A Kinder Portrait

Sometimes when a student gets to use a new media for the first time, like oil pastels, a visible excitement can be seen the results.

These kinders traced a head and shoulder template and then drew a line down the middle. They were supposed to draw and color a “calm” and a “wild” side. But this young boy instead just had a blast coloring with as many colors as possible, watching how they would blend together. Not the directions, but I love the results!

Japanese Watercolor Fans

If you need a Japanese-themed art project, this works well even for kinders. In fact, I personally like the “wobbly” lines of the young ones – who wants a drawing that looks like it was done on a computer?

1. These fans are all based on quarter circles, so you need to start with circle templates. Older students could cut their own from folded paper, younger may need to have some already made. (I used a 7" circle for 12" x 17" paper.) When students have their circle template, they cut it in half, and then in half again.
2. The quarter circle shape is randomly placed on watercolor paper and traced with a pencil. Repeat until the paper is full. Three lines are drawn inside each fan, along with a curve to indicated the inside edge of the fan. Trace all the lines with a crayon, pressing hard to make definite edges.
3. The inside of the fans are painted with watercolor paint, and afterward the background. The crayon lines will help keep the paint from running together.

Kinder’s First Art Project

I’m guessing that as an art teacher I’m not the first to overestimate, from time to time, the abilities of my students. I’m never more aware of this than when new kinders come to my art room at the beginning of a school year. Some are semi-prepared from preschool, but some are not. So as much as I want to dig in at first with some beautiful new project, I’ve learned that the first class just needs to be super, super simple.

1. Kinders in CA spend much of the year studying patterns, so this blends well with their curriculum. I spend a few minutes talking about all the ways that lines can make patterns (round, square, zigzag, etc.) and then draw some examples on the board. The students are all given a thick black marker and five strips of construction paper about 2" x 8" wide. They are asked to draw a different line pattern on each. No coloring in is allowed, only lines.
2. When the patterns are done, they get a sheet of black construction paper, about 9" x 15" or so. After instructions on how to use a glue stick, they glue the strips to the black paper. It helps to start at the top and work down, leaving some space in between. As more than one kinder teacher has taught me, it’s important that these new students have a successful experience their first time around in the art room. It’s worth it at this point to focus on the process and not so much on the product. The masterpieces can all come later. :)

Watercolor Cityscape

This idea comes from one of the Usborne Book of Arts, which I have expanded upon greatly over the years. The important feature is that students first paint the rectangle shapes, and lastly draw building details on top. The result tends to be so much more creative than if they had drawn the buildings first.

1. Each student needs a sheet of watercolor paper and watercolor paint. I like to dissolve the watercolor tablets to make liquid paint, but trays will work fine too. Have each student paint a series of large rectangle buildings across the paper, leaving a bit of room on the bottom and the top.
2. When complete, they are to paint a background layer of buildings that are all connected, preferably with just one color.
3. A sky is added with some very watery paint that fills in the remainder of the paper. Let dry.
4. With a black Sharpie, the students are to trace their cityscape, and add lots of detail to the exteriors. I’ve had some of my best results with just direct black Sharpie tracing, and if students draw something they don’t like, they can fill it in and just continue.

How To Draw a Bear

I used this bear drawing project a few years ago with not only kinders, but older students as well. They were asked to add lots of fur to their bears, with lines that were all going in the correct direction (away from the face). Good fine motor skill practice.

1. Make sure the students start by drawing a large upside down “U” shape, it should fill most of the paper.
2. A large upside down heart is added in the top half of the face.
3. A smaller “U” is added below the heart, and then a 2nd smaller “U” to make the lip shape.
3. Four or more pointy teeth are drawn inside the mouth.
4. A circle nose sits at the center of the heart, and two circle eyes up above.
5. Two ears are added at the top of the head.
6. Trace all the lines with a dark marker, and then color as desired. Black bears, brown bears, white bears, all will look good, especially if drawn on colored paper with construction brown crayons.

Oil Pastel Klee Portrait

Paul Klee was a Swiss artist from the early 1900’s who liked to turn things into simple geometric shapes. This sample is based on his “Head of A Man” a classic example of his philosophy.

1. Make a 7" round cardboard template for the students to trace in pencil in the center of a brown or tan 9" x 12" paper. Then have them add the neck and shoulders using straight lines and angles, only.

2. To draw evenly spaced eyes that touch, I often have the students first draw three evenly spaced dots that they connect with curves. Circles are added inside. Using a ruler, show the students how to draw about 5 intersecting lines across the face that “jump” over the eyes. The body may have 2 or 3 lines added also. The mouth is just a simple rectangle with a horizontal line through it.
3. When the drawing is complete, all the pencil lines are traced with a thick black Sharpie marker.
4. All of the closed shapes are now colored in with oil pastels. The goal is to have lots of different colors without any of the same touching each other.

CA Visual Arts Standard: Creative Expression, Kindergarten
2.6 Use geometric shapes/forms (circle, triangle, square) in a work of art.

Watercolor Resist Patterns

Kindergarteners learn about patterning, and this is a colorful way of reinforcing the concept.

1. I recommend watercolor paper be used, if possible, as it really does make a difference in the color brightness. Prep 9" x 12" sheets by drawing marks on the top and bottom every 2 inches across. Ask the student to connect the marks with a pencil so that they have 5 panels on their page. Trade the pencil for a crayon and ask them to trace the pencil lines.
2. Show some examples of line drawing patterns that they can choose from (circles, squares, hearts, stars, etc.) The students are to choose one type of pattern for each panel, and then draw each directly with a crayon.
3. I like to dilute watercolor tablets in water and give students liquid paint to fill each panel. They students are to paint each panel a different color, or a pattern of colors.

CA Visual Art Standard: Creative Expression 2.1
Use lines, shapes/forms, and colors to make patterns.

Louise Nevelson Found Sculpture

Louise Nevelson was a creator of wood assemblages made from found objects doused in paint. She worked hard to get recognition in the mostly male art world, but wished to be seen as more than just a ‘woman artist’.

1. I glued the basic square as shown ahead of time for the young students to keep things sturdy. Give each student white glue and enough sticks to fill in the box as shown to make a flat board.
2. Collect a bunch of small items (like buttons, paper clips, puzzle pieces, etc.) that have different shapes and textures and have the students glue them down with generous amounts of white glue. Let dry overnight.
3. If you have the budget, paint heavily with white or black acrylic paint so the art has a shine when complete. If not, tempera paint will work too, you just may need more coats to block out color below.

Watercolor Caterpillar

A good lesson for kindergarteners on up. Reading "A Very Hungry Caterpillar" before drawing is recommended.

1. With a pencil, ask the students to draw about 7 vertical lines in the middle of a sheet of watercolor paper.
2. Starting on the top left, show them how to "jump" from top to top to connect the lines with curves.
3. Repeat the "jumping" line on the bottom to enclose the body.
4. Add feet, tail and head.
5. Trace all of the pencil lines with a dark crayon.
6. Fill in caterpillar with liquid watercolor paint, and add a background color.

Japanese Wind Sock Puppet

I found this project at “That Artist Woman” blog, and love how it made very batik-looking fabric, which usually takes hot wax and expensive dyes. This uses washable Elmer’s glue and just acrylic paint, which makes it totally safe for kids. Thanks so much for idea Gail!

SESSION ONE
1. I gave each student a white posterboard (22" x 28") that already had the sections shown above drawn in pencil. They students were to draw their own eyes, scales, etc. in pencil, and then trace everything with a thick black marker.

2. IMPORTANT: You need to tape a layer of wax paper over the posterboard, and then place your matching size rectangle of muslin on top. If you don’t, the fabric may end up really sticking to the poster. The cheap kind of muslin ($2/yard) is all that is needed. The black lines should show through the wax paper and muslin. Each student uses a bottle of Elmer’s Washable Glue Gel to trace all the lines. This needs to dry for at least a day or more until the glue sets up.


SESSION TWO
3. Using just the cheapest acrylic paints possible, have the students paint their fish in whatever colors they desire, making sure to paint over all the glue lines. Layering of paint works well too. Let the dry completely.

4. I removed the muslin from each board, and soaked in hot water for about 15 minutes. A little bit of soap and hand scrubbing removed the top layer of paint and all the glue, which kind of just turned to jelly. Smooth out and hang dry.


5. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise and cut. With right sides together, stitch all around, leaving a 1/2" opening, 1/2" down from the top on each side. Trim seam and turn right side out.

6. Fold over an inch of fabric on the open end and stitch to make a 1" casing. Using 16 gauge wire (or less), and a needlenose pliers, make a small loop on one end of the wire. Slip it into the inside seam opening, and continue feeding it in until it makes a complete circle. Overlap the ends about a 1/4" and cut. Slip cut end of wire into loop and wrap around with the pliers to secure.

7. For final assembly, hook one paper clip around the wire in each of the two seam openings. Take an 18" length of string and tie each end to a paper clip. I used 1/2" dowels for my sticks, and notched a groove in one end so that the string would not slide off. Find the center of the tied string, and make a slip knot over the rod. Hang your fish in a windy spot and enjoy!

Watercolor Buildings

This project takes advantage of the pretty textures that you can create with watercolor and crayon rubbings, but keeps colors from bleeding together. That’s because the buildings are cut out separately and glued onto the background. I like how it keeps the edges clean and crisp.
SESSION ONE
1. Two large pieces of white drawing paper are needed. One is for the background, where a ground and sky are painted with watercolors.
2. The other paper needs to roughly be divided into three sections. A texture crayon rubbing is made on each section, using a different color crayon on each. To make the rubbing have texture, place something rough under the white paper and then rub it with the peeled side of a crayon. You can use sandpaper, or plastic netting, or plastic embroidery grids. When the paper is covered, the students are to paint over the 3 crayon sections with 3 different watercolors. Let dry.
SESSION TWO
3. The students take the crayon paper and cut apart the three sections they have made. A building is drawn on each with a black crayon. Simple rectangles work fine. It may help to have photos of buildings to look at for inspiration.
4. When all the buildings are drawn, they are cut out, taking care not to cut off the black edge. Lastly, they are glued to the background paper with a glue stick.

Spotted Watercolor Frogs

One of my goals with my after school watercolor class was to show them some fun techniques to create texture in their paintings. I found this project in one of the Usbourne art books, which uses lemon juice to help make some unusual spotty watercolor patterns.

1. As I have mentioned before, my class mostly consists of kinder and 1st graders, so I made what I call “partial” templates for them to trace. They looked like frog bodies with the hands and feet missing. It worked pretty well as pointy fingers and toes would have been a pain to cut out. The students placed these frogs around on their watercolor paper, added in their own hands and feet, and traced all the edges heavily with a crayon.
2. Next the frog bodies were painted in with a single watercolor. With a clean brush, and while the bodies were still damp, small amounts of lemon juice were dabbed all around. This is the fun part as you can actually watch the splotches take shape. It takes about 30 seconds for them to fully develop so a little patience is required.
3. When all the frog bodies were done, the students filled in the background. One clever boy even added his own lily pads. Love it when they add their own touch!

Giant Paper Mache Numbers – Painted

Here’s the follow up to my “Giant Paper Mache Numbers” project, all painted and ready for a culmination ceremony tomorrow. I finished putting one layer of mache on all the numbers, painted them with a flat black interior paint, and then let the students take turns dripping on my leftover acrylic paint. I couldn’t be happier with the finished product. I especially love that you can get such big results with a little time and love, and little expense.

Giant Paper Mache Numbers

When I started my afterschool classes last fall, I all of a sudden was going through Capri Sun and Goldfish boxes like crazy, and they just seemed to be too sturdy to throw away. My pack-rat ways paid off this week when I needed to make a “2010” sign for our culminating 5th graders. A boring painted sign? No way, our kids are getting giant block numbers about 4 ft. tall, which are to be painted black and spattered with paint tomorrow. I’m now having visions of doing our school name this fall, but maybe twice as tall? We’ll see, anything to decrease the amount of trash in our landfills these days.

Outerspace Watercolor Painting

I found this painting idea over at Artsonia.com, and like how it asks students to think about how close shapes look large, and faraway look small. And what better place to do that than in outer space?

1. I’m going to do a follow-along drawing, and ask my students to start by drawing part of a very large planet in one corner of their watercolor paper. Next a rocket, several medium and few small circle planets could be added until the paper is full. Details like bumps and rings around the planets could be added to make their picture more interesting.
2. When the drawing is complete, all the lines will be traced with a black Sharpie marker. Make sure you use a permanent marker, and not a water-based one or the lines will bleed later on.
3. To add lots of stars, the students will need to use a white crayon and draw lots of little X’s all over the paper. They need to press hard and draw many to make an impact after painting.
4. Lastly, the planets and rocket are painted in with watercolor paints, and after they have dried a bit (no big wet spots that will want to bleed) the background is painted with lots of black watercolor paint. That’s it, simple but dramatic.

Festive Watercolor Bird

Recently I’ve been experimenting with having students start their paintings with watercolors and then adding details later.

1. I demonstrated how to start their bird paintings with a small circle for the head to one side of the paper and a curved body in the middle. Once filled in, some thick lines for tail feathers were added. To speed up the process, I gave each student a paper towel and had them blot their paintings dry. The colors will lighten up a bit but there's more color added later.
2. The students were given thin black oil pastels to trace their birds and add details.
3. I then had them go back to the watercolors to repaint the bodies and add opposing color the background to create a more vivid image.
This bird was painted by Ilana, a talented 1st grader in my after school watercolor class.

“I Love Ewe” Father’s Day Gift

A box of twisty ties at a restaurant supply store inspired this project. I was pretty sure that because they were cheap, and easy to bend and glue, something could be made from them. A few (ok, a lot) of experiments later and this curly haired sheep project took form.

1. I had the students count out 11 popsicle sticks to make their boards. I had kinders so I placed the glue on the two back sticks, and let them line up the remaining 9 on top.

2. I gave the students a white paper rectangle that was the width and height the body needed to be. They were to just cut off the corners to make an oval and glue it on the middle of their board.
3. With a pencil or dowel, the students wrapped the twisty ties around it to make a coil, and slid it off when complete. About 15 or so needed to be made, depending on the size of the body. The oval body was then covered with a generous amount of white glue, and twisty coils were placed on it, as close together as possible.
4. The students were given a narrow strip of black paper that they could cut little rectangle legs from, along with a triangle head. White pencil crayons were used to make dots for the eyes. The legs were slid under the body and the head was glued on top of the coils. When dry, a corny message was added with a black Sharpie.

Art Journaling 129

This is a mix and match collage project, with a writing prompt that hopefully sparks some creative thinking.

Prep Work: I’ve found that students can get easily distracted if you give them entire magazines to search through, so I tore out two sets of pages for them. One was just a collection of large faces, and the others had large swatches of color or pattern to use for the top of the head. Fashion magazines worked best for the first group and architecture or home decor for the second. Lastly, I cut the U-shaped faces and necks out of manila paper, and had writing paper cut to 6" x 9" for the background.
1. The students started with gluing the writing paper on the journal page, then gluing the manila face and neck on top.
2. The magazine pages with faces were passed out, with several for each student. They were asked to cut out and glue eyes and a mouth on their faces, hopefully each from a different magazine page.
3. The magazine pages with the patterns and color were passed out, with the instructions to cut amd glue some kind of hair or hat or topping to their collage head.
4. Using the lined paper, the students were asked to write and finish the sentence “Hello, my name is _____.”
This page was made by Ayala, a first grader, who happens to have beautiful head of red hair herself. I love it Ayala!

‘Ugly’ Paper Mache Monsters

This is a new project I just tried out with my afterschool paper mache class. It’s based on those super thick Capri juice boxes that I’ve been hoarding all year. I taped a pair together both side by side and on top of each other to give the students a choice of monster shapes to build on.
1. PREP WORK: Tape pairs of boxes together with packing tape, some on the wide side to make a long rectangle (left), and some on the thin side to make a large square (right). For the first class, the students use newspaper and mache to cover the boxes and hide any seams. Let dry until hard to the touch.
2. PREP WORK: Glue small plastic cups for eyes and legs with craft glue and let dry before next mache session. Note: plastic or styrofoam is better than paper as it doesn't “wilt” under the weight of too much mache. For class two, the students use large squares of paper towel with mache to cover roughly the bottom half of the monster. Let dry until hard to the touch.
3. PREP WORK: Cut curved ear shapes from large styrofoam cups and tape to top corners of the monster. For class, the students use paper towels again with mache to complete the top coverage of the monster. Let dry until hard to the touch.
4. Paint time! I like the inexpensive Michael’s brand of acrylic paints that come in really bright colors. I recommended to the kids that they paint a base color first and then add details on top. Let dry. To add a bit of shine at the end, a layer of Mod Podge could be added to the surface.

Thank you Ella (monster left) and Audrey (monster right) for letting me share your artwork. Can you believe they are both just in 1st grade?

Monet Water Lilies

Claude Monet (1840-1926) painted directly from nature and revealed that even on the gloomiest of days, an infinite number of colors can and do exist. To capture these fleeting hues, Monet created a new painting technique using short brushstrokes filled with individual color. The result was a canvas alive with painterly activity, the opposite of the smooth blended surfaces of the past. 

1. I presorted some oil pastels so that students had only yellow, peach, pink, light green and white available to choose from. As a follow-along drawing, I asked them to first color one large yellow lily (which is much the shape of a tulip) and then one medium and several small on a large piece of watercolor paper.  Peach pastel was added on top of each, as a kind of shadow, and then pink for a center. Light green ovals were drawn around the bottom of each lily. Lastly, lots of squiggly lines were added with the white pastel to look like waves.

2. I gave the students liquid blue watercolor, and asked them to paint over everything except the flowers. While the paint was still wet, they had a chance to add a bit of green watercolor in any areas they liked.