Over and Under Snake

Learning to draw overlapping shapes is the first step to working with depth. I found this project to be a fun way for students to think about what is in ‘front’ and what is in ‘back’.

1. Starting with a sheet of white drawing paper, the students are to draw one long continuous curved line that overlaps itself at least once, but no more than twice. When complete, they need to draw another parallel line next to it, at least an inch away. One end needs to have a head attached, and one end needs to turn into a tail. Whenever the snake crosses over itself, the student has to decide which part is in front, and erase the lines inside so that the snake no longer looks “see through”.
2. When complete, the drawing is traced with a thin black marker, and then colored in with oil pastels. Encourage the students to keep it simple as too many crossovers get confusing.

In Your Face Cow Drawing

This idea comes from a funny painting I found in a home decor catalog. I love how it exaggerates the proportions of the cow.

1. I started with a 11" x 14" drawing paper, and folded it in half four times to get a grid of guidelines like those shown on my diagram. Have the students start by drawing half of the head as shown on my diagram, and then adding the opposite side with as much symmetry as possible.
2. Tilted eyes are added at the widest part of the head. The top of the nose is added to make a nose that looks like a square with rounded corners.
3. Ears are drawn extending out of the top of the head, and as they are really large, going off the paper.
4. The body of the cow is added with legs below and the back above. You can give the students the option of drawing the body to the right or the left.
5. When the drawing is complete, the students trace the art with a black Sharpie and then color in with oil pastels. Encourage overlapping the edges of different pastel colors so they get a fuzzy look instead of any hard line.

Collage Name Card

Lately I’ve been inspired by scrapbook artists and the layered-looking collages they often create. I plan to start the school year with this Collage Name Card to let the students express their personalities, while making colorful artwork that can adorn their classrooms.

SESSION ONE
1. Cut enough 9" x 12" drawing paper into fourths measuring 4.5" x 6" to furnish each student with one page for each letter in their name. Also, pass out old magazines and have the students find pictures depicting things that they like such as favorite foods, colors, animals, etc. Demonstrate how the magazine paper, when torn vertically, can produce fairly even strips. They will then trim the lengths into pieces to form the letters of their names. Each strip is glued to the drawing paper with a glue stick being careful to leave no raised edges.

2. The students will use peeled crayons and a textured surface to make crayon rubbings around the letters, each with a different color. I use plastic mesh onion bags that I secure to chipboard.
SESSION TWO
3. I'll be using Crayola’s Watercolor Mixing Set. They have a new bright palette that works well for a watercolor resist painting. Each page is painted with a different color around each letter. Students should avoid mixing to keep the colors sharp and true. These paintings dry pretty quickly but dabbing with a paper towel can speed things up.
4. Once dry, the students will use small peeled crayons to rub around the edges of each page using a different color for each.
5. The students will need pieces of drawing paper cut 24"x 6" on which to mount the name pages. Each is glued to the drawing paper using a glue stick, working from left to right. Add paper for longer names and trim off any excess. Press under a stack of books to flatten.

6. When complete, the names can be hung on a wall or made to stand with a “Z” fold as pictured.

Drawing Practice Sheets (50) Grades 3-5

The inspiration for these worksheets came from Mona Brooke’s book “Drawing with Children”. She explained that one skill needed for realistic drawing is the ability to look at shapes and draw them for what they are, not what students think they are.

I created this set of 50 worksheets for warm up exercises. The students copy what they see in the blank boxes below. These exercises serve as a quick and easy way to get the students to focus while helping to sharpen their cognitive and motor skills.

This collection of drawings is suitable for grades 3 – 5. All of the worksheet pages are numbered for your convenience. You can purchase my pdf file with instructions for just $5. Click the “Add to Cart” button below to make your payment and receive download instructions.

Chalk Pastel Flowers

Georgia O'Keefe had a long and varied career but is mostly famous for her oversized flower paintings.

1. Let each student choose from a collection of large flower photos, possibly from old calendars. Instruct them to first sketch their flower in pencil, large enough to go near or even off the edges of the paper.
2. Chalk pastels are colored and blended into the paper. Recommend that large areas be colored first, and fine details on top go last. The background looks nice when colored in with a contrasting or complementary color.

Van Gogh Pastel Sunflowers

This is a tribute to Van Gogh’s famous “Sunflowers” painting.

1. Instruct the students to draw a line for the table, and then the outline of a jar above it. Show them the jar in the original painting so they can add a curved middle line for dimension, and sign their name, in the style of Van Gogh.
2. Ask them to draw a series of circles for flowers, some large, some small, maybe some even going off the page. Add small petals around the flowers.
3. Connect the flowers to the jar by drawing stems, and add leaves.
4. Trace all the pencil lines with a medium size black marker.
5. Have the students fill in the shapes with good oil pastels. Show them that if they color everything very solidly, their picture will look much like an oil painting.