Painting

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

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

You pretty much can’t lose when you make pumpkins your subject matter for a painting. The line work alone is perfect for teaching kids how to give their circles dimension, let alone … 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

It seems to me that the study of insects needn’t be done in unexciting black and white diagrams. Students can make some colorful studies in art, and use them for science reports … 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

I actually ran out of drawing paper recently and tried out this food wrap (dry wax paper) that was left over from an old project. MATERIALS • Dry wax paper, 12″ x … 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

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

Here’s a combo make in art heaven — gold tempera and a King Tut painting project. Works great for history lessons, or even an excuse to use the paint. It’s inexpensive and … Read More

Ton Schulton is a Dutch landscape artist, known for his amazing color work. I wish I knew who first thought of this great approach for having students paint in his style. It’s … 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

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 wish I could draw like this little girl does. Nola is only in kindergarten, and everything she does just oozes child-like charm. Filling the space between the two heads with pink … 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

I like how this tutorial helps students fill their paper, and just focus drawing part of an elephant. MATERIALS • Multimedia or watercolor paper • Sharpie marker, black • Crayons • Liquid … 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

Some of my favorite art journal pages I’ve seen just have a sense of freedom to them. The paper can be spotty and messy, headlines can go at the bottom instead of … Read More

Students first “draw” the flowers with their paint brushes, and then trace the edges afterward. My other projects almost always begin with traced drawings so this backwards approach gave the students a … 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

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

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I’ve made a tutorial of how to draw a Shamrock. If you can draw lines and hearts, then you can make this beautiful painting in honor … Read More

Here’s a little tip on how to draw a caterpillar with very “squishy” sections. I saw it in a book years ago, and wish I could credit the genius who thought it … Read More

Young painters, like preK and kinders, need to explore with paint, but I think they enjoy making recognizable shapes as well. These little birds are easy to draw, and have an added … Read More

My goal with this flying heart balloon painting was to keep things really simple so kids could experiment with their wet-on-wet painting. This fourth grader, Lola, did an impeccable job, using the … Read More

There are times when it is good to plan with a pencil, and then there are times when you just need to draw with a brush. You can’t go wrong with these … Read More

This just in, a finished “Chinese New Year of the Rooster” mural from Alison, a teacher. She opted to use an acrylic paint mixed with a soft gel medium to add some … Read More

This Valentine painting was inspired by a simple stock art drawing. I think it would make the beginning of a great story, given it’s a flying cat, holding a heart for someone. … Read More

So it turns out that a coffee filter, Sharpie and watercolor paint can make a pretty great President’s Day painting project. You can even try some shading by adding an extra layer … Read More

Here’s how to make a terrarium painting, which is a pretty AND educational lesson for studying plant life. I’ve used it for years with kinders, when they study root systems in the … 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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