Martin Jones

Activities

Before Viewing

In their sketchbooks students could make a collection of interesting papers, magazine pictures or photographs related to a particular theme such as an underwater scene.

While Viewing

Students should note:

• The different methods and tools the artist uses to apply paint to the canvas: the way he trickles, rolls or stabs the brush, using its edge, side or body, how thickly the paint is applied, and the lengths of the strokes.
• The way the artist uses his photographic reference and sketchbook work to develop the painting.

After Viewing

Discuss:

• How did the artist organise his work space?
• What stages did the artist go through to produce the painting?
• What range of colours did the artist use? How did he achieve the bright colour scheme?
• Was the artist's work successful?
• The artist talked about his struggle to 'get it right'. What did he mean by this phrase?

Research and experiment:

• Investigate the colours and names of different types of fish, the oceans of the world, underwater creatures, coral and all things found under the sea. Collect contrasting images of various shapes and textures.
• Research the work of artists who have used water or the sea as a subject.
• In groups, brainstorm students' responses to a painting, poem, short story or piece of music about the sea. This could be developed into poetry or prose.
• Make drawings from direct observation of fish, shells, seaweed and coral.

Exploring paint

In the programme, Jones creates various background effects using acrylic paint. Creating backgrounds for an underwater theme encourages students to explore and experiment with different paint effects.

Tone

Using powder paint, students could:

• Prepare a large sheet of paper by wetting it with a sponge. Mix two different coloured paints, and with a soft brush allow the paint to flow gently onto the paper. Let the different colours merge together. What happens if the paper is held vertically?
• Paint a horizon line with a brush loaded with runny blue paint. After the first mark, dip the brush into the water pot and continue to make watery lines up to the top of the paper, joining one line on to the next.
• Make tints of blue or green by gradually adding white to the colour to make it lighter (add white to the colour, not the colour to white).
• Start with blue as the main colour on the palette and see how many different shades can be mixed. Experiment by gradually adding small amounts of other colours to the blue.

Texture

Using powder paint, students could:

• Collect a range of tools other than brushes (scrubbing brushes, toothbrushes, floor mops, rags, sponges). Make painting tools by attaching sponges, twigs, wool or raffia to a stick with tape, string or wire.
• Cover a large sheet of white paper with many different marks. Different effects can be achieved by holding the tools in different ways and varying the pressure. When the sheet is dry it can be used for background or torn up for collage work.
• Cover a stiff piece of paper or cardboard with paint of a thickish consistency. While the surface is still wet, scratch into it with tools like combs. These can be cut from pieces of scrap card to give different thicknesses of line.

Other textural water effects can be achieved by experimenting with marbling, collage work with cellophane and tissue paper, threads, or monoprinting.

Colour cards

As a homework activity, students could make up a colour chart similar to those produced by paint manufacturers. In groups, they could explore families of colours and invent their own names for them, matching them to specialist paint names such as vermilion, cobalt, burnt sienna and viridian.

Art and music

Experiment with listening to music and making gestural marks with the brush in time to the rhythm. These can vary from gentle, flowing, fluid lines to great splashes of colour.

Make a mural

Students could work on a large scale and practise skills related to texture, tone, line and shape. With a limited range of colours (for example, blues and greens), make a series of backgrounds, exploring and experimenting with different consistencies of paint, different tools, and working in different directions and at different speeds. Use these as a background for a large mural piece, adding collected and drawn images.