Waldorf education recognizes the importance of beauty: all work is imbued with color, form and texture that should be pleasing. The teacher uses stories to introduce the qualities of the colors as well as to develop new skills such as handling of the brush, paint, and paper.
The artistic element weaves throughout the Waldorf curriculum, enlivening all the educational work and encouraging the appreciation of beauty. Watercolor painting lessons occur on a weekly basis; color experience is the goal, allowing the colors to contract, expand, and move in relation to each other. Specific techniques may be introduced and free renderings occur on a regular basis.
Form drawing lessons may include running and rhythmical forms, especially helpful in laying the foundation for cursive writing. The forms become more complex. Some teachers utilize clay exercises that, over a weekly period for three to five months, follow a process of metamorphosis that incorporates working with symmetry.