The Rembrandt Teaching Project - Activity Sheet

Name:_______________________________________________________________________

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Every painter has his or her favorite colors which he/she tends to use repeatedly. Rembrandt was no exception. One big difference is that today's artists can buy tubes of paint. Artists during Rembrandt's time had to first grind their pigments and then mix them with oils before they could begin painting.

Look closely at the "The Nightwatch."
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/rembrandt/1640/night-watch/rembrandt.night-watch.jpg

1. What colors do you see? List them.

2. What colors does the girl wear?

3. What colors do the men wear?

4. What are the major colors in this painting?

5. Does color add something to the composition?

6. What does color do to increase the interest of the viewer?

7. How can colors add excitement to a painting?

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Using a set of watercolors, use the colors you have listed to mix more colors. Experiment.

Try to mix as many different colors as you can.

On another paper, mix the original list of colors with black and white. Mix at least 10 shades (color plus black) and tints (color plus white) out of your listed colors.

After making you shades and tints, create a painting from a drawing you have done yourself. You are ready to paint like Rembrandt!

Alternate: Draw a picture of the girl in "The Nightwatch" then paint it using the Rembrandt colors you have made.