Students finished their snowy landscapes with the perfect tool. Sharpie paint markers allowed all the art to easily get a delicate sprinkling of snow. This art is getting used for annual holiday … Read More
Try giving young students a cat head template and challenge them to fill the page. This young 2nd grader, Benjamin, made an adorable painting as a result. MATERIALS Download Cat head PDF … 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
If you have ever tried to make glue drawings for chalk pastel or color stick art, but didn’t love the way the glue dried? Drawing with white glue, letting it dry, and … Read More
If you want to draw a cute cottage house, then you can also surround it with the landscaping of your dreams too. MATERIALS Download Cottage PDF Tutorial Drawing paper Black marker Crayons … 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
Here’s a new tutorial that shows you how to draw a duck that is true to it’s mallard coloring, with an a added touch of cuteness to the eyes. Students can use … Read More
This hanging bat tutorial has been a favorite for years, especially with teachers. I’ve made a new deluxe version that includes a full size sample, coloring and tracing page. MATERIALS Deluxe Draw … Read More
Here’s a solar eclipse art project that is easy for all ages and good shading practice. Love it when science and art work together. MATERIALS Astrobright cardstock paper (found mine at … Read More
Here’s an idea for a transportation craft project. It costs about $1.50 for both gift boxes and makes a pretty cool looking truck with no prep work at all. MATERIALS White gift … 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
I have used this as a first project of the year quite often the template helps all skill levels get off to a good start, and still has lots of room for … 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
Some believe that you need to spend 10,000 hours to master a skill. Personally, I think that between teaching my daytime and after school children’s drawing classes for 10 plus years, I’m … 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
Carp windsocks decorate the landscape of Japan from April through early May, in honor of Children’s Day. I love these inexpensive precut fish made with paper that just soaks up color. They come flat … 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 your fridge and walls are already filled with your child’s art, have them paint your light switch plates. MATERIALS • Light switch from hardware store • Acrylic paint • Thin brushes … 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
Save your old food magazines for this bug collage project. The shiny and colorful fruit, for example, has a whole new look when viewed as bug parts. You can even mix in … 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
Pete the Cat seems to have a lot of fans these days, so I thought I’d make a tutorial on how to draw him. Older students might notice that there’s a little … 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
Don’t throw away old, un-decomposable CD cases, turn them into gifts instead. They make great little terrariums, especially with a message for special occasions. You can watch your plants grow and make … 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
Wayne Thiebaud is an American artist best known for his paintings of cakes in light pastel shades. I exaggerated the colors and frostings a bit in this homage, and hope it adds … 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
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
