My new “Learn to Draw: Children” eBook was created and tested in response to a kinder teacher who was tired of seeing so many stick figures in her classroom. My solution was to create … Read More
Kinders learned how to trace and cut out a simple cat, and then draw a setting with a black Sharpie marker. The contrast between the two makes the art fun to look … Read More
This is a fun combination for painting a robot – silver tempera and black watercolor paint. The matte look of the black makes the silver really stand out. My first graders used … Read More
This Kandinsky project worked really well with my last after school watercolor class which includes kinder through 5th grade. MATERIALS Watercolor paper (I used Strathmore) Crayons Liquid watercolor paint DIRECTIONS PREP: pre-print … Read More
Still looking for a good way to store lots of student artwork? I found this pizza box solution years ago. Just fold them inside out to get a plain brown box. Out … Read More
The world’s easiest way to decorate a pumpkin — just pour paint Jackson Pollock style. MATERIALS White foam pumpkin, from Michaels or Amazon Old acrylic paint, bright colors Newspaper and small cup … Read More
This air-dry clay starfish will give students a change to practice their blending skills. Five fingers need to be mushed in the middle to make him nice and sturdy. MATERIALS Air-Dry clay … Read More
I had my Model Magic students try working in a diorama-like setting today and apply fish and more to a wall of blue. When the clamshell was closed, they really did resemble … Read More
I made this condensed tutorial for three aliens as it is fun to mix and match the different eyes, hands and feet. It’s a good direct draw project for the very young … Read More
Finally, an air dry clay project that is easy enough for kinders, lets students practice some clay skills, AND makes something pretty darn cute. These well-rounded projects are hard to find, so … Read More
Once again I have to give credit to an amazing site called Krokotak.com. This Angler fish project is just too clever with its underbite, spike teeth and pipe cleaner antennae. MATERIALS 16″ … Read More
I keep finding the most original new ideas at this site called Krokotak.com. They seem to have a knack for collecting really original ideas, which is not easy these days. I love … Read More
I’m happy to share my very first “How To” video, which is one of my favorite Model Magic projects for kinders. It tied in to their science studies last spring, showed them … Read More
A fun way to show kinders how to draw a flower. Simple shapes with a twist of adding pins between the petals. MATERIALS • Download Pin Flower PDF tutorial • Drawing paper … Read More
A little first grader made this beach drawing years ago. I love everything about it. I thought it was time for a tutorial as it makes for a fun drawing this time … Read More
I sometimes give my young kinder and 1st grade students a template to trace for the first step of a project. For this easy dog drawing, children had the head template to … Read More
Here’s my secret to keeping lots of student artwork organized – without taking up any of my valuable time. My after school drawing students each receive a Profolio portfolio, which have a … Read More
If you need a Japanese-themed art project, this works well even for kinders. In fact, I love the “wobbly” lines of the young ones – it’s what make their art so charming. MATERIALS … Read More
With our school’s science room filled with new bugs and worms, it seemed timely to have lady bugs as the theme for some art projects. Older students drew and painted theirs, but … Read More
If you want to encourage kids to draw tall shapes, it helps to have paper cut to match. MATERIALS • Watercolor paper, 18″ x 24″ cut into 18″ x 6″ panels • … Read More
Drawing a page of ladybugs couldn’t be much easier if you start with a circle template. Draw with a permanent black marker and you can just paint right over your cute little bugs. Red … Read More
When you inspire young artists with the classic “Where the Wild Things Are” book, you get some really fun and childlike paintings. MATERIALS • Drawing or multi-media paper, 9″ x 12″ or … Read More
An overlapping lesson with Matisse-like shapes makes a colorful drawing exercise. Matisse didn’t start painting until he was about 20 years old, but then would paint morning, noon and night for pretty … Read More
This Koi fish painting project has been one of my most popular pins on Pinterest since it went up years ago. Here it is again for those that missed it the first … Read More
Try this abstract watercolor still life when you want young artists to learn about overlapping shapes. If they paint the intersections different colors, they are bound to end up with a really … Read More
I have tried this house drawing project every year with kinders and have loved the results. This year I just added a texture element, which came from slipping a small piece of … Read More
Here are our paper mache bowls, made with the help of dollar store colanders. I love how the inside is nice and smooth, no matter how “unsmooth” the outside might be. I … Read More
I knew there was a way to mix scratch art and earthworm studies. Just make your own scratch art paper with oil pastels and you can fill your page with all the … Read More
Turns out the best way to draw a caterpillar is by starting with a bunch of lines. I found this method in a drawing book years ago, and have saved it for … Read More
Two circles get this simple cat drawing off to a good start. If you begin by tracing a roll of masking tape, kinders especially will be more likely to draw a cat … Read More
This super simple bug painting is great for really young artists. You can’t get much simpler or cuter that this. MATERIALS • Multimedia paper • Sharpie marker, black • Crayons • Liquid … Read More
Earth Day is coming up on April 22nd. It’s easy to decorate if you start with my Doodle Earth Day Mural template. Print the PDF pages, color, and tape together to make … Read More
Big, overlapping eyes make almost anything look funny. Especially cartoon fish with big goofy lips. MATERIAL • Cartoon Fish PDF Tutorial • Drawing paper • Black marker • Crayons DIRECTIONS 1. … Read More
This Bumblebee watercolor painting was inspired by a stock art image. I like how the black permanent marker guarantees crisp lines, and the white crayon adds a little extra sparkle. MATERIALS • … Read More
These ceramic bird nests were inspired by my friend Jenni Ward’s “Create with Clay 3” ebook. I love how neatly the glaze turned out, thanks to the fact that you can remove … Read More
I’m happy to have found the perfect form for my Paper Mache Bowl class. The dollar store came through again with super cheap colanders. Their built in holes are perfect for helping … Read More
Laurel Burch had a unique way of drawing cats that left lots of room for pretty patterns and colors. She overcame lots of adversity in her childhood, in addition to being born … Read More
Make a pretty realistic looking burger with all the ready made Model Magic colors that are currently available. Your super stacked burger with cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce and whatever else you can … Read More
Yes, you can make some really amazing auction art from a room full of 5 year olds. Celebrate all their scribbly drawings by attaching them to a stretched canvas, and you have … Read More
This Model Magic Snail was inspired by a cake decoration found over on Pinterest. I love the simple little creations found there, which are perfect for kids to imitate with Model Magic … Read More
Teaching color mixing with a large Pre-Kinder class is no small task. This week they layered red on blue to make some pretty purple flowers. I cheated a bit and added some … Read More
This Model Magic dinosaur was made by a talented 2nd grader named Daniel T. I had to use a scissors to make all the little triangles on my sample, but Daniel had … Read More
This project was inspired by a talented artist named Laurel Burch. She developed an abstract style of painting cats that is really fun to imitate. She often just drew the outside shape … Read More
More from my after school Sharpies on Canvas class, this time a from a kinder named Zoe. Students worked with a kind of Pop art theme by drawing animals and then adding … Read More
This is a match made in heaven, Brush Sharpie markers and Kandinsky on canvas. The brush markers just glide on the canvas and leave a brilliant color. Makes for a very fun … Read More
Here’s a simple sheep painting project, with bodies made of crayons, and then a painted background. The crayons will resist the paint, so you can paint right over them. Just be sure … Read More
If you team up a tempera cityscape painting with a fat black marker, it makes for a fun and bold image. MATERIALS • Multimedia paper • Tempera paints, cake form work great … Read More
There it is, my “Sharpie Art Workshop for Kids” book at my local Barnes & Noble store. Still so surreal after I’ve spent so many hours browsing these bookstore shelves. Life is … Read More
This Common Core snake project uses two different kinds of patterns. One is for the colors (black, yellow, black, red, or A, B, A, C) and one for the width (thin, wide, … Read More
