL ART STUDIO • LANDSCAPE UNIT
1-Point Perspective & Acrylic Painting
Studio Masterclass
Impressionist Horizons
Capture glowing sunlight, energetic broken brushstrokes, and deep vanishing space on your canvas!
Catch the Light
Explore Impressionist moods
Paint in Dabs
Broken color & underpainting
Build Deep Space
One-point perspective tricks
TODAY'S MISSION & TARGETS
What You Can Do Today
Your Three Big Goals
By the end of this project, every single artist will be able to say:
Target 1
“I can explore Impressionist art.”
Discover how rebel French artists broke the rules to paint fleeting sunlight, lively shadows, and open air outdoors!
Target 2
“I can paint to make my art feel Impressionist.”
Layer an underpainting foundation, then tap short strokes and cotton swab dabs instead of blending everything flat!
Target 3
“I can use perspective to show depth in my painting.”
Use a horizon line and a vanishing point to pull viewers right into your scene, making flat paper look 3D and endless!
💡 No mistakes—just energetic brushstrokes and learning new studio superpowers!
EXPLORE IMPRESSIONIST ART • TARGET 1
Paris, France • 1870s
Meet the Rebels of Art History!
Before Impressionism, artists had to paint dark, smooth, perfectly blended studio scenes. Then everything changed!
✕
The Old Rules
Painters were stuck indoors under dim studio lamps, blending colors until no brushstroke could ever be seen.
Result: Dark, stiff, and photographic.
Painting En Plein Air
Artists packed newly invented portable paint tubes and ran outdoors to paint landscapes in the open wind and sun!
Result: Bright skies and shifting light.
Capturing An Impression
Sunlight changes fast! They painted quick, lively dashes to freeze the “impression” of that exact moment.
Result: Shimmering energy & living color!
🔑 Key Takeaway: Don't paint every leaf—paint how the light bounces off the trees!
Quick • Colorful • Expressive
PAINTING TECHNIQUES • TARGET 2
The Impressionist Touch
How to Paint with Impressionist Energy
Forget smooth, blended shading! We use layers, broken color, and textured dabs to create vibrant light.
Secret 1: Underpainting
The Base Foundation
The first wash of paint that blocks out your largest shapes. It sets the temperature: warm sunset golds or cool violet shadows.
⏳ Rule: Paint big shapes thin & let dry before details!
Secret 2: Broken Color
Dabs Next to Dabs
Instead of stirring colors together on the palette until they turn gray, place pure dots and short brushstrokes side by side.
🎨 Rule: Let pure strokes vibrate next to each other!
Secret 3: Cotton Swabs
Optical Mixing Magic
Use cotton swabs to stamp dots of color! Up close they look like confetti; step back 5 feet and your eyes blend them into glowing trees.
🪄 Rule: Tap gently—don't smear the swab!
💡 Studio Vocabulary: Optical Mixing = when your brain blends separate dots of color from a distance!
ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE • TARGET 3
Creating Depth on Flat Paper
How to Make Your Landscape Look Endless
One-point perspective tricks the brain into seeing miles of distance on a flat sheet of paper.
The 3 Perspective Rules
1. Horizon Line
Where sky meets earth (your eye level).
2. Vanishing Point
The single dot where all path lines vanish.
3. Size Change
Objects close = large; objects far = tiny!
Trees, road borders, and fences all shrink to that dot!
Choose Your Landscape Path
Step 1 Worksheet
Straight Path
Direct rush to center
Curved Path
Winding road or river
Zigzag Path
Sharp switchback trail
💡 Sketch all 3 in your thumbnails, then pick your favorite!
Straight, curved, or zigzag—start wide at the front and taper to a point at the horizon!
PROJECT CHECKLIST ROADMAP
9 Steps to Your Finished Landscape
Your Step-by-Step Studio Plan
We break the big project into 3 simple phases so you always know what to do next.
Phase 1: Drawing Steps 1–3
Plan & Sketch
1 Practice paths on worksheet.
2 Sketch 3 thumbnails; pick 1.
3 Draw lightly on mixed media paper (Name on back!).
✏️ Draw like a whisper—lines hide under paint!
Phase 2: Painting Steps 4–7
Underpainting Base
4 Prep for underpainting foundation.
5 Use small paint dabs (no blobs!).
6 Gather apron, water cup, palette.
7 Paint big shapes & let it dry!
⏳ Let the underpaint dry completely!
Phase 3: Details Steps 8–9
Dabs & Exit Ticket
8 Use cotton swabs & vibrant colors to tap in foliage, clouds, and road texture.
9 Mount artwork on backing paper, write name, and finish exit ticket!
🎨 The cotton swab creates instant Impressionism!
Check off each box on your poster checklist as you finish every step!
PRO STUDIO HABITS • WORK LIKE AN ARTIST
Checklist Steps 5 & 6 Secrets
Two Rules That Save Your Painting
Simple habits that keep your colors glowing bright instead of turning into brown mud!
Rule 1: Paint Sizing
“A Dot Goes a Long Way!”
Acrylic paint dries fast on the palette. Big puddles dry out into crusty waste.
✓ Dime-sized dabs on palette (reload anytime)
✕ Giant volcanic blobs that get thrown away
Squeeze small dots—you can always add more!
Rule 2: Layering Order
Respect the Dry Time!
Broken color needs a dry underpainting base so dots stay crisp and separate.
Step A: Underpaint Base — Block in large shapes.
Step B: Let It Dry — 5–10 min before details.
Step C: Swab Details — Stamp crisp light on top!
⏳ Patience prevents muddy colors!
Wear your apron, keep water cups steady, and rinse brushes bristles-up!
STUDIO TIME • READY, SET, CREATE!
Phase 1 Action Steps
Time to Pick Up Your Pencil!
Here is your exact action plan for the studio session right now:
Phase 1 Checklist (Start Right Now!)
1
Perspective Warm-Up Worksheet
Practice straight, curved, and zigzag paths to the point.
2
Sketch 3 Thumbnail Ideas
Draw 3 quick landscapes. Try different trees, mountains, or skies!
3
Pick Best Sketch & Get Paper
Name on back of mixed media paper, then sketch lightly!
✨ Teacher Checkpoint: Show your 3 thumbnails before getting final paper!
Studio Reminders
✓ Draw lightly (whisper lines)
✓ Name on back of paper
✓ Mark your vanishing point
✓ Objects shrink in distance
🎨 Be bold, make marks, have fun!
The Impressionists were rebels because they dared to paint differently. Make your landscape yours!
