3rd Grade Mark-Making Compositions

In this lesson, students created a composition consisting of at least three individual painted shapes—circles or squares—that they traced, cut out, and painted using Q-tips to make decorative marks. Each shape featured a unique color theme selected by the student, encouraging exploration of color palettes. After completing their shapes, students arranged and glued them onto a background paper of their choice, forming a cohesive composition. Through this process, students learned about the principles of composition and color selection, and they practiced articulating the reasons behind their artistic decisions, including the principles of art reflected in their final piece.