Basic 8 · Creative Arts and Design · Shading and Colouring
Colouring Techniques, Designs from Lines and Shapes, and Ghanaian Dance Types
In this topic you will use colouring media and techniques, create designs from lines, simple shapes and forms, and identify Ghanaian dance types and the contexts in which they are performed.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Use colouring media and techniques such as blending and colour mixing
- Create designs from lines, simple shapes and forms
- Identify Ghanaian dance types and their contexts of performance
What you already know
- Drawing tools and the elements of design
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
Lesson 1
- Strand
- Design
- Sub-strand
- Shading and Colouring
- Indicator
- B8.1.2.1.1 – Explore available manual and digital tools materials and techniques for drawing shading and coloring to create designs from lines simple shapes and forms
Introduction
Colour brings drawings to life. A grey sketch of a market becomes bright and lively when colour is added carefully.
1. Colouring Media
| Medium | Quality |
|---|---|
| coloured pencils | precise, easy to layer, good for detail |
| oil pastels | bright, creamy, blend with fingers |
| chalk pastels | soft, powdery, easy to smudge |
| crayons | bold, waxy, good for large areas |
| poster colour | opaque paint that covers well |
| watercolour | transparent paint used in thin washes |
2. Colouring Techniques
| Technique | How it is done |
|---|---|
| flat colour | applying one even colour to an area |
| layering | building colour in light layers |
| blending | mixing colours smoothly where they meet |
| gradation | moving gradually from light to dark or one colour to another |
| hatching in colour | using lines of colour to show tone |
| wash | thin, watery paint spread over an area |
3. Colour Mixing
Primary colours (red, yellow, blue) mix to make secondary colours (orange, green, violet). Adding white makes a tint (lighter), adding black makes a shade (darker), and adding grey makes a tone. Mixing complementary colours, such as red and green, produces browns and greys useful for shadows.
4. Colour Harmony
Colours that look good together create harmony. Analogous colours (neighbours on the colour wheel, such as yellow, yellow-green and green) look calm. Complementary colours (opposites, such as blue and orange) create strong contrast. Ghanaian kente uses contrasting gold, green and red to create vibrant designs.
5. Choosing the Right Medium
Choose a colouring medium according to the task. For fine details in a small illustration, coloured pencils work best. For bright posters seen from far away, poster colour or markers give strong colour. For soft, blended skies or skin tones, chalk pastels or watercolour are suitable. Testing a medium on scrap paper first helps you choose wisely.
New words
- blending
- Mixing colours smoothly where they meet.
- tint
- A colour lightened with white.
- shade
- A colour darkened with black.
- colour harmony
- A pleasing combination of colours.
Summary
- Colouring media include coloured pencils, pastels, crayons, poster colour and watercolour.
- Techniques include flat colour, layering, blending, gradation and washes.
- Colour mixing makes tints, shades and secondary colours, and harmony comes from analogous or complementary schemes.
Class activity: Colour Technique Chart
- Divide a page into six boxes.
- Show one colouring technique in each box.
- Label the technique and the medium used.
You need: Pencils, Drawing paper, Printed photographs of Ghanaian stools, Baskets
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Adding white to a colour makes a…
- A. tint
- B. shade
- C. tone
- D. primary
Show answer
Answer: tintLighter.2. Which medium is transparent and used in thin washes?
- A. watercolour
- B. poster colour
- C. crayon
- D. oil pastel
Show answer
Answer: watercolourThin layers.3. Blending mixes colours smoothly.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueSmooth transition.4. A colour darkened with black is a ______.
Show answer
Answer: shadeDarker.5. Describe two colouring techniques.
Show answer
Answer: Layering builds colour in light layers; blending mixes colours smoothly where they meet.Any two.6. Explain how complementary colours create contrast in kente.
Show answer
Answer: Opposite colours such as red and green placed side by side make each other look brighter.Contrast.
Lesson 2
- Strand
- Visual Arts
- Sub-strand
- Drawing
- Indicator
- B8.2.1.1.1 – Explore media and techniques in drawing from direct observation/ memory and imagination print making and weaving to express own views in visual artworks to encourage recording and research skills
Introduction
Many of the best designs begin with simple lines and shapes. A circle, a triangle and a few curved lines can become a logo, a fabric print or a symbol.
1. Building Designs
Lines can be straight, curved, zigzag or broken. Shapes can be geometric (circles, squares, triangles) or organic (leaves, waves). Forms are three-dimensional versions of shapes, such as spheres and cubes, shown by shading. Combining and repeating these creates designs.
2. Developing a Motif
- Choose a simple object, such as a leaf or a drum.
- Simplify it into its basic lines and shapes.
- Repeat, rotate or reflect the simplified shape to make a motif.
- Arrange motifs in a pattern: block repeat, half-drop, border or all-over.
- Add colour to create emphasis and harmony.
3. Abstraction
Abstraction: Simplifying or changing a real object into lines, shapes and colours that may not look exactly like the original.
Adinkra symbols are good examples of abstraction. Dwennimmen (ram's horns) uses curved lines to suggest horns; Sankofa may be shown as a bird looking back or as a heart-like shape. Abstraction gives designs strong, memorable forms.
4. Using Designs
Designs made from lines and shapes are used for logos, posters, textile prints, wall decorations, book covers and pottery. A good design is simple, balanced and suited to its purpose. Test your design by imagining it on a T-shirt, a signboard or a cloth.
New words
- motif
- A repeated unit in a design.
- abstraction
- Simplifying real objects into lines and shapes.
- geometric shape
- A regular shape such as a circle or square.
- logo
- A symbol used to represent an organisation.
Summary
- Designs are built from lines, shapes and forms that are combined and repeated.
- A motif is developed by simplifying an object and arranging it in a pattern.
- Abstraction, as in adinkra symbols, creates strong designs for many uses.
Class activity: Motif Design
- Choose a natural or manmade object.
- Simplify it into a motif.
- Repeat it in a half-drop pattern and colour it.
You need: Local calabash still-life object, Drawing paper, Charcoal pencils
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. A repeated unit in a design is a…
- A. motif
- B. logo
- C. frame
- D. tone
Show answer
Answer: motifPattern unit.2. Simplifying a real object into lines and shapes is…
- A. abstraction
- B. observation
- C. shading
- D. printing
Show answer
Answer: abstractionSimplification.3. Adinkra symbols are examples of abstract designs.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueSimplified forms.4. A symbol representing an organisation is a ______.
Show answer
Answer: logoBrand mark.5. List the steps in developing a motif.
Show answer
Answer: Choose an object, simplify it, repeat or rotate it, arrange it in a pattern, add colour.Steps.6. Why is abstraction useful in design?
Show answer
Answer: It produces simple, strong and memorable forms that are easy to reproduce and recognise.Clarity.
Lesson 3
- Strand
- Performing Arts (Dance & Drama)
- Sub-strand
- Media and Techniques
- Indicator
- B8.2.1.3.8 – Identify various Ghanaian Dance types and their context of performance
Introduction
Ghana has hundreds of dances. Some are performed for chiefs, some at funerals, some for fun and some in worship. Each dance belongs to a context.
1. Types of Dance by Purpose
| Type | Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ceremonial and royal | honour chiefs and mark state occasions | Kete, Fontomfrom (Asante), Damba-Takai (Dagomba) |
| funeral | mourn and honour the dead | Adowa (Akan), Agbadza (Ewe, also social) |
| ritual and religious | worship gods and spirits | Akom (Akan priests), Yewe (Ewe) |
| recreational and social | entertainment and celebration | Kpanlogo (Ga), Bɔbɔɔbɔ (Ewe), Borborbor |
| war and warrior | show bravery and history | Asafo dances (Fante), Atsiagbekor (Ewe) |
| harvest and festival | give thanks for the harvest | Bamaya (Dagomba), Homowo dances (Ga) |
2. Context of Performance
The context is the occasion, place, people and purpose of a dance. A dance performed in the wrong context may be disrespectful. For example, Kete is reserved for royal occasions in Asante, while Kpanlogo can be danced at parties. Many dances are performed by specific groups, such as Asafo companies or priestesses.
3. Features of Ghanaian Dances
Most Ghanaian dances are accompanied by drums, bells and rattles, use call-and-response songs, and involve symbolic gestures. Dancers often move in circles or lines and respond to the master drummer, who signals changes in movement. Costumes, such as kente, batakari or raffia skirts, add meaning.
4. Preserving Ghanaian Dance
Cultural troupes, schools, the National Dance Company and festivals help keep dances alive. Learning dances from elders and performing them correctly in the right context preserves Ghana's cultural heritage for future generations.
New words
- context
- The occasion, place and purpose of a performance.
- ceremonial dance
- A dance for formal occasions such as royal events.
- recreational dance
- A dance for entertainment.
- master drummer
- The lead drummer who directs the dancers.
Summary
- Ghanaian dances can be ceremonial, funeral, ritual, recreational, war or harvest dances.
- Each dance belongs to a context of occasion, people and purpose.
- Drums, call and response, symbolic gestures and costumes are common features.
Class activity: Dance Context Match
- Study photographs of Ghanaian dance poses.
- Match each dance to its type and context.
- Perform a short sequence from a recreational dance.
You need: Atumpan drum, Calabash rattle, Printed photographs of Ghanaian dance poses
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Kpanlogo is mainly a…
- A. recreational dance
- B. funeral dance
- C. royal dance only
- D. war dance
Show answer
Answer: recreational danceGa social dance.2. Bamaya is performed mainly by the…
- A. Dagomba
- B. Ga
- C. Fante
- D. Ewe
Show answer
Answer: DagombaHarvest dance.3. Kete is a royal dance in Asante.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueCeremonial.4. The lead drummer who directs the dancers is the ______ drummer.
Show answer
Answer: masterLeader.5. Name three types of Ghanaian dance and an example of each.
Show answer
Answer: Ceremonial: Kete; funeral: Adowa; recreational: Kpanlogo.Any three.6. Why is it important to perform a dance in its correct context?
Show answer
Answer: Dances carry cultural meanings, and performing them wrongly can be disrespectful to the people and their traditions.Respect.
Homework
- Ask an elder about a dance in your community and write its type, context and features.