Project Requirements: Color Wheel Mandalas

This project will familiarize us with color mixing. For this project, you may choose create your own mandala or work with ONE partner.

Sample Color Wheel Mandalas:

Project Requirements:

• Color Wheel contains 6 different “pie slices” – one for each of the following colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet
• Each “pie slice” should be divided into 4 sections. This sections will gradually get lighter or darker as you mix tints and shades of the selected color.
• One section of each “pie slice” should contain the original color. If it is very transparent, you can remedy this by mixing in a tiny bit of white (but not enough to make a true tint).
• Mandala shows good craftsmanship – paint is even and smooth. Points will be deducted both for transparent areas and for paint that has been painted on too thick.

Project Steps

1. Design your pie slice. This design will repeat itself 6 times around the circle.
   Here is what my pie slice looked like:
   
2. Trace the circle template onto a sheet of tag board.
3. Color the back of the pie slice with chalk, and use the trace and transfer method to transfer the first section of the pie slice onto your circle template.
4. Continue tracing and transferring until the entire circle is filled in with designs.
5. Pick your first color. Mix 2 tints and one shade, and paint the mandala. (Except yellow – it is so light that you will mix one tint and 2 shades.)
6. Repeat step 5 for the remaining colors. Here is what my finished mandala looks like:
   

We will have 5 classes to work on this project. Use your time wisely – by the end of today’s class, you should have designed your pie slice and traced and transferred the design onto the tag board. If you do not start painting today, you should be ready to start painting at the beginning of next class.

Create the next Pantone Color of the Year

Today’s essential question: Pantone has asked you to come up with the 2016 Color of the Year.
Which colors would you mix to create this color? What would you name it?

Each year Pantone declares a particular color “Color of the Year”. Twice a year the company hosts a secret meeting of representatives from various nations’ color standards groups. After two days of presentations and debate, they choose a color for the following year. The color purportedly connects with the spirit of the time. The Pantone color of 2015 is Marsala. Read why Marsala was selected.

Not a fan of marsala? That’s ok – Pantone also sells a color guide with 2,100 other colors.
You can purchase it here for just $195. This is what you’ll get:

Interestingly, Pantone was not the first to attempt to create a comprehensive color guide. 271 years before Pantone published its first color book, an artist known only as “A. Boogert” created something eerily similar:

Read more about this 1692 color guide here.

Creating a Class Color Guide

Today we will create a simplified color guide for our class. Each person will mix at least one color combination for the color guide. At the end of the class, we will vote for our favorite color to select the 2016 color of the year.
You may choose to mix more than one color – the more colors you mix, the more chances you have to win.
For added fun, you may name your color (or suggest a name for a color mixed by a classmate).

Example of a finished color guide. (Ours will be better and will contain about twice as many squares!)

Color of the Year Contest Rules

1. Each person must mix at least one color.
2. You must mix the colors you have signed up to mix. (For example, if you have signed up to mix warm red and cool blue, you may not add green to the mix to make your color “prettier.”)
   Exception: You may add white to tint your color, especially if you feel it is too dark to see well.
3. You may choose the ratio of colors. If you signed up to mix warm red and cool blue, you can choose to use more or less red or blue to create the color you feel is most aesthetically appealing.
   Remember, you may also choose to mix in white if you feel that will help.
4. You may only sign up for one color block at a time. Once you have signed up for a color block, you must mix that color, paint a square with that color, dry the square, and adhere it to the class poster board before signing up for another color.
5. Color creation ends promptly at 1:50pm. Colors must be adhered to the board by 1:50 in order to count towards the competition. From 1:50-2:05 we will vote and clean up. Failure to properly clean up will disqualify you from the contest.

Good luck and have fun!