Art Projects for Kids

Over 300 Sundresses Delivered to Haiti

2012-01-27T21:09:00.000-08:00

If you’ve been following HOPE Art’s Dress Drive, then you’ll love seeing these beautiful girls in Haiti wearing their new homemade sundresses. Melissa, Jenni, Stefanie and Jacq traveled back to Port-Au-Prince just a couple of weeks ago and not only delivered dozens of dresses to Nadine’s orphanage (OJFA), but to many other schools as well. Over 300 delivered on this trip, and almost 80 more are ready to go out in April.

I believe that the girls all dressed up for a birthday party for Phara, the tallest in the back. All she wanted for her 15th birthday was some American pizza. The HOPE Art ladies made it happen, along with some other special treats that you can see in the Facebook album HERE.

Interested in getting involved? HOPE Art will be traveling back to Haiti often and would love to take as many dresses as we can on each trip. Follow the HOPE Art Dress Project posting to find out how to participate.

To all the generous seamstresses who made this project SO successful, words cannot express how grateful we are. We never in our wildest dreams imagined surpassing our original goal of 30 by tenfold, and growing. We thank you from the bottom of our very full hearts. — Project HOPE Art

Pink Dinosaurs

2012-01-26T23:39:00.000-08:00

I chose dinosaurs as my after school oil pastel project today, wondering if I would get any objections from my female students. Well, not only did they make some of the prettiest and pinkest stegosauruses you ever saw, one girl proceeded to rattle off more dino facts than I have ever heard before.

1. Students followed my drawing, starting with the back, then belly and legs. The triangle plates were added last, starting with small ones at the end and large in the middle.

2. All the pencil lines were traced with a black Sharpie marker.

3. All the shapes were colored in with Portfolio® Oil Pastels.
Thanks so much to Kaylee, a talented first grader who made this amazing drawing today!

Many-Colored Hands

2012-01-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

I’ve found that students new to oil pastels often need to be guided to use them to their full potential, namely layering them. This project can be a good practice as they will be able to see that brown pastel colored over gold, for example, makes a completely different color than gold colored over brown.

1. Students are to trace their hand as many times as the they can on a piece of paper, all of them just touching each other to create lots of closed spaces. No overlapping!
2. After the hands are traced in pencil, the lines are traced with a fat black Sharpie marker.
3. The hands are colored in with oil pastels, using as many combinations as possible. My sample uses peach, golden brown, medium brown, pink and white in different layers.
4. Lastly, the closed shapes around the hands are colored with different pastels.

Bernard Hoyes-Inspired Dancing Lady

2012-01-24T23:09:00.000-08:00

Jamaican-born artist Bernard Hoyes is a Caribbean national who has served his country well. Now residing in California, Hoyes is among the most widely collected and exhibited of contemporary artists. Through his art, many have been able to connect with Jamaica’s colorful traditions and culture.
1. Past experience has proven that students almost always draw images too small, so requiring art to touch all four sides of the paper helps to eliminate this tendency. Give each student an 8.5"x11" piece of paper and ask them to draw two hands as indicated in diagram #1.
2. A simple dress is drawn connected to the hands, with a hem that touches the bottom of the paper. No feet are necessary, just a simple outline of a dress.
3. A neck and head are added, either straightforward or at an angle.
4. A turban and center knot that touch the top of the paper are added. Once the drawing is done, all the pencil lines are traced with a thick black marker. The skin is colored, along with the dress and background.

Recycled Paper Heart Valentine

2012-01-23T23:02:00.000-08:00

This heart is made from just newspaper, white glue, string and some pretty sparkle paint.
1. Tear about 8 sheets of newspaper (lengthwise will be the easiest direction) into 1" strips. Cut those strips into little 1/2" bits and place in a large bowl. Cover with hot water and let soak for 24 hours.
2. The paper will start to look like a pulp. Work it through your fingers, tearing up any large lumps so that it looks like gray oatmeal. When the lumps are gone, take a large handful of pulp and squeeze out all the extra water.
3. Working the pulp in your hands, add white glue to the mixture at about a ratio of about 1 unit of glue to 4 units of pulp. Form a ball, place it on wax paper and press to form a flat heart that is at least 1" thick. Let dry for several hours or until it starts to harden. When you can pick up the heart, wrap it with a length of string, pulling firmly to make indentations. Tuck the ends into the back.
5. When the heart is dry, paint the entire shape with a thick layer of white acrylic paint. Let dry and then paint with a thick layer of red paint. Let dry and have fun experimenting with smudges that emphasis the texture of your heart. I added some glitter paint for a final touch. A spray of a glossy sealer would be a good idea to finish off your project.

How to Draw a Rose

2012-01-22T17:52:00.000-08:00

I have a feeling that many students are going to be asking their teachers and parents “How do I draw a rose?” in the next few weeks, so I thought I’d diagram how I draw mine.

1. Follow the steps shown to draw your flower with a pencil. The gray lines indicate erasing.

2. Trace your flower with a Sharpie marker.

3. This flower is colored in with Portfolio® Oil Pastels, but any bright colors will do.

Hearts for Haiti

2012-01-22T12:35:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. You can get handmade, one-of-a-kind ceramic hearts for your loved one and support Project HOPE Art’s work in Haiti too. Visit our Etsy shop Hope Art Hearts to place an order. Thanks everyone!!

“Art Ed Blogs of the Year” Results

2012-01-21T12:31:00.000-08:00

I just learned that I placed 2nd in “Art Ed Blogs of the Year”! How exciting! Thanks so much to Jessica at Art of Education for sponsoring this event, and to everyone who voted for me. It’s nice to see our art blogging community just get bigger and better every year.

Hearts of Many Colors

2012-01-20T19:30:00.000-08:00

I believe there are times to plan your art with a pencil, and there are times you just need to jump right in and draw with a brush. You can’t go wrong with these rows of delicate hearts, even if they do get crooked and lopsided. In fact, I think they may get even better.

Start with real watercolor paper, and Educational Mixable Crayola Watercolor Mixing Sets. They really are great and allow all the color variety you see here. With a small brush, cup of water and plate for mixing, challenge your students to paint rows of even hearts, mixing new colors for each one. The Crayola Set comes with white and black and brilliant blues and violets so many combinations are possible.

HOPE Art and Haiti and Tutus

2012-01-19T20:22:00.000-08:00

Some of the ladies from HOPE Art traveled back to Haiti this month, and along with hundreds of homemade sundresses, delivered tutus (thanks Tutus.com!) for the girls to enjoy. Take a peek at this clip and see if it doesn’t warm your heart...

Faith Ringgold Flag Story Quilt

2012-01-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

Faith Ringgold, an African-American artist, is best known for her large story quilts. In 1985 she made a piece titled “Flag Story Quilt” which inspired this collage.

1. To help cut swatches, I gave the students this template to follow, printed on 8.5" x 11" cardstock. I passed out several old magazines to have them cut out swatches of red, and black and white type to fill in the stripes and blue swatches to fill in the rectangle. The pieces were attached with glue stick.
2. Students covered the blue rectangle with glue stick and arranged the hole punch circles for stars, as shown.

Tiki Faces

2012-01-17T16:16:00.000-08:00

Drawing a Tiki face is all about making symmetrical shapes, and usually captures the attention of some of the more “restless” students.

1. Give the students a sheet of brown construction paper, and ask them to fold it in half vertically so they know where the center of their face will be. Using the sample Tiki face for inspiration, demonstrate how they can draw eyes, nose and mouth in this style, always taking care to center shapes on the middle fold line. Emphasize that they are to draw lots of outlined shapes that will be colored in later.
2. After the face has been drawn in pencil, give the students a black marker to trace all the pencil lines.
3. Distribute construction paper crayons and have the students fill in all the cool shapes they made, along with the background.

Senofu Spirit Drawings

2012-01-16T17:41:00.000-08:00

The Senufo people of West Africa’s Ivory Coast are renowned for their cloth paintings. They believe their artwork has special meaning and helps protect them in their daily lives. Design motifs usually include birds, snakes, fish, frogs, crocodiles, and turtles as seen from above or side, covered with lots of geometric patterns.

1. I had to substitute manila paper for cloth, but someday would like to try this on muslin. I had the students draw a border around their paper the width of a ruler. I drew some very simple animal shapes on the board for them to refer to. They were to pick their favorite and draw it as large as they could in the middle of their paper. When complete, the animals were filled with geometric patterns as well as the border.

2. After the patterns are all drawn, I had the students trace the animal and border with a fat black Sharpie and the inside patterns with a thin one.

3. When coloring with oil pastels, I explained that the Senofu people thought all animals had spirits and often outlined them with a thick band of yellow to represent that kind of energy. Lastly, the background was colored whatever color they wanted. The borders were to remain with patterns only and no extra color.
CA Art Standard: Grade Four

4.4 Identify and describe how various cultures define and value art differently.

“Focal Point” Valentine

2012-01-15T10:03:00.000-08:00

This is an exercise to have students think about how they can make their art have a focal point by using different colors, patterns, values, etc. Many masters such as Cezanne used it in paintings like this one to make the warm fruit stand out from the cool background.
1. Give each student a piece of paper, pencil and cardboard heart to trace. The students are to trace lots of hearts, either in a row or randomly spaced.
2. The hearts are then traced with a black marker. Ask the students to choose one heart that is to be the focal point of their picture. When coloring, that heart needs to be different from all the others. It could be that one uses warm colors and the rest are cool, or the colors are all similar but one has stripes in it. Or as my students had just learned about making 3D shapes, one could have dimension added and the rest are flat. I personally like colored pencils for this project, and if you can afford them, the Prismacolor brands are the best. It’s a simple exercise, and you also have a possible Valentine card when you’re done.

Falling Away Drawing

2012-01-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

Students start with tracing their own hands and shoes to make thislarge “falling away” drawing.

1. A large piece of paper is needed, about 18" x 24" or so, depending on the size of the students. They begin by tracing their own hands just above the middle, and their shoes below.

2. A head is drawn behind the hands. Arms and legs are connected to hands and shoes.

3. All the lines are traced with a marker and colored as desired. I remember this working well for large groups as the tracing gives everyone an equal starting point.

New Year Art Journal Page

2012-01-13T23:07:00.000-08:00

Another reason I love the Strathmore Art Journal books? Their pages are not only great for drawing, but watercolor painting as well. Students used torn pieces of Scotch Blue Tape to make these colorful “2012” pages.

1. The 1" Scotch Blue tape I had was a bit too wide to make readable letters in our Strathmore journals, so I tore strips in half for my young (K-2) students. If you pre-tear a lot of 2" long pieces and stick them on plastic sleeves, students can then concentrate on just blocking out skinny “2012” numbers across their journal pages themselves.

2. When the blue tape numbers are done, they may be painted over with watercolor paint in outline or block style. When complete, the painted may be dabbed with a paper towel and the tape peeled off.

3. Students had a choice of painting or coloring the inside of their numbers, and finishing the pages as they desired. I personally like using skinny markers to draw additional patterns, but as you can see lots of colorful options are possible.

How to Draw a Winter Tree

2012-01-12T21:12:00.000-08:00

Winter brings bare trees, and the to chance study and draw them without any worries about leaves. I’ve posted my favorite method of drawing "Y Trees” before (click here) but this time it’s with a winter theme.

1. I drew a large “Y” just using a black oil pastel. Then I added more “Y”s on the branches until it was filled.

2. I made the trunk and middle branches thicker, ending with just points at the tips of all the branches.

3. I drew a horizon line with a blue pastel, and filled in the sky as solid as I could. The darker, the better.

4. After mixing up some watery white tempera paint, I used a brush to shake drops all over my picture. No flinging, just shaking up and down. Let dry flat before you pick up your masterpiece.

How to Draw a Rooster

2012-01-11T21:38:00.000-08:00

I’ve been trying to find a way to work roosters into an art class, and think this drawing in oil pastel will work well. The feathers look good with light sketchy lines and the red comb and wattle are easy to shade.

1. Have students very lightly sketch a center line on their paper in both directions just to use as a guide. The outline of the head is drawn.

2. The beak is added to the flat side of the head.

3. The comb is drawn on top.

4. The wattle and other details are added. When complete, all the lines are traced with a thick black permanent marker.

5. I colored my rooster with Portfolio® Oil Pastels, starting with a gold body, golden yellow beak and red comb and wattle. Sketchy lines were drawn on top with a medium brown pastel, and gray was added to the edge of the comb for shading. The background may be colored as desired.

Chameleon Watercolor Painting

2012-01-10T21:34:00.000-08:00

This first grader amazes me every week. While the rest of the class was doing variations of my rainbow and spotted sample art, he very quietly and deliberately painted his chameleon full of stripes. Not just a few, but all across the body and then more behind. What more can you ask for than to have students start with your idea, then run with it and make it their own?

1. I did a follow along drawing with students first, beginning with the chameleon head, then extended body, then curved tail. Legs and eyes and mouth were added.

2. All lines were traced with a Sharpie marker.

3. Students used Dick Blick liquid watercolors on watercolor paper. To make colors run together, they needed to overlap paint while it was still wet. Emil’s colors were pretty dry when he made stripes so they kept their clean edges.

Radiating Valentine Card

2012-01-09T23:36:00.000-08:00

This is a variation of another post called Fireworks Drawing, just using a heart as the center shape this time.

1. I used a 1 1/2" heart die cut to make lots of card stock paper hearts. Give each student three hearts and a folded piece of drawing paper to make a card. On the front, they are to arrange the three hearts in a way that pleases them, and then trace with a colored pencil.

2. The students are to then draw edges around the outside of each heart, always in a zig-zag or radiating fashion. They start by drawing 2 or 3 borders around each heart, and then choose which ones will fill up the background.

Sitting Valentine Kids

2012-01-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

I’m a sucker for personalized Valentines, and I’m guessing most parents are too. The most time intensive part of this project is getting every student’s face printed on a heavy sheet of paper, so I thought I’d post this idea a little early.

1. A black and white head should be about 1 1/2" tall and placed about 1/2" down from the top of a letter-size piece of card stock paper. I have the graphics software to print faces individually, but if you don’t you could always just cut and paste. If you photograph students in front of a white wall, it will help them see where to cut later on.

2. Students need to fold the paper in half to find the waist line, and then the bottom in half to find where the knees will fall. I believe it helps to draw the heart first, then the hands, and then connect arms to the shoulders. The bottom half of the body may be drawn however students wish, but the knees must be on the fold line and shoes almost touch the bottom of the paper. When the drawing is done, all lines are traced with a black marker.

3. The body is colored in with colored pencils and cut out carefully with scissors.

How to Draw Cartoon Faces

2012-01-07T23:00:00.000-08:00

The great thing about cartoon drawing is that it is simply meant to “suggest” things like eyes, nose, hair, etc. I have plans for a big comic book project with my students next week and feel that starting with some practice drawings like the above will help them stay on track and not get overly detailed. Here’s the steps I’ll lead them through to create a few quick characters before they begin their Comic Book Project. To copy, simply click on the image above, drag it to your desktop, open and print.

Ode to Jim Dine Mural

2012-01-06T23:34:00.000-08:00

Jim Dine is an American pop artist, famous for his series of painted hearts. The scribbly style of his original work is perfect for young students as, in this case, the more messy overlapping of the colors, the better. A great Valentine project that can include a little art history.

My mural has 25 pages to color and measures 37.5" by 46" when complete. You can purchase my pdf file with instructions and color guide for just $5. Click the “Add to Cart” button to make your payment via Paypal and receive immediate download instructions.

How to Draw Chinese Lanterns

2012-01-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

This year, the Chinese New Year starts on Monday, January 23rd. It is the most important event in the Chinese calendar and lots of paper lanterns are often hung for decorations. Their bright colors and tubular shape make for some great basic shading practice.

1. When drawing groups of three, it helps to draw the middle first to keep the art balanced. I started by drawing with the center lantern. Then I drew the top and bottom of the right lantern, making sure it was a bit lower on the page. The connecting zig-zag lines were added. The smallest left lantern was drawn in the same manner, just a little higher on the page. Drawing the lanterns progressively smaller as shown will give perspective to the drawing.

2. I traced all the lines with a permanent, chisel tip black marker.

3. To make a highlight in the center of each lantern, I heavily colored the middle section of each with a white pastel. Then I chose different pastel colors and blended the colors to make a graduated tint in the center of each. Finally, the background color was added.

An Eye for Magritte

2012-01-05T00:07:00.000-08:00

René Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist who became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images. He wanted to challenge viewers to think about what they were looking at and to ask themselves “What does this painting mean?”

1. Take an old CD and trace it in the center of an 8.5" x 11" paper. Add lines around the circle to turn it into an eye, including eyelashes.
2. Trace all the pencil lines with a black marker.
3. Draw an image inside the eye which reflects something you like to look at. This could be anything BUT the drawing of the inside of an eye. The more mysterious, the better! Color all the shapes with colored pencils.

CA Visual Art Standard: Grade Five
2.7 Communicate values, opinions, or personal insights through an original work of art.

Landscape with Hatching Shading

2012-01-04T23:14:00.000-08:00

Hatching is an artistic technique used to create tonal effects by drawing closely spaced parallel lines. A simple landscape drawing is a good place to practice this kind of shading.
1. I drew the outline of a house on a small piece of paper and added horizon lines and a curved road narrowing into the distance.
2. With the outline complete, I added hatching to the house with the lines following each contour. I then filled in the landscape and sky, changing the direction of the lines to give contrast to each element.

CA Visual Arts Standard: Grade 3
2.3 Paint or draw a landscape, seascape, or cityscape that shows the illusion of space.

Clothespin Horse

2012-01-03T16:44:00.000-08:00

Even though this little horse looks simple, it takes a bit of finessing to make the legs stand and to clip all the pieces together. Gluing in stages should help reduce any frustration.
1. I started with a couple of jumbo popsicle sticks and cut out two 3" strips. These were overlapped just a bit and glued together to make the belly.
2. Next I cut a round end about 2.5" long for the neck, and a strip about 1.5" long for the head. These two were glued together, and a little ear was added on top.
3. For the tail, I found some of the thinnest sticks and cut them with the grain to make some long irregular shapes.
4. Open the clothespins to clip onto the belly. Add the head in the front and tail sticks on the back. Glue all in place if you don’t want your horse to become a pile of sticks!

CA Visual Arts Standard: Grade One
2.5 Create a representational sculpture based on people, animals, or buildings.

Oil Pastel Portraits – Modigliani Style

2012-01-02T20:39:00.000-08:00

Amedeo Modigliani was famous for his elongated and elegant portraits, painted in Paris back in the early 1900s. Heads and necks were long and narrow, giving his subjects a very graceful look.

1. Starting with a 7" x 12" paper, I made light pencil marks approximately 1/3 down the center of the paper, and another third down again. To draw the head, I made an oval that filled up the top 2/3 of the paper. A neck filled the bottom third, along with curved shoulders.
2. At this point, you could remind students of the “normal” placement of features on a face, namely the eyes belong in the center of the head, and the mouth at the bottom 1/8". To make a Modigliani face, the eyes need to be above the center line, and the mouth extra close to the chin. I drew in a long nose in the space that was left. Hair and ears can be filled in as desired.
3. All the pencil lines are traced with a thin black marker, including a signature on the shirt.
4. Modigliani also used a lot of dark and rich colors, so students may be asked to follow that palatte.

CA Visuals Arts Standard: Creative Expression
2.2 Use the conventions of facial . . . proportions in a figure study.

Finish the Picture

2012-01-02T20:16:00.000-08:00

I’ve done a dozen variations of this project over the years, and always love how it both guides the student’s drawing and encourages creative thinking at the same time.

1. Students start by cutting out a small magazine picture, one that inspires them. They use a glue stick to attach it to a piece of watercolor paper.

2. The students “finish the picture” in pencil and then color it in with watercolor pencils. (Don’t get fooled by the cheap brand; the good ones like Prismacolor are like night and day.) Water is painted carefully over the colored areas, which turns the color into paint.

This amazing picture was created today a talented 5th grader.

First Printmaking Project

2012-01-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

I learned in my afterschool printmaking class, once again, that keeping things simple really helps when introducing young students to a new media.

1. I purchased some foam gingerbread men, knowing they would make great printmaking shapes. My prep work consisted of gluing one of these to the middle of a 9" x 12" chip board and letting it dry overnight.

2. During class time, students were given a brayer and access to many sheets of colored cardstock paper. I showed them how to evenly roll acrylic paint over their gingerbread man. A piece of paper was placed on top, rubbed a bit, and then lifted to reveal the print. The goal was to get 3 clear prints that had solid white figures on them with no holes or large blobs.

3. Our prints dried quickly, so after students printed at least 3, and cleaned up their area, they were able to go back and draw many details in their prints with oil pastels.

Torn Paper Animal Collage

2011-12-31T11:08:00.000-08:00

I really love torn edges and all the irregularities that come with them. Kids tend to want the control of the shapes they make by using scissors, but with practice they can learn to appreciate the benefits of tearing too. I think it works especially well when fuzzy edges are called for.

1. Each student will need several magazines to look through. I recommend that they look for a page that has a lot of one color, and they let that determine which animal they will make. For instance, a page with a lot of brown could be a horse or a dog.
2. The students tear out lots of pieces of their chosen color, and glue them down on a white paper with glue sticks. The best results come when their are no straight lines left on the shapes, only torn edges. It’s easiest if they start “building” the main body first, and then add head and legs and so on.
3. When the animal is complete a marker may be used to add an eye.
CA Visual Art Standard: Grade Kindergarten
2.3 Make a collage with cut or torn paper shapes/forms.

Ceramic Snowman

2011-12-30T23:54:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the simplest of projects can turn out to be anything but. My students loved making these snowman, but they did turn out to be a challenge in making clay pieces connect to each other. Whether it was a nose or hat or head, we all learned a lot about what it takes to keep clay shapes from falling apart.

1. The students got a handful of clay, warmed and softened it up with water and formed the small, medium and large balls of their snowman. To connect the shapes, they needed to score (scratch with a fork) the sides of the balls that would touch each other. After securely pressing the scored edges to each other, they could add decorations as desired: carrot noses, buttons, hats, etc. What turned out to be key in making connections was having very soft and damp clay, very defined scratches, and literally “screwing” the shapes into each other. Clay shrinks as it dries so smooth edges just seem to pop apart. Pipe cleaners were stuck into the sides for temporary arms.
2. After drying for several days in the sun, the pipe cleaner arms were removed and the clay was fired in a kiln.
3. The pipe cleaners were placed back in the arm holes, and the students painted the snowman with glaze.
4. The pipe cleaners were removed, and the snowmen were fired for the last time. When cooled, small twigs were placed in the arm holes.

M.C. Escher Eye Drawing

2011-12-29T22:28:00.000-08:00

M.C. Escher was one of the world’s most famous graphic artists. He created many visual riddles, and an amazingly detailed piece titled “Eye” that offers lots of detail for students to imitate.
Students may use either soft drawing pencils or black charcoal pencils. Whichever media, they need to be able to sharpen their tools to make fine detailed lines.
1. Students may draw the football eye shape, or trace one.
2. A partial circle is drawn inside, one that touches the top of the eye.
3. An inner circle is added, along with eyelashes and a rectangle “highlight” that is to stay white.
4. Crease lines are added above the lashes. The inner circle is shaded in to look black, and lines radiating around it are added. They eye is colored in a dark gray.
5. Light shading is added above and below the eye, and on the right side of the eye. All the shading is rubbed with a paper stump to blend in.

Draw a Snake with Texture

2011-12-28T17:03:00.000-08:00

You can buy plastic texture plates for making crayon rubbings, or you can be thrifty and use one of those convenient store coffee cup holders for free.

1. To first draw a snake, follow the diagrams shown above. Start by making 4 parallel lines that shorten to make what somewhat looks like a pyramid.
2. Connect the lines with curves, leaving the top right side open.
3. Add a curved neck and head.
4. Finish with a mouth, tongue and end of tail.
5. Trace the snake with a thin marker. Open up one of those brown paper coffee cup holders (mine was from am/pm) to lie flat. Place drawing over cardboard and rub with a crayon to make snake skin.

CA Visual Art Standard: Creative Expression, Grade One
2.1 Use texture in two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of art.

Year End Accordian Book

2011-12-27T13:07:00.000-08:00

This can be a fun journal project for your child to record some of their favorite memories from last year, or write hopes and wishes for the new one.

1. Start with large watercolor paper, the 22" x 30" size sheets, and cut into panels of 6" x 24". Fold the panels back and forth every 4" to make an accordian book that has six panels measuring 6" tall by 4" wide.

2. I had some stencils on hand for making the numbers, which really helped the younger students. The year’s numbers were traced and then colored heavily with crayon.

3. The students were given ink pens to write four of their favorite memories from the year, one in the background of each panel. I had some prompt questions already printed on a handout, asking “What was your favorite day in 2010?”, and “What did you do in 2010 that you were proud of?” and so on. Perfect writing was not the goal, just capturing memories. The writing could go in any direction. I think that cursive would be nice if you had older students.

4. The four panels were painted with watercolor, each in a different color.

5. The covers were separate pieces of heavier stock that measured 6" tall by 4" wide. While the accordian book is drying, the covers were painted with tempera paint, and then a title written on top in oil pastel. When complete, the covers were glued to the accordian end panels with white glue.

Lois Mailou Jones-style Drawing

2011-12-26T08:25:00.000-08:00

This Lois Mailou Jones-inspired drawing is in honor of Black History month (coming up in Feb). During Lois’ remarkable life, she painted, designed masks, textiles and stained glass windows, traveled the world and never stopped learning. Her “Les Fetiches” art has a style that is fun to imitate.

1. Starting with a black sheet of paper (I prefer art paper, not construction paper as it often is just dark gray) the students draw a large oval face that fills the paper. Small lemon-shape eyes are drawn in the middle of the face, along with one for the mouth.
2. The students place a dot that is centered between the eyes, and then draw large lemon shapes that go around the eyes, and touch the outside edge of the face. (The goal is to make lots of closed shapes.) The same shape is drawn around the mouth.
3. Students draw a simple nose that touches the center of the eyes and top of the mouth. Two eyebrow-like curves are added to the forehead.
4. All of the closed shapes on the face are completely colored in with colored pencil.
5. A white colored pencil is used to go over selected corners to brighten (or tint) them, and a black colored pencil is used to go over selected corners to darken (or shade) them. For the most dramatic results, all the corners should be either tinted or shaded.

CA Art Standard: 2.2 Mix ~~and apply tempera paints to~~ create tints, shades, and neutral colors.

Nutcracker: Oil Pastel on Black Paper

2011-12-24T18:14:00.000-08:00

This is a breakdown of my Nutcracker drawing project, this time using oil pastels on black construction paper.

My large construction paper comes in 18" x 24" size, so I cut long narrow panels of 8" x 24" for each student. Each also got a cardboard template measuring 7" x 4".

1. Following the steps shown in my diagram, the students first placed the rectangle in the middle of the black paper, and traced it with a pencil.

2. Two vertical lines are drawn up from the top of the rectangle, and one horizontal to divide that shape in half.

3. The bottom of that rectangle is the face, and eyes, mouth, moustache, beard and hair are added.

4. Half-circles are drawn for shoulder pads, arms and hands go below.

5. Two legs are added under the body, with half-circle feet for boots.

6. Uniform details are drawn on the body, along with a belt.

7. I had my students then trace all the pencil lines with a black pastel, and then color the body in with lots of red, black, white, and a little skin color.

California Visual Arts Standard: Creative Expression 2.0

2.6 Use geometric shapes/forms (circle, triangle, square) in a work of art.

This Nutcracker was drawn by Luc, a talented 2nd grader.

Tinted Christmas Tree Painting

2011-12-23T13:16:00.000-08:00

This picture looks best with just white crayon lines (no pencil) so my lesson plan uses mostly tracing of cut-out shapes instead of drawing them.
1. Each student needs to draw three trees on a smaller sheet of scrap construction paper and cut them out. They may use a small piece of double-stick tape to mount the three trees on a piece of watercolor paper. (Please note that the diagram to the right uses a gray paper only so that the lines may show.) The edges of the trees may go off the page, if necessary. A ground line is drawn with the white crayon below the trees.
2. Using the white crayon again, trace around the edges of the three trees, pressing firmly to make a thick line. A moon may be added to the sky, along with lots of dots for snow, and a yellow star (in yellow crayon) above the middle tree. The crayon lines may be hard to see at this point, so the students have to work carefully to not miss any steps.
3. I used watercolor that comes in tubes as the white will not be found on your average school watercolor tray. Each student needs just a bit of white and blue, and some water so they may mix a tinted paint color. After removing the two outside cut-out trees, the tinted blue may be painted over those trees, and the sky, and around the moon. At this point the white lines become apparent so that the last paint step is easier to do. Let the tinted paint dry.
4. A bit of straight blue paint is mixed with water and then painted around the trees to fill in the sky. The moon and middle tree and ground remain white. The star could be deleted to just make a non-religious winter landscape painting.

Matisse Murals from British Columbia

2011-12-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

I’m getting all kinds of great stuff from up north this week. Megan from Port Alberni, BC worked tirelessly with her 2nd and 3rd graders (and finally, her family) to make these beautiful Matisse Chrismas murals for their holiday show. Megan wrote that the kids colored them in with Mr. Sketchy markers. I love the bright colors! I know the work that goes into coloring just one of these murals, so I applaud her effort in creating FIVE. Congratulations Megan and thanks for all the inspiration this photo brings.

Free Christmas Card Coloring Download

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

I love the illuminated letters at clipartETC.com and I've used
them to create this template for a last-minute Christmas card.
Click here to download your free pdf file.
1. Print on 8.5x11 card or cover stock in the landscape orientation.

2. Use fine point markers or colored pencils to color in the letters.

3. Fold the paper horizontally and you are ready to add your personal greeting inside.

Nativity Mural from Canada

2011-12-20T12:19:00.000-08:00

This mural comes from Notre Dame School in Dawson Creek, BC, Canada. Jenna Gilbertson shared how her 4th grade class colored my Nativity Mural with markers and then brushed it with baby oil to make it translucent. After absorbing excess oil with paper towels and leaving it to dry overnight, they assembled the mural in their classroom window. Jenna added that students can use crayons or markers to color any picture before brushing it lightly with the baby oil. Cooking oil works too, it just doesn't smell as good. What a great idea, thanks for sharing Jenna!

Giraffes from Chandler, Arizona

2011-12-19T08:49:00.000-08:00

Mylien, a parent volunteer from Chandler, Arizona shared her very successful paper mache project that is sure to inspire others. These giraffes were made by 6 classes of kinders and first graders at Mirada Elementary School.

Parents first assembled the juice cartons (see my initial Giraffe post) and then had a few students at a time apply mache layers of pre-cut strips of newsprint. They would alternate directions with each layer so that the next parent coming in would know what to do next. Two layers of mache and then a final layer of unprinted newspaper were applied. Parents outlined the spots with yellow paint, and each student filled in one brown spot.

Their giraffes were completed just in time for last week’s art fundraiser. Because it was such a unique sculpture, Mylien did not expect the giraffes to do well but to her surprise, they raised a total of $500! Congratulations to your students and your parents, Mylien. It’s a great example of how even very young students can make amazing art and a difference, when careful planning is involved.

Gingerbread House Marker Drawing

2011-12-16T23:16:00.000-08:00

Ask kids to draw a house made out of candy and their imaginations can can take off pretty fast.

1. I had students start their drawing with the top edge of the roof, and then the curvy “drippy” edge below. The sides of the the house were added, and then the bottom. Rounded windows and doors were recommended for that old fashioned look. Gumdrops, candy canes and lollipops could be added.

2. The pencil drawing was traced with a black marker and filled in with lots of color. I found that Sharpie markers work best for details, and chisel tip Mr. Sketch markers are great for the background.

This drawing was made by Neariah, an amazing artist in 2nd grade. Thanks for letting me share your art!

Abstract Snowman Card

2011-12-15T19:30:00.000-08:00

I needed a simple and quick card project, and was inspired by some stock snowman art. After deliberating on all my options, I settled on using Sharpie markers to get the brightest color for the least amount of cost.

1. I began by giving each student an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper, a 5" square cardboard, a half 4" diam. circle and one 2" diam. circle template. Students folded the paper in half as shown, placed the square in the top center, and traced (lightly!) with a pencil.
2. The half circle was centered on the bottom of the square and traced in pencil. The small circle was placed above and also traced.
3. A hat was drawn on top of the head. Note: The top of the hat must touch the top of the drawn square. A horizontal line was drawn across the middle of the square, skipping the inside of the snowman.
4. The extra lines inside the snowman were erased. The hat was colored in with a Sharpie marker, as well as the other details.
5. The background of the square was colored with Sharpies, using four different colors.
6. White circles of paper made from a hole punch are glued randomly to the background. If desired, a message could be written in the space below the snowman.

How To Draw a Santa Stamp

2011-12-14T17:05:00.000-08:00

I had really good results with this Santa drawing today. Any colored paper works, but my favorite is just a swatch of a brown grocery bag for that earthy, recycled look.

1. With a 6" square of brown paper, students drew a square that sits about 3/4" in from all 4 sides. The postage stamp border is started by drawing 4 large “U”s that point to each corner.

2. A row of “U”s are drawn inside the border, all pointing towards the outside edge.

3. The outside edges of the “U”s are connected, forming the border.

4. A rounded rectangle is drawn for Santa’s brim. Moving in a bit, the side of his head and cheek are added below.

5. A circle nose and two petal shapes (his mustache) are added to the middle, touching the cheek line.

6. Crescent-shaped eyes and eyebrows finish the face.

7. Starting at the corner of the brim, a curvy line is drawn down on each side to form a beard.

8. The hat is added on top of the brim. All of the lines are traced with a black marker and then colored with colored pencil.

Tissue Paper Christmas Tree

2011-12-13T14:39:00.000-08:00

I’ve seen some really beautiful decorations made from just clear contact paper and tissue paper.

1. Cut two matching rectangles of clear contact paper.
2. Peel the backing off one piece of contact paper. Place it on the table with the sticky side up. Tear strips of colored tissue paper and lay across the contact paper, overlapping edges. NOTE: The tissue paper has a grain to it. Try tearing in both directions to see which one is easier. When the contact paper has filled up with tissue strips, peel the backing of the remaining rectangle and place on the strips so as to make a tissue paper sandwich.
3. Find or create a tree shape that you can use as a template. Trace onto the tissue collage and cut out. Use on a holiday card or punch hole in top and make a row of trees hanging from a string.

My Top Ten Favorite Projects from 2011

2011-12-12T23:24:00.001-08:00

It’s that time of year when Top Ten Lists are popping up everywhere, so I thought I’d make my own. Here are my ten most favorite new projects of 2011, chosen for the overall success rate they produced in my classroom. They are in no particular order.

1. “Where I Live” Art Journal Pages

2. How to Draw a Lighthouse

3. Folk Art Halloween Cat Painting

4. Ice Cream Cone Watercolor Painting

5. Popsicle Stick People

6. “Day of the Dead” Skull Pattern Drawing

7. Kandinsky Watercolor Painting

8. Camouflage Painting

9. Doodle Summer Self Portrait

10. Andrew Goldsworthy Land Art

Santa Claus Drawing

2011-12-12T23:24:00.000-08:00

I helped students draw a Santa today, and they had no trouble thinking of situations to put him in – on a roof, in front of a door or a tree. Seems there’s no shortage of imagination when it comes to drawing this guy.

1. I began by showing students how to draw the Santa face, which I have already posted about with my “Santa Stamp” posting. When that was done, they drew the arms and shirt, and added the legs and boots below. Afterwards they were free to place their Santa in whatever environment they wanted.

2. All of the pencil lines were traced with a black Sharpie marker.

3. The art was colored in with crayons.

This drawing was made by Miranda, a talented 3rd grader in my afterschool classes. Just last month she was named “Student Artist of the Month”, very deservedly so.

Quilling Snowflakes

2011-12-11T23:10:00.000-08:00

Quilling is an art form that involves rolling, and gluing strips of paper together to create decorative designs. If you use bread ties instead, the curl stays and is easier to glue too.

1. Students made popsicle boards by gluing 11 sticks across two back sticks, and letting them dry while the curls were made.
2. White bread ties can be bought at Smart and Final stores for about $5. Students wrapped their ties around pencils to get a roll started, and then removed and finished them with their fingers. They needed to make one large roll for the center, and then three for each of the six arms (19 total).
3. White glue was used to glue the curls down on the popsicle boards. Magnet strips may be added to the back to make a very crafty and creative refrigerator magnet.

Nutcracker Mural

2011-12-10T20:45:00.000-08:00

My Nutcracker Mural stands almost 6 feet tall when complete. Make one or a whole series with different colored backgrounds. Quick colorful art for any classroom or holiday show.

This mural has 28 pages to color and measures 31" x 70" when complete. You can purchase my pdf file with instructions for just $5. A preview of the uncolored pages can be viewed HERE. Click the “Add to Cart” button below to make your payment and receive download instructions.

Mosaic CD Picture Frame

2011-12-09T14:38:00.000-08:00

Looks like mosaic glass, right? It’s actually just an old CD cut up and glued to a wooden frame and painted with green metallic paint.

1. I used a heavy duty scissors to cut a couple of old CDs into 1/2" strips, and then into 1/2" squares. Care needs to be taken to keep the shiny film from peeling off one side of the CD. It needs to stay on to keep the iridescent look to the tiles.
2. Glue a double row of the CD squares to a wooden frame using tacky glue. It is important that you glue them with the shiny film side down, so the clear side is left on the top. This sample is one of the $1 frames currently sold at Michael’s. Let the tiles dry.
3. Paint the entire frame with Moss Pearl “Dazzling Metallics Elegant Finish Paint”, also sold at Michael’s. This paint is the best, I wouldn’t try to substitute as most paints don’t have this bright metallic quality.
4. Print a digital portrait in black and white on paper. Color the picture with pencil crayons as desired. I recommend the Prismacolor pencils because they are softer than the average brand and make a much brighter color on any paper. Trim your photo to fit the frame, place, and enjoy your colorful holiday portrait!

Cut & Tear Candle Card

2011-12-08T06:37:00.000-08:00

This is a simple card project that has been my holiday staple for kinders for years. Just change the colors to blue and gold for Hanukkah, or pink or blue for custom birthday cards.

Prep: Test the grain of the paper you plan to use. Most paper is vastly easier to tear in one direction than the other, and directing students to tear the easy way will ease frustration.

1. I gave each student a 6" x 9" piece of blue paper, and asked them to tear many fat strips across the 6" side, so that they will have at least three 6" x 1" ish candles that are torn on both sides. Next, they tear off one end so that the candles are all about 4" tall. These three candles are glued to the bottom of a horizontal 6" x 9" white paper.

2. Each student gets a small piece of yellow paper and are to make a flame by tearing out a small irregular shape. These are glued down to the white paper, just above the candles.

3. Each candle on the white paper is cut out, leaving a small amount of white paper around each. Those final candles are glued down to a pre-folded to a 6" x 9" horizontal card.

Paper Chain Christmas Tree Card

2011-12-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

I call this my “minimalist” tree card. Art stores like Michael’s have lots of pretty scrapbook paper these days; I prefer ones with a small scale print.

1. Cut strips of paper 5" long by 1/2 " wide and follow the folding and chaining technique on my post “Paper Chains, Gum Wrapper Style”.

2. Fold and chain 6 links for the bottom row of the tree, 4 for the middle, 2 for the top and 1 for the trunk.

3. Arrange the chain segments as shown on a piece of white paper, about 5" x 7" and glue in place. Glue the white paper to a slightly larger colored paper for an accent.

Highlight and Shadow Snowman

2011-12-06T22:30:00.000-08:00

This shaded snowman project comes from “For the Love of Art” blog. Great idea that can have many upward levels of complexity added. Thanks for the idea Kristin!

1. I used my favorite scrapbook paper from Joann’s as they come in some really pretty packs of blue. A letter size sheet was folded in half to make a card, and I drew a very simple snowman on the front.

2. I traced the snowman with a black marker.

3. Highlights and shadows were added with colored pencils. When light shines on an object, the brightest side is said to have a “highlight” and the darkest side a “shadow”. When you start with colored paper, students can use white and darker colored pencil to accomplish this look.

Watercolor Gingerbread Cookie

2011-12-05T22:10:00.000-08:00

My new watercolor project, Gingerbread Cookie Boy (or Girl, of course). Kinders can concentrate on just drawing a large, symmetrical shape while 1st and 2nd graders can try adding a shadow to give their cookie more dimension.

1. I drew a large, symmetrical cookie shape on a letter size piece of watercolor paper. The outline was traced in crayon, and thick bands of color were added to resemble fat lines of frosting. White lines always brighten up the art, so I added a few. To make a shadow, color a black edge on one side of the cookie as shown.

2. I used brown Dick Blick liquid watercolor paint and filled in the cookie, over all the crayon. Lastly, the background was painted. You just can't beat how great crayons and watercolor paint work together!

Shop Project HOPE Art’s CafePress Store

2011-12-04T15:31:00.000-08:00

I just created this new journal over at Project HOPE Art’s CafePress Store. It’s made with the mural students painted in Haiti during my visit there last August. I love the colors and think this would make a great gift for any art lover who can never have too many journals to sketch in. The price is $14.49 and $5 from each sale will go back to support Project HOPE Art. So let your holiday shopping dollars help a great cause while you get totally original presents for your friends and family. It’s a win/win!

Juice Box Apartment Buildings

2011-12-03T22:07:00.000-08:00

I've found that turning a juice box inside out creates a great pallet for 3D art, especially when building features are applied. Using crayon on a corrugated cardboard surface also makes a brick-like pattern.

1. Each student got an empty box and were shown how to pop open the ends and ease open the slit on the long side so the box could lie flat. They also bent all the folds in opposite directions to uncurl the box.

2. With the glue flap tucked inside, the long side was taped with invisible tape. The ends were folded in and taped also. Working as partners helped so one student could hold while the other taped.

3. I handed out copies of my “Winter Town” sheet for window and door drawing inspiration. Students sketched theirs out in pencil and traced with a fat, chisel tip black marker.

4. The entire building was colored in crayon, and right over the tape which helped to conceal it.

I’m featured on the new Strathmore ATC packaging!

2011-12-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

Here’s a peek at the new packaging for Strathmore Art Trading Cards, made with Bamboo paper. This package of 120 blank cards includes an instruction sheet with two of my projects, “House on the Hill” and “Sea Life”.

I started collaborating over the summer with Strathmore, and could not be more proud to work with a company that has a long history of providing fine art papers to leading artists around the world. Stay tuned as I try out more ideas with these cards and share my results.

How to Draw a Snow Bear

2011-12-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

This very simple bear drawing worked well today as students could concentrate on their coloring technique. Careful filling in of the background sky is what really makes this art successful.

1. Following the diagram above, students draw the bear and hat in pencil on letter size paper.

2. The bear is traced with a black Sharpie, and the nose and eyes were filled in.

3. The hat is colored as desired. With the sky marker color, snow circles were drawn and then colored around to fill in the sky.

“My Pet” Art Journal Page

2011-11-30T18:52:00.000-08:00

This was a lot of fun today, watching kids make adorable little creatures based on color prints of real animal eyes. They were allowed to draw their own pet, or come up with a “wish” pet, as the 2nd grader did above.

1. I collected a bunch of low-res animal eye photos that I have uploaded HERE. Print as needed on photo paper to get the best results. Students cut out the pair that they like, and glue to an art journal page.

2. The animal body is drawn around the eyes, traced with a Sharpie marker and colored in with crayon.

Optional: If you use the Strathmore Art Journal Kit books, you could cut out little bows or collars from the printed paper inside and add them to the drawing as well.

Thank you Neariah, for letting me share your Wish Pets. I can’t help but smile when I look at them!

Symmetrical Elf Feet

2011-11-29T23:25:00.000-08:00

My Halloween Witch Feet project prompted one of my readers to suggest elf feet for the holidays. Thank you, whoever you are, as it was a great idea and I’m working it into all my 2nd and 3rd grade classes this week.

1. Students draw a light vertical center line to help space the two legs apart. They followed along as I drew the shoes in small segments, i.e.: right heel, left heel, right arch, left arch, right toe, left toe, and so on. When the shoes were complete, legs and clothes were added above.

2. The pencil lines were traced with a black marker.

3. Students could design and fill in the clothes of their elf with markers. A blank background is recommended to keep the interest on the elf.

Watercolor Cardinal

2011-11-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

I’ve been on the lookout for a new way to draw a simple cardinal. This one, inspired by a stock art illustration is built on some very simple shapes that I think young children can draw.

1. On a horizontal sheet of watercolor paper, students draw a cardinal in pencil, following the diagram above. I made some wing templates that you can download HERE, if desired. If used, students place it on their paper as shown, and trace. The body is drawn around it, and then the head. The facial details are added, as well as feet and tail.

2. When complete, the cardinal is traced with a black permanent marker, and the black face is filled in.

3. Details of the cardinal are colored in with crayon. Branches may be added around it, as well as lots of little snowflakes with a white crayon.

4. The background is painted entirely with blue watercolor paint.

“Where I Live” Art Journal Pages

2011-11-26T12:24:00.000-08:00

My Art Journal class is focusing on themes that describe their life as they know it. Here is a collage page in my Strathmore Art Journal Kit that I made from old LA street maps.

1. To keep young students from cutting shapes that were too large for their book, I precut Thomas Guide maps to 5" squares. A ground shaped was cut and attached with a glue stick. Students then cut squares, rectangles and triangles as needed to make the type of building they lived in. They were glued on top, as well as any other details like simple trees.

2. A medium tip black marker was used to trace all the cut edges, as well as add smaller details like windows and doors.

3. Extra color was added to the buildings with crayon, as well as any desired background. I love how the map lines show through all the art!

“Thankful” Bubbles Art Journal Page

2011-11-22T21:44:00.000-08:00

I love finding ways to have students write in a non-linear fashion. Here is a writing and painting page that I made in my Strathmore Art Journal Kit, and the color held up wonderfully!

1. I have a die cut that can make 2" and 3" circle templates, but you could trace jars or lids instead. Students write “I am thankful for...” in crayon, and then trace a lot of overlapping circles around the page. Names of the people or things they are thankful for are written inside, using crayon and pressing hard. Using a tiny 3/4" round stencil, they fill in any extra space with lots of little circles. Multiple crayon colors in each make them look a bit like marbles.

2. Liquid watercolor is used to fill in each circle. While wet, and with a thin brush, a partial ring around the edge is added to each. A light hand with the painting will bring about the best results.

NOTE: To buy these Strathmore Art Journal Kits online, visit artterro.com.

Snowman Drawing

2011-11-21T23:25:00.000-08:00

One simple change to a snowman’s face can add a ton of charm to a picture. I tried this out in a drawing class today and really liked the results. Young students could just make a simple snowman, while older ones could concentrate on a skyward-looking face.

1. Students followed my drawing lead by first drawing the bottom circle of the snowman, then the middle, and then a rectangle on top (the scarf). A head was added on top, along with a face that was very near the top of the circle. The hat was drawn, as well as the arms and rest of the scarf.

2. All lines were traced with a black Sharpie maker.

3. The snowman was colored in with crayon, and snowflakes were added all around.

Like to Sew? Support Create HOPE Designs

2011-11-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

I recently learned about an organization that seeks to raise funds for orphans of the world through the sale of electronic sewing patterns. Create H.O.P.E. Designs are a group of artists selling beautiful patterns or tutorials for a very affordable price, all of which benefits designated foundations serving orphans and their communities. For more information and a look at their beautiful pattern collection, visit HERE.

Scrafitti Indian Corn Card

2011-11-20T08:44:00.000-08:00

You can buy your own scratch art paper, but it’s a lot more fun to make your own. Just be sure to test out your oil pastels first as I’ve found older, harder pastels don’t work nearly as well as soft and slippery ones.

1. Each student started with a 5.5" x 8.5" white cardstock paper. They drew a simple ear of corn and husks and traced all the lines with a wide, chisel tip black permanent marker.

2. The corn and background was colored in heavily with oil pastel.

3. A black pastel was used to color over all of the art. The heavier the pastel, the better.

5. Students used a stylus or stick to scratch away the top layer. Younger students may want to just scratch, but older could try working in different directions to add more interest.

6. A folded piece of black paper with a message written in metallic marker made a nice envelope for the card. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

My Guest Post at Art of Education

2011-11-19T10:12:00.000-08:00

I am happy to announce I have my first guest post over at Art of Education, a site dedicated to the development of art teachers. I illustrated the inspiration for a couple of my classroom projects in hopes that my process might also be useful to others. Thank you Jessica for the invitation to do this, and for all the work you do to support the arts in our schools.

Ode To Matisse Christmas Mural

2011-11-18T20:59:00.000-08:00

Talk about a work ethic, French artist Henri Matisse decorated a chapel in France when he was almost 80 years old. This in my homage to his “Christmas Eve” painting.

This mural has 24 pages to color and measures 28" x 60" when complete. You can purchase my pdf file with instructions for just $5. A preview of the pages is available HERE. Click the “Add to Cart” button below to make your payment and receive download instructions.

Fall Landscape Drawing

2011-11-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

My first step in teaching perspective drawing is that foreground features are larger than similar background features. I recenty showed my new kinders how to apply this concept when drawing a landscape.
1. I demonstrated how to draw a large tree to establish the foreground and how adding a horizon line and smaller trees creates a distant background. They then added any details the wished.
2. They traced their pencil drawings with black Sharpies.

3. The drawings were completed with color pencils.

Can you believe this adorable drawing was made by a kinder? Thanks to Koa for letting me share his artwork.

Kandinsky Watercolor Painting

2011-11-16T22:05:00.000-08:00

This project worked really well with my last afterschool watercolor class. And that was with over 40 kids (kinder through 5th) in one not-so-large art room! I'll add my tips on how to paint with these conditions below.

PREP: I pre-printed the grid lines on letter-size watercolor paper using my file posted HERE. About 80 spillproof cups with a variety of Dick Blick Student Liquid Watercolor paints were also set up before class.

1. With Kandinsky’s original painting in view, students drew concentric circles in each square with a crayon (no need to start with pencils). They were to press really hard to make a wall that would help keep colors from running together. They also traced the straight, computer-printed lines.

2. Using the liquid watercolors, students could take one color and use it randomly throughout their drawing, then go on to another. It would speed things up and allow paint to dry to minimize bleeding. I also now leave a roll of paper towels on each table to catch the inevitable spills. That’s it, I think this would make a great fundraising project.

One More Turkey Drawing

2011-11-15T23:42:00.000-08:00

I’ve found a lot of great drawing ideas over at www.fotosearch.com. If you ever get stuck for new ways of drawing common items, try searching their clip art to see what comes up.
1. I started by drawing my turkey on black paper with a pencil. If you want to see the steps, follow the project I have posted here and then add some more details and patterns to the feathers and body.
2. Trace all your pencil lines with a white Marvy Opaque Stix. The white is really fun to draw with as the line first seems clear, and then turns bright white after a few seconds.

Turkey Coloring Page

2011-11-15T21:40:00.000-08:00

Need a quick activity for class or family get-together? Here’s a turkey that I drew (inspired by a stock art illustration again) that can be customized in many ways. Click HERE to download the blank page. Happy coloring!

Haiti Sundress Drive in WA State News

2011-11-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

How exciting! Project HOPE Art’s Sundress Drive just received press coverage in the Peninsula Daily News in Washington State. Jefferson Elementary School Y-Kids program leader Cathy Haight (far left) taught this group how to make sundresses for their friends in Port-au-Prince and the local paper covered their charitable work. Nothing warms me more than children coming to the aid of children. For the entire story, click HERE.
These 7 very special dresses will raise our total is 193! Thank you all for your wonderful work!

Abstract Turkey Drawing

2011-11-12T21:44:00.000-08:00

I used my favorite method to Draw A Turkey for this project, but had students use Sharpie markers instead of paint. They also used coated (shiny) paper again, so filling in the background and then adding detail was the easiest and cleanest way to finish the art.

1. On letter size coated paper, students drew the basic shapes of their turkey. When complete, the lines were traced with a black Sharpie.

2. All the of turkey shapes were colored in with Sharpies. This was to be a very abstract turkey, so unusual colors were encouraged.

3. Fun feather lines were added last at the end. Lots of lines and dots could be added in the background as well.

Layered Fall Leaves

2011-11-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

You can show students how to overlap leaves and blend colors with oil pastels, and have very lovely picture as the result.
1. I tend to think of the maple leaf as the classic fall shape, and made templates out of chip board with the stem left off. Give each student one leaf and ask them to trace at least two leaves that overlap. Ask the students to choose which leaf is on top, and explain that all the lines inside that leaf must be erased. They can then add some leaves going off the page, and some veins as well.
2. All of the pencil lines are to be traced with a thin black marker.
3. Ask the students to use at least two oil pastel colors in each leaf, overlapping as they go along. Oil pastels are the best for blending colors together, so the goal is to not have any "hard" edges between the colors.
4. Lastly, the background needs to be colored in with a contrasting color.

Cat Collage Art Journal Page

2011-11-10T20:49:00.000-08:00

The Strathmore Art Journal Kits I've been using come with an assortment of colored paper pages. I’ve found that kids as young as kinder can make some great collage work, they just need extra guidance with the cutting.

1. Students got to pick a 4" paper square, and then rounded the bottom corners with a scissors to make the cheeks. Two triangles were cut from matching paper to add on top for ears. All were glued down to a colored journal page.

2. Features on the face are all very geometric: triangles inside the ears, half circle eyes, triangle nose, rectangular nose bridge and whisker strips. All were cut from other samples of colored paper and glued down with a glue stick.

3. The eye pupils and mouth were drawn in with a marker. A message about a cat was written below.
NOTE: You can buy these Art Journal Kits online at Artterro.com.

Bracelet Collage Art Journal Page

2011-11-09T21:50:00.000-08:00

I like to encourage students to make art that spreads across two pages. The more entries that are tall or wide or even upside down, the better!

1. Students trace their hand and arm in pencil across two journal pages. Kinder and 1st graders may need help with this. The arm is traced with a thin black marker and colored in with skin color. My sample uses colored pencil, but crayons would work too.

2. Various rectangles are cut from the pattern paper and glued over the arm to look like bracelets. Boys could make one colorful band and add a paper circle to create their own watch.

3. I started with a writing prompt of “I like to wear _____.” Students filled in with whatever description worked for them. The words are written in pencil, filling up the page as much as possible, and traced in black marker. Lastly, the background is colored in as well.
4. Enter my Art Journal Giveaway. Just a few hours left!

“Queen for a Day” Art Journal Page

2011-11-05T23:11:00.000-07:00

One of the nice features about the pattern paper in the Strathmore Art Journal Kits, is that they are double sided. The back coordinates with the front, so colorful collages are possible without wasting a lot of paper.

1. I had students cut out a rectangle from one of their pattern pages, and then triangles from one side to make a crown. A small rounded rim was cut out, as well as 3 circles to stick on the top points of the crown. All were glued down to a white journal page.

2. The face and shoulders were drawn in pencil under the crown. When complete, all lines were traced with a fine-tip permanent marker. A writing prompt was added on a side saying, “My name is Queen _______.’

3. The face and hair were colored in with pencil crayon, and the background was shaded as well.

5. Don’t miss entering my Art Journal Kit Giveaway.

Hot Air Balloon Art Journal Page

2011-11-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Here’s an idea for using the beautiful pattern paper in the Strathmore® Art Journal Kits. Hot air balloons can tie in nicely with future dreams of travel.

1. Students cut 3 circles from the pattern paper, ranging in size from 1.5" to 2.5". The circles are glued to a white page in the art journal kit.

2. With a ultra-fine tip marker, students draw a basket under each balloon, and connect them to a ring around the balloon.

3. A travel wish is written around the balloons in permanent marker.
4. Using watercolor pencils, clouds are drawn, colored around and painted with water.
5. Don’t miss entering my Art Journal Kit Giveaway posted yesterday...

Recycled Turkey on a Stick

2011-11-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

This ingenious idea for making turkeys from old food boxes comes from My Plum Pudding. It’s a great use of those colorful coated boxes that I love to collect.
This turkey is made entirely from cut up boxes that are attached to a 1/4" wooden dowel from Michael’s. This bird may look fairly simple, but I learned that the proportion of all the circles were important so I made a visual diagram for those interested in making their own. Click here to view.

Tempera Turkey Painting

2011-11-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

This project uses the same drawing technique that I posted about here, but it's drawn in a large format (about 12" x 18") and painted with tempera paint.

I let the students finish the feathers in whatever manner they wished –with realistic or whimsical patterns. My goal was to have them practice their radial drawing with the feather lines extending out from the body. I compared it to the lines that radiate from the sun, which most students seemed to grasp, even the 1st graders.

Sundresses for Haiti now at 165!

2011-11-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

I’d like to give a special thank you to all the amazing seamstresses who continue to send in homemade sun dresses for HOPE Art’s Dress Drive. Our original goal was 30, a new one for each girl, and our count as of today is 165 and still climbing!

For those of you who followed HOPE Art’s Kickstarter Drive to both deliver dresses and create more art in Haiti – it’s a done deal. The funds were raised and the travel plans for January are on! If you would still like to be a part of this dress drive, all goods are welcomed and may be sent to:

HOPE Art
c/o Earth Art Studio
767 Cathedral Dr.
Aptos, CA 95003

P.S. Thanks to Louee from Santa Rosa for sending in this lovely dress.

Recycled Pencil Stars

2011-11-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

One by-product of art classes is lots of half-used pencils. I have boxes of them that are a bit too awkward to hold, but seem too long to throw away. I think I just figured out how I want to decorate our school hall next month.

1. Sharpen 10 pencils so they are all the same length.

2. Hot glue the tips together to make 5 “V”s. Let cool.

3. Arrange so that the erasers all touch each other and hot glue them together. Let cool. Flip over and glue the back joints as well to secure. I picture lots of stars hanging by string in our school hall. There may be glitter involved....

Pattern Cat with Markers

2011-11-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

This drawing was inspired by artist Heather Galler. I simplified some of her details, but kept the basic brilliant idea of a cat filled with patterns for my next afterschool drawing class.

1. My favorite combo is using Sharpies and BIC markers on coated white paper. I bought some wholesale at Kelly Paper for about $14 a 250-sheet ream. For those interested, the exact name of the paper is “Tango Advantage C1S Digital, 27M 10pt”. As for color, the Sharpies and BICs have such sophisticated palettes that they put any other class markers to shame. Students begin by drawing a cat head and body and tail with a pencil. The facial features are added and all lines are traced in black.

2. Students divide up the body with a series of squares and rectangles and trace in black.

3. The boxes and rectangles are colored in with markers. When dry, lines may be added inside at will.

4. After the body is colored in, stars and a background color may be added as well.

My Neighborhood Drawing

2011-11-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

Third grade students in my school have a neighborhood theme with their reading work right now, so I thought I’d try out a map-type project for them. It worked well as students began with some guidelines but then were then left to add things on their own.

1. Each student got an 11" x 17" sheet of cardstock paper, printed with very light gridlines you can download HERE. I had cardboard rectangles (8.5" x 5") for students to stack and trace to divide the paper into 3 sections.

2. The middle block was saved for our school, drawn flat to keep things simple. Streets and cars could be added, but no people as they often turn out to be a distraction.

3. The “block” above and below could be any building in the area, drawn in pencil and then traced with marker.

4. Art was filled in with colored pencil. I liked how students were engrossed in remembering all the buildings in our neighborhood as they made their art.

Watercolor Resist Tree Collage

2011-10-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

I used to think that only watercolor paper could bring about bright and colorful watercolor paintings. This collage was made with just white card stock paper for the leaves. The difference was using good liquid watercolor paints, like the Dick Blick Student brand you can find online. Scrapbook paper for the background was also key – construction paper just doesn’t have the same quality.

SESSION ONE: The students started with a letter-size 65 lb. white card stock paper, and placed it over a sheet of plastic needlepoint mesh. They shaded the entire paper with about 3 or four different crayon colors. The students painted over the entire paper with slightly watered-down Dick Blick liquid watercolor paints and let it dry.
SESSION TWO: My scrapbook collection of paper had a variety of blues and greens. After choosing a background blue paper, the students were to cut a wavy strip of green for their grass, and several tree trunks out of black paper. All were glued down in place with a glue stick. After the trees were complete, scraps of the watercolor paper were used to cut and glue small “leaves” that were falling down.

Gilded Halloween Portrait

2011-10-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

I found a great book simply called “Halloween” by Joanne O’Sullivan, which has a ton of creative ideas. This is an adaptation of a portrait project, which I am including in an after-school class next month.

1. I started with one of those super-inexpensive unfinished frames from Michael’s. had some iron-on appliques in my stash of supplies. You could probably buy something similar from JoAnn’s. You just need something that looks decorative to imitate the look of a fancy old picture frame. I covered my frame with a thin layer of Mod-Podge, placed the appliques on top, and let dry.
2. When the frame was dry, I applied a generous amount of metallic gold acrylic paint on top, taking care to get paint in all the edges and on the sides.
3. I took a digital picture of my handsome son, turned it to a black and white image, and printed it out as a 3.75" square on some good matte Epson paper. To make the face look painted, I filled it in with colored pencil and added some detail on top. I can imagine printing out several copies for kids to work on so they could pick their favorite. I like the way this turned out and can’t wait to try it in a few weeks!

Positive / Negative Pumpkin

2011-10-29T21:57:00.000-07:00

One more Halloween project. This is short and sweet but makes a very graphic image.

1. Give each student a square piece of black paper and an orange that is half the width of the black. With the orange lying on top of the right side of the black, they are to imagine the center line as the middle of a pumpkin.
2. Starting on the middle line, they need to draw half of a pumpkin. Next, one eye and one half of a mouth are drawn. When complete, the eye and mouth are cut out, all as complete shapes, not bits and pieces. I show them how to cheat with the eye by cutting a line over to it and then cutting around to get the triangle out. The little slice will seal itself back up when glued.
3. The newly cut shapes are to be flopped from their cut out positions, and then glued down with a glue stick. Voila, a positive/negative and symmetrical pumpkin face!

Finish-the-Spider Drawing

2011-10-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

I’m thinking of adapting some of my black and white projects to Halloween themes, and this one I think might work well for some creepy, but symmetrical drawing practice.
1. If you search for spiders at “Clip Art ETC” you will find THIS amazing collection. You may have trouble deciding which one to download. I chose the highest resolution of a fuzzy one, and cropped it in my computer to print just half an image. The low tech approach would be to print out the whole image, cut it in half, and xerox your copies.
2. I plan to give each student a spider print, along with a soft dark pencil. Tell the students that spiders are very symmetrical and all the information you need to draw on the missing side, is on the printed side. I recommend that they start with the outside edges until they think the shapes match, and then fill the inside to match. Dark shading will be necessary to match the printed side of the spider.

Tree Silhouette

2011-10-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

One of the drawing tendencies I would love to break students from is making trees with blunt ended branches. I think it comes from thinking of them as a series of rectangles, when actually they are more like a bunch of very skinny and pointed triangles.

1. I had the students use a chisel tip black permanent marker on coated white paper (found some at local Kelly paper store) and start with drawing a trunk on the bottom half. They followed with adding five “fingers” that each touched the edge of the paper. The entire tree was filled in with black.

2. After reminding students that trees have a variety of thickness of branches, I had them add some randomly attached thinner ones.

3. To finish, all the closed shapes were filled in with different marker colors. I tried the unscented Mr. Sketch brand and was happy with the results.

Fall Watercolor Tree Collage

2011-10-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

This was recently a very successful project for 3rd to 5th graders. I like the contrast of the soft watercolor against the crisp cut leaf edges.
Week 1. Give the students two 9" x 12" sheets of paper and watercolor paints. Instruct them to paint one sheet with a green grass base and blue sky. Dabbing the wet sky with a dry paper towel can create a soft cloud effect. The remaining sheet is to be completely painted in splotches of warm colors - red, orange and yellow.
Week 2. Give the students a rectangle of black construction paper to cut out a tree trunk silhouette with branches on top and roots on the bottom. This gets glued to the blue and green (sky/grass) paper. The remaining splotchy paper gets cut into small triangle shapes and glued to the tree, sky and ground.

Maple Leaf Drawing

2011-10-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

Today I combined two past projects – how to draw a maple leaf and making a batik-looking watercolor and crayon drawing. The key is to use cheap copy paper. Strange as it sounds, good drawing paper doesn’t work nearly as well.

1. I showed students how to draw a maple leaf, as shown in my post HERE. The goal is to draw a large leaf in pencil that fills the paper.

2. The finished pencil leaf is traced with a thick, black permanent marker.

3. The leaf is colored in heavily with an assortment of warm crayon colors.

4. The finished drawing is crumpled and opened at least 3 times, or until the wrinkles in the paper become very fine.

5. The entire drawing is brushed with watercolor paint. I chose blue to contrast the warm leaf colors, but lots of other colors would look great too.

Funky Witch Feet

2011-10-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

Yep, another idea that originated from stock Halloween illustrations. I think it offers some colorful seasonal fun, and some good symmetrical drawing practice too with those curvy, funky boots.

1. I plan to have students start drawing the boots in very simple steps. For instance, two centered lines for the backs of the boots, then the right and left heel, then right and left toe, and so on. I’ve found that students are better able to match shapes in this manner. After the shoes are drawn (in pencil), the legs are added above and a zig-zag hemline.

2. All lines are traced with crayons, including X’s on the boots.

3. The shapes are painted in with liquid watercolors. I’ve grown partial to the Dick Blick Student watercolors, and the Turquoise Blue and Violet in particular.

Make a Paper Pumpkin

2011-10-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

This project turned out to be a very quick and easy way to make a 3D shape out of strips of paper.

1. I used orange construction paper in the standard 9"x12" size, and then used a paper cutter to make a pile of orange strips that were 1" wide by 12" tall. The students were given 10 strips of paper, a push pin and two paper fasteners. They were to stack the strips and use the push pin to help make a hole in each end through all the layers.
2. The pin is removed and replaced by the paper fastener. It's best to push it through just a couple of layers at a time.
3. The paper fastener legs are opened and the strips are adjusted around each pin until they are equally spaced apart and a globe shape takes place.
4. Black eyes and mouth are cut out and glued on with a glue stick. A string of yarn may be tied to one end.

Student Fundraiser Art

2011-10-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

The beautiful butterfly art was sent to me this week, along with a wonderful explanation of how it was made. I thought I’d pass it on as it is a very well thought out project, and so beautiful to look at. Thanks Mylien!

Dear Mrs. Barbro,

This was done in one of our 4th Grade classroom at Mirada Elementary School. We had 24 students, 6 parent volunteers, the teacher and her student intern and myself who help complete the artwork from start to finish (including faux canvas) in about 4 hours. Prior to working in to the classroom, I had experimented with sharpies, acrylics, and oil pastels. Between the three, oil pastels I thought had the best texture and were quicker to apply.

We had a mini art appreciation presentation before hand about Georges Seurat and his works. After deciding colors, we worked in groups asking students to create dots with oil pastels, starting with the lightest colors working their way to the darkest and leaving the black outlines for last. I’ve learned from past to tell them to start on the left side if they were right handed and vice-versa if the were left handed, and to wipe tips clean before starting. We had to show them how large the dots would be in order for us to finish the project in one session as we did not have the luxury of completing the project over several weeks. We assembled the wax paper using mod podge to adhear to canvas and a layer over the entire surface. I remember you told me pastels might bleed so we did not dilute the mod podge and tampered on instead of brushing on.

We have 25 classes, each class will contribute artwork to be auctioned off in our Winter Art Fundraiser in December. I’m not the art teacher, just the coordinator of the fundraiser and have found your blog to be both inspiring and invaluable to our project.

Thank you,

Mylien

Scarecrow Painting

2011-10-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

I found this idea of a watercolor scarecrow over at Artsonia.com. If anyone would like credit for the idea of drawing him in this closely-cropped fashion, please let me know. I love how my students could easily make a large detailed face, but still include faraway fields and trees too.

1. Students began with an 11" x 15" piece of watercolor paper. I wanted them to get set up with the outline of the body and head before they started customizing, but being that I had many kinders, I knew they would tend to make the shapes very small. To compensate, I had students make their own guides. I had each one align an extra 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper with the bottom of the watercolor paper, and use the top as a guide to draw the horizontal arm line.
2. To make the head, I had cut and folded 5" squares of newsprint into quarters. A cutting line on one side showed them where to cut to turn the square into a 5" circle. This paper circle was placed and traced on top of the arm line, near the right side of the paper.
3. The students drew the arm opening on the left, making sure the body would be centered under the scarecrow head. The rest of the drawing details were added and traced with a dark crayon.
4. I told my students they could color in small shapes in their picture with crayon and the big shapes with watercolor.

Get an Original Turkey Art Print

2011-10-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

You can receive a hand signed, original high resolution print of my turkey art, just in time for the upcoming holidays and support a good cause at the same time. Check out my Facebook page HERE for more information. US continent sales only, 8.5" x 11" size, scan of oil pastel scratch art turkey drawing.

Contour Fall Leaves

2011-10-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

Contour drawings are made with just lines, which also add a bit of visual energy to this picture.

1. I started by making a sheet of line drawings of different leaf shapes, which you can access here. Give the students one print of these leaves, and one matching-size blank paper. Have the students trace several leaves on their paper (if they can see through their paper) or use carbon paper to transfer the lines.
2. Once the blank paper has been filled up with about 3 leaf shapes, they are to be traced with black marker and colored in with colored pencil.
3. Lastly, each leaf is traced around with a colored pencil, following the edges of the original, and expanding as they proceed. As the shapes grow, they will eventually bump into the other leaf shapes and the students will have to decide which ones are in front and which are in back.

Scarecrow Marker Drawing

2011-10-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

I started an afterschool Marker Drawing class, and this was our first lesson. The goal was to make a nice composition that had good contrast in color. In other words, a light figure should be in front of a dark background, or a dark figure in front of a light one.

1. I walked the students through drawing the scarecrow, beginning with a round head and hat. The body was added below, attached to a pole. Corn stalks were drawn with hills and clouds in the background.

2. When the pencil drawing was complete, all the lines were traced with a permanent black marker.

3. The drawings were colored in with markers. I’m trying out a new brand, unscented Mr. Sketch which I like so far. I’m only finding that paper really sucks up the color, so I may try a coated paper to see if the color goes on a little more evenly.