Dip, Swirl, Dab, Swipe

Author: Carla Ross

Learning Team: Poihipi,

The Arts,

Posted 8 months ago

By using the sequence, dip, swirl, dab and swipe, and the correct terminology such as ‘apply’ and ‘bristles,’ students followed an art process, and gained an understanding of the words and skills involved in visual art. They were then able to show these skills and talk about their actions using the …

Dip

This is the process of getting the colour from the paint by dipping the bristles of the paintbrush into water.

Dab and Swirl

Dab involves dabbing lightly on the water colour block and swirling the brush around to spread the water and lift the paint. Students repeated the instructions out loud. This helped cement the sequence in their minds.

Students experimented with the amount of colour they needed on the bristles of the paint brush so that the colour would be bright enough on the picture. Through trial and error, they found out that they needed to dip the brush in the water a few times to get the colour they wanted. This was demonstrated by Mrs Griffin and students observed her actions which they then experimented with to find the intensity of colour they desired.

Swiping

Applying the paint carefully in smooth swipes within the lines was the next step. Students watched Mrs Griffin demonstrating this process. She showed students how to use the brush carefully so the bristles flowed in one direction without pushing them down hard on the picture. Some students were surprised to learn that they had to use a ‘pencil grip’ to hold the brush correctly.

The students then learned about the importance of cleaning their brushes in the water before changing colour so that they had a clean brush and the paints wouldn’t mix together. Watching the demonstration closely, they saw Mrs Griffin follow the ‘dip, swirl, dab, and swipe’ steps again with a new colour to create a bright and beautiful painting. Students used this new learning and the dip, swirl, dab and swipe sequence to apply the paint to their own paintings. They have been observed using this technique and the vocabulary in further artistic creations showing their understanding and skill growth through this process.