In honor of the Chinese New Year that kicks off on Jan. 28, I have created this “How to Draw a Rooster Head” tutorial, which lets young artists just focus on their … Read More
My new Chinese New Year Mural 2017 celebrates the Year of the Rooster. The first day of the New Year is on Saturday, January 28th. This mural is drawn and colored with the … Read More
Learn how to draw your neighborhood by focusing on three main areas. This stacked arrangement is my solution for encouraging students to draw LARGE and fill their papers. I am fortunate in … Read More
These little pipe cleaner people are easy to make and fun to pose with their bendable legs and arms. They measure a little under 3″ when done, and have lots of possibilities … Read More
Looking for ideas for homemade holiday decorations? I need some for my school’s holiday boutique, so I’m having students draw gingerbread houses and then cut them out. I found that if I … Read More
Old buildings are the stuff of storytelling, so this Old Fashioned Winter House is a perfect for young students this time of year. This painting was made by a kinder student named … Read More
This negative space tree project can really look like stained glass if you use really bright colors. I love the combo of black Sharpie trees and then soft oil pastels to fill … Read More
I’ve been on the lookout for a new way to draw a cardinal. This one, inspired by a stock art illustration is built on some very simple shapes that I think young … Read More
I am still struck by how bright these winter silhouette paintings came out, this one by a third grader. I honestly think it comes from upgrading my tempera paint to something better … Read More
I came up with this Craft Stick Snowflake to help students make a special gift for their parents that is inexpensive, non-denominational, and pretty quick to make. My sample measures about 10″ … Read More
Here’s a simple snowflake painting project that was inspired by an illustration on a stock art website. I’ve found some amazing ideas at istockphoto.com and shutterstock.com, and gettyimages.com, just to name a … Read More
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 thus easier to glue … Read More
Here’s a super easy way to draw a frame on your artwork with this fun, precut paper. Add a few swirly black lines and you have a wood grain look that adds … Read More
This watercolor resist snowflake art is easy to create with laser-cut wood decorations that are found at craft stores. They make perfect crayon rubbing material because they are so decorative, yet perfectly … Read More
Making scratch art with oil pastels can be rather basic, but have you tried making different color combos on one piece of art? Or coloring three layers to see what happens? Many … Read More
This clay snowman is made with holes in his body so real twigs can be inserted when he (or she) is finished. I’ve learned to really appreciate white ceramic projects as they … Read More
Looking for an easy way to draw Santa’s face? If so, here’s a simple approach drawing just his head. And if you work on brown kraft paper, you will get a nice … Read More
For this snowy winter tree painting, students have the chance to just focus on the branches without any worries about leaves. Studying their basic structure will help them draw more realistically. I’ve … Read More
These Model Magic Gingerbread Cookies are so easy to make, thanks to the perfect gingerbread Model Magic color, also known as “Terra Cotta”. If you have cookie cutters to use, that would … Read More
These snowman pop out cards are easy to make, even with a large room of kids. Just be sure to cut all the circles and flakes ahead of time. Don’t make the … Read More
My art room is filled with giant Nutcracker drawings right now, waiting to be lined up in our auditorium for our upcoming holiday show. I took a que from my Harvest … Read More
Try Elf feet drawing for a fun holiday project. The close up view of just the legs and shoes make for festive picture that would be great for many different uses. MATERIALS … Read More
A candle card works well for the holidays as so many religions use them to celebrate. This is simply drawing candles and then breaking up the background for a faux stained glass … Read More
I taught my students how to draw a teddy with a few simple shapes, and they found many, many ways to turn him or her into their own creation. For instance, it … Read More
I’ve made a tutorial on how to draw Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, which I believe keeps his cute details, while keeping him as simple as possible to draw. That said, I … Read More
This recycled pencil star idea came about from seeing lots of half-used pencils in my room. I have boxes of them that are a bit too awkward to hold, but seem too … Read More
There is no digital replacement for mixing colors for a fall leaf painting, and I was reminded again how much kids just love the unknown of stirring two colors together. I’ve come … Read More
In the spirit of giving this holiday week, I’d like to offer this free Thanksgiving Mural PDF template. The five-page file that you can download below has the four pages needed to … Read More
Thanks to craft paper punches, projects like this paper cactus are totally possible even for classrooms. I just recommend pre-punching the circles for a group of 25 or more. I learned the … Read More
I found my new favorite beginner weaving project that takes very little prep work, is inexpensive, and still makes a very pretty little work of art. The best part? It kept two … Read More
Need a follow up turkey coloring sheet for a Thanksgiving lesson? Or maybe just looking for a good adult coloring page for yourself? Here’s a turkey that I think offers more creative … Read More
Here is a Sharpie Winter Landscape project that works well for a wide range of students. The black permanent marker allows for liberal painting over the trees, and the white marker creates … Read More
BLOGGER TO VISIT on Monday, Nov. 14: Mini Matisse “Fibers and Sharpies” BLOGGER TO VISIT on Sunday, Nov. 13: MaryMaking “Paper Bag Owl” BLOGGER TO VISIT on Saturday, Nov. … Read More
For something new, draw a cartoon turkey and then make up a funny story about him or her. This guy is pretty simple, and I’ve even tried it successfully with kinders. At … Read More
Add a little holiday color with this pipe cleaner Christmas tree craft. It’s super quick, and actually doesn’t even require glue as the pipe cleaner wire stays in place and the mini … Read More
Veterans Day, Nov. 11th, is the day our country sets aside to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime. The bright, red poppy … Read More
Here’s an easy way to make a very yummy looking cake sculpture, thanks to all the great food-looking colors that Model Magic comes in. Their natural set makes a perfect chocolate and … Read More
In case you need to learn how to draw an Alpaca, here’s the perfect tutorial for you. Alpacas have been domesticated for thousands of years by the people of northern Peru. • … Read More
I used two laws of perspective to help give this travel journal page drawing some depth. With distance, similar shapes appear to get smaller, and colors in general get lighter. MATERIALS • … Read More
This Koi fish watercolor project has been one of my most popular pins on Pinterest since it went up a couple of years ago. Here it is again for those that missed … Read More
Here is a look at my how to paint a pumpkin instructions, if you’d like a peek at one of my classroom boards. I wanted students to see how easily they could … Read More
This easy ceramic cupcake project is my very favorite, which I save every year for Mother’s Day for kinders. I’m pretty sure though that it has lots of appeal for any holiday … Read More
My favorite part of these little Halloween boxes is the color combination. I love the soft orange and matte black and shiny silver. Fortunately, they all come from supplies that are very … Read More
My students have been making these Witch Hat Scratch Art images all week. And as I mentioned before, I’ve learned that as long as they make two thick layers of color before … Read More
I love how this witch hat scratch art pushes students to color heavily. It takes two coats of coloring to get the layers needed to scratch, so you can’t help but end … Read More
To learn how to paint a Crankenstein, you must first read Samantha Berger’s book on how you might spot such a creature, and how they come to be. It’s an adorable look … Read More
I found this drawing witch feet idea in some stock art Halloween illustrations. It offers colorful seasonal fun, and some good symmetrical drawing practice too with those curvy, funky boots. It’s unique … Read More
When students learn how to draw a haunted house, they can practice their architectural drawing while making their houses look spooky. • View and download Haunted House Tutorial MATERIALS • Color print … Read More
This Halloween cat painting has a pretty high cute factor, and is easy to draw too. It is also very symmetrical, which is a big plus for young artists. MATERIALS • Watercolor … Read More
My first graders were shown how to draw a bat, but only after learning some more about them in this amazing new book I found “Nightsong”. It beautifully illustrates how they use … Read More
