Happy Friday Friends!!
Take a long look at this painting by Vincent Van Gogh. Grab a sheet of paper and pen, and write down everything you see! Be as descriptive as you can. I'll help you get started:
- Yellow bed with a red blanket and two pillows.
- Tall window that is open a little bit
- Blue walls with ... (what more can you find?)
Do you seen anything odd about this painting? The walls look like they are all tilted, and there aren't any shadows in the room. What more can you find?
- Yellow bed with a red blanket and two pillows.
- Tall window that is open a little bit
- Blue walls with ... (what more can you find?)
Do you seen anything odd about this painting? The walls look like they are all tilted, and there aren't any shadows in the room. What more can you find?
The Bedroom, Vincent Van Gogh. October 1888
In 1888, an artist named Vincent Van Gogh traveled to a town in the south of France called Arles. He hoped to start a painting studio where artists could live and work together creating art in a beautiful and sunny landscape. As Vincent waited for his friend and his brother, Theo, to join him, he had some extra time to get settled in and paint his surroundings in this new town, including his new bedroom. He found a home known as “the Yellow House.” It was a small, two-story building with a front painting studio, a small kitchen, and a few rooms upstairs. The walls of the home were not what he was used to. they were slightly angled, and did not go straight up and down! He decorated the house with paintings of sunflowers and other paintings that made the yellow house feel more like home! What do you do to make your house feel warm and cozy? Do you have any pictures on the walls?
On Oct 16, 1888, Vincent wrote to his brother to tell him about a painting he made of his bedroom in the Yellow House. There was not much in the bedroom. It was simple and clean, so Van Gogh told Theo that the colors in the painting had to “do the job” of the painting.
What do you think that means? Can color used in a painting help the viewer understand it better? For example, take a look at the bedroom window. Does the color of the light help us know what time of day it is?
Van Gogh wanted viewers of his painting to be able to "rest" their imagination in this bedroom, just as they would rest their body in their own bedrooms. Throughout Van Gogh’s career, he painted everything around him: landscapes, people in his town, and even the shoes he wore. In Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles, he shows a room in his house. His painting of his bedroom was done with excitement and a hope for the future as he was preparing to welcome his friend and fellow artists.
What do you think that means? Can color used in a painting help the viewer understand it better? For example, take a look at the bedroom window. Does the color of the light help us know what time of day it is?
Van Gogh wanted viewers of his painting to be able to "rest" their imagination in this bedroom, just as they would rest their body in their own bedrooms. Throughout Van Gogh’s career, he painted everything around him: landscapes, people in his town, and even the shoes he wore. In Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles, he shows a room in his house. His painting of his bedroom was done with excitement and a hope for the future as he was preparing to welcome his friend and fellow artists.
What does your room look like?
Today, we are going to paint a bedroom just like Van Gogh did! Heres what you will need:
- Paper
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Paint
- Brushes
- Cup of water/Paper towels
- Ruler
We are going to use a little bit of math to make our room. Van Gogh used something called "one point perspective" when he made his painting to make you (the viewer) feel like you could be standing in his doorway!
First, you will use your ruler and pencil to draw a big X on your paper. Make sure your lines go from corner to corner! Then, use those lines to help you draw a rectangle in the very center. This rectangle will be the far wall of your room. In Van Gogh's painting, this is the wall with his window. The very center of your paper where your two lines meet has a special name--the Vanishing Point. The rest of your diagonal lines also have a special name--orthogonal lines.
Using your ruler, add two more orthogonal lines. One goes vertical and one horizontal, passing through the vanishing point. These lines will need to be erased later, so draw them lightly!
Outline your rectangle and corner lines with a marker (see photo). Use the rest of the orthogonal lines as a guide to help you add a window to the left and a picture frame to the right. Then, outline those in marker, too! Erase all the pencil lines you have left.
Are you starting to see a bedroom? Use your marker to add things like a ceiling light, a bed, another window, a rug, desk, or even toys!
- Paper
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Paint
- Brushes
- Cup of water/Paper towels
- Ruler
We are going to use a little bit of math to make our room. Van Gogh used something called "one point perspective" when he made his painting to make you (the viewer) feel like you could be standing in his doorway!
First, you will use your ruler and pencil to draw a big X on your paper. Make sure your lines go from corner to corner! Then, use those lines to help you draw a rectangle in the very center. This rectangle will be the far wall of your room. In Van Gogh's painting, this is the wall with his window. The very center of your paper where your two lines meet has a special name--the Vanishing Point. The rest of your diagonal lines also have a special name--orthogonal lines.
Using your ruler, add two more orthogonal lines. One goes vertical and one horizontal, passing through the vanishing point. These lines will need to be erased later, so draw them lightly!
Outline your rectangle and corner lines with a marker (see photo). Use the rest of the orthogonal lines as a guide to help you add a window to the left and a picture frame to the right. Then, outline those in marker, too! Erase all the pencil lines you have left.
Are you starting to see a bedroom? Use your marker to add things like a ceiling light, a bed, another window, a rug, desk, or even toys!
  |  Now you can start to add color! Remember to let the colors help "do the job" of your painting. If you have trouble creating your one point perspective room, remember that art takes practice! Keep trying and you will always improve. You can also look up tutorials with an adults help. |
