I am happy to release my new Gold Rush package. It includes 3 sizes of my new San Francisco Niantic Hotel mural (6, 15 and 28 pages) and a new “Wanted” Poster … Read More
This is my favorite way for students to make a scratch art picture, first a black marker drawing, then layers of oil pastel on top. MATERIALS • Card stock paper • … 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
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
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 amazing Van Gogh Iris mural comes from Coral Schober in Ontario, Canada. She’s a volunteer Art Image Teacher at the Kortright Hills Public school, and made this Van Gogh Iris Mural … Read More
I’ve made a Modigliani self portrait tutorial in hopes that it encourages more to try it out. Something about the distortion frees students up from getting overly fussy with their drawing, and … 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
This cat project was inspired by a talented artist named Laurel Burch, who sadly passed away recently. She had a wonderful style of drawing abstract cats with large eyes that always met … Read More
You don’t have to buy expensive scratch art paper. If you have some good oil pastels, you can make your own. MATERIALS • Card stock paper • Sharpie, black, chisel tip … Read More
My clown tutorial seems to be pretty popular over at Pinterest, so here is an update. My recommendation? Start with black paper so your clown can truly have the white face that … Read More
Kandinsky pretty much invented abstract art back in the early 1900’s. His “Study of Abstract Squares” is a fun and easy painting to imitate. Encourage students to lay in on thick, so … Read More
In celebration of Black History month, I’ve created this mural in the style of William H. Johnson (1901-1970), a very talented painter who had a difficult life. He came to be widely admired for … Read More
These watercolor resist hearts use rubber cement to lock in a paint color while the surrounding areas soak it up. I recommend it for a home project as it works best with … Read More
Architect Frank Lloyd Wright told his students, “Limits are an artist’s best friend.” That’s because they force us to find answers we might not otherwise have discovered. Students are to draw a … Read More
This amazing work of art comes all the way from the Middle East. Kristen D. wrote, “Hello, I just wanted to thank you so much for the brilliant tree project. I did … Read More
Jim Dine is an American pop artist, famous for his series of heart paintings. This project uses tissue paper, glue and oil pastels to create a heart in his very textured style. … Read More
If you know how to tint and shade with oil pastels, then try testing your skills on this Cubist style heart. MATERIALS • Multimedia or card stock paper, square • Pencil • … Read More
To honor it’s history, here’s a Liberty Bell art project that uses sgraffito, an ancient scratch art technique. • View and download Liberty Bell line drawing MATERIALS • Cardstock paper • Oil … Read More
Thank you to Ms. Serre and Ms. March’s fourth grade class from PS11 in the Bronx, NY. They quickly put one of my murals together today, and shared the results. Isn’t it … Read More
A reader shared this collaborative Martin Luther King mural photo awhile back, and it’s one of my favorites. I’m amazed how neatly they colored it and put it together. (Also, would love … Read More
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
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
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
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
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
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
A quick look at how some of my 4th graders made their apple drawings last week. I love how the oil pastel made a very thick edge, and literally helped keep the … Read More
To learn how to draw a fall tree, try thinking of it as a series of branches, and not just a fluffy shape that sits on a stick. MATERIALS • Multimedia paper … Read More
A few key features will help you learn how to draw Frida Kahlo like a pro. She was a Mexican self-portrait artist and feminist icon who was married to Diego Rivera. Draw … Read More
Turn a simple drawing into an Abstract Art Cat by just dividing the page into quarters, and changing colors accordingly. Neat coloring is called for, as even a little bit scribbling will … Read More
There are many “How to Draw a Pumpkin” tutorials out there. This is my take on what I would share with older students, namely third through fifth graders. They should be able … Read More
Here’s a maple leaf drawing idea that uses colors, Kandinsky-style. Kandinsky was one of the first artists to make abstract paintings that celebrated ideas as simple as rings of color. I followed … Read More
Vincent Van Gogh Wheat Field with Crows, shows a dramatic, cloudy sky filled with crows over a wheat field. The simple layout is perfect for practicing layers of oil pastels to see … Read More
My Seasonal Tree mural can be adjusted to follow the seasons throughout the year. After a large tree is completed, different leaves (included in file) are colored in, cut and mounted to show … Read More
Studying the culture from other countries offers a a new perspective on common items such as clothing. MATERIALS • Multimedia or drawing paper • Oil pastels DIRECTIONS 1. Students start … Read More
LLearning perspective starts with noticing that the closer objects are, the bigger they appear. If students draw a simple landscape with just large trees and a small house, they are guaranteed to … Read More
This Modigliani self portrait project seems to work surprisingly well every time I try it. Something about the distortion frees students up from getting overly fussy, and thick pastels are the perfect … Read More
My collaborative Valentine’s Day Murals make fun signs for classrooms and parties. Purchase the PDF file for just $5 and print and color as many as you want. • Purchase Mini Valentine … Read More
This oil pastel heart project actually did triple duty last year. It continued the student’s study of warm and cool colors, taught them about a Pop artist named Jim Dine, and provided … Read More
Make some pretty poinsettia art by just tearing shapes from tissue paper. The torn shapes just naturally look a lot like the flower petals. MATERIALS • Multimedia paper • Tissue paper: green, … Read More
Colorful leaves and a black background will make a lovely fall leaf painting project. If you are lucky, you can gather real maple or oak leaves for your students to trace. For … Read More
If I’ve learned one thing about oil pastels, it’s that the best results come from working with very simple shapes. They also allow for more experimenting with layering, which most students tend … Read More
Jim Dine is an American pop artist, famous for his series of heart paintings. This project uses tissue paper, glue and oil pastels to create a heart in his very textured style. … Read More
This Mini Mural Set consists of three smaller versions of these popular murals: “Sunflowers” by Van Gogh, “Red Room” by Matisse, and “Tree of LIfe” by Klimt. FINISHED DIMENSIONS • Sunflowers: 23″ … Read More
As one of my favorite card projects, I’ve posted this before but never with a template that I thought some busy teachers might appreciate. • View and download D-A-D PDF template PREP: … Read More
Paul Klee (1879 – 1940) was an modern art master who fell in love with color after a visit to Tunisia. I love his “Ancient Harmony” painting that twinkles with light and … Read More
