One of my favorite abstract art ideas for beginners is to divide a page into quarters, and fill in with opposing colors. An instant cool look! Careful coloring is called for, as even a little bit scribbling will not have the same effect as this amazing young student’s art. For maximum contrast, I recommend that students fill each section with … Read More
My favorite Frida Kahlo for kids project is a simple portrait with a few key features. Draw her hair up, with flowers and classic heavy eyebrows, and there’s not much mistaking whose portrait you are drawing. Frida overcame many obstacles in her life, but she always found a way to continue making art. That’s a pretty good message for children … Read More
Looking for a few How to Draw tutorials for your young artists? How about 200 of them? All in one ebook? Years of making tutorials for my after school classes has helped me discover what works best for those just beginning to draw. This giant ebook contains 200 projects that start with simple shapes students can most easily see, so … Read More
To learn how to draw a kimono that has lots of room for pretty patterns, just start with a large T shape. Add the sides and bands for color and you’re done. I’ve used this approach for both large oil pastel drawings and tempera paintings, even watercolor on transparent paper. It’s a good lesson in symmetry, and a great way … Read More
I saw this lion drawing easy enough for really young artists in an Ed Emberley book. I love how just three overlapping circles turn into a very cute lion. Keep this idea in your head if you are ever trying to entertain a 6 year-old for a few minutes. The simplicity of it always seems to peak their curiosity. Or … Read More
Looking for a chicken drawing easy enough for beginner artists? This mother hen and chicks are made from just a few simple shapes that are very easy to color. For an extra challenge, try challenging those that are ready to add some shadows to their little animals. Round shapes call for crescent shaped shadows, much like what happens with the … Read More
If you know how to tint and shade with oil pastels, then try testing your skills with this cubism Valentine project to make your own masterpiece. MATERIALS Multimedia or card stock paper, square Pencil Ruler Oil pastels, Portfolio brand The above product link is a referral. If you click through and take action, I’ll be compensated a small amount, but … Read More
This may be the easiest Valentines art for kids project that I know of. If you can layer oil pastels, you can scratch out some very artsy looking hearts. I’ve added color lessons to this before, but honestly some of the most striking hearts (this one especially) came from just free form coloring. No matter which route you go though, … Read More
Black history art projects are a great way to learn about some amazing people who had to forge their own way in the world. Lois Mailou Jones (1905 – 1998) had an impressive career, but do you know how she got started? She had been working as a textile designer and often sold her bold fabric creations to department stores. … Read More
Mittens and scratch art make for some really creative winter art activities. You can practice making different textures by just scratching way. MATERIALS Multimedia paper Ruler Oil pastels, I recommend Portfolio brand Wood stylus (Optional) PDF mitten template, for kinder and first graders DIRECTIONS Use the ruler to draw a frame all around the edge of the paper. You can … Read More
Black history month projects can also give a nod to noted artists who live a bit south of us, like Bernard Hoyes from Jamaica. This tutorial not only simplifies some of his graceful dancing ladies, but is a good exercise in filling a whole sheet of paper, as the head, arms and dress must all touch the sides to get the … Read More
Here’s how to draw and paint Chinese lanterns, with a perspective lesson as well. The Chinese New Year starts on Feb. 5th. MATERIALS Download Chinese Lantern PDF Tutorial Watercolor paper (I like Pacon Art 1st) Black Permanent marker (This Ticonderoga brand doesn’t bleed) Prang Gallery Watercolor Pencils (more colorful than other brands) DIRECTIONS Follow the tutorial to draw the lanterns … Read More
Snowman drawing for kids can become more interesting if you use a different point of view and media. Oil pastel colors on black will pop off the page. MATERIALS • Black card stock paper • Oil pastels • Old CDs for tracing • Ruler DIRECTIONS 1. Students may use a ruler to trace a border around the edge of a … Read More
For a pretty Christmas card drawing idea, you can’t beat a stained glass candle card. Embrace the smudge of oil pastels for that shadowy colorful look. Candles play a center role in all kinds of celebrations this time of year, so this warm candle on a cool, fractured background works for just about everyone. MATERIALS Heavy drawing paper Oil pastels, … Read More
Here’s how to color a turkey, and end up with a very cool looking work of art. Sgraffito is the art of scratching color away to reveal something underneath. The idea is to draw a turkey, trace it with a black marker to make the lines stand out, color it well, cover all with a black pastel, and then scratch … Read More
These lovely watercolor turkeys show how Thanksgiving art projects don’t have to be brown and boring. Volunteer art docent Tricia from Brentwood, CA had her 4th grade students first draw them on 12×18 white paper with Sharpies. They added oil pastel accents and finished with water color from edge to edge. Love the color! Here is my tutorial she followed: PREP • … Read More
This fall drawing project makes students use the entire page as it only works when the branches touch the edge of the paper. I love the combo of black Sharpie trees and then soft oil pastels to fill in, but I have discovered that the marker will bleed in time and make a fuzzy line. If you want to avoid … Read More
This really is the world’s most simple owl drawing. Just a few lines and bam, an unmistakably fierce looking bird. Be sure to trace those simple lines twice with the black oil pastel to make sure they stand out. It makes all those edges really stand out. MATERIALS Old paper to make pattern. 8.5″ x 11″ Scissors Black construction paper, … Read More
Look for further for artsy Halloween costumes. Make a cubism masterpieces with a paper bag and oil pastels. MATERIALS Brown grocery bag Oil pastels DIRECTIONS I used a regular brown grocery bag, and started by drawing the split face on one side with a black pastel. For more specifics on how to draw the two-sided face, check out my … Read More
It’s that time of year when it’s fun to mix a little art history with Halloween festivals by way of a ‘The Scream art project’. This fun photo op was made awhile back with my “Munch’s The Scream” PDF template. I printed it a bit larger than usual, had students color it, mounted it to foam core, and cut out … Read More