This winter art project is about learning to mix different shades of green. Keep the drawing simple so there’s plenty of time to experiment. MATERIALS • Multimedia Paper • Crayola Watercolor Mixing Set • Crayons • Hole Punch • White paper, scraps • White glue DIRECTIONS 1. To begin, I asked the students to draw at least three triangles … Read More
Stock art is a good place to look for Valentines art ideas. This flying kitty with a heart was too cute and easy to draw. I highly recommend either printing the guide lines shown before hand, or having kids fold their paper to make four equal sections on the paper. It really helps kids judge their placement of lines when … Read More
If you are looking ahead for a Chinese New Year activity, then I’ve got you covered. How about a fun collaborative coloring project for your entire class? My 2019 Year of the Pig mural is made in the style of ancient Chinese paper cutting, and is a breeze to put together. All you need to do is: • Print out all … Read More
Adding elements of art (texture) to a project can be as simple as crumpling up an old phone book page, painting it and drawing on top. This technique could be applied to any art that might benefit from a few bumps and wrinkles. MATERIALS Multimedia paper Old phone book Glue stick White acrylic paint Black Sharpie marker Crayons DIRECTIONS Tear … 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
My favorite thing about this winter snowflake art is the plastic trading card sleeves that instantly make the art look laminated. Hides any imperfect gluing too. MATERIALS Watercolor paper Art Trading Cards Liquid watercolor paint Salt Card stock paper, white Snowflake punch, vintage Glue stick Scissors Plastic trading card sleeves DIRECTIONS Use liquid watercolor paints on watercolor paper cut to … Read More
And then color and paint your gingerbread man with some yummy colors. Really young students may need a form to trace as all his rounded lines are more difficult to draw than straight lines. Older students though may enjoy adding more detailed frosting and a shadow to the sides so he looks more dimensional. MATERIALS • Multimedia or watercolor paper … Read More
When it comes to winter painting ideas for kids, this cardinal has been a favorite for years. The red and blue colors always make such a pretty image. • View and download Cardinal PDF tutorial MATERIALS • Multimedia or watercolor paper • Sharpie, black, fine tip • Crayons • Liquid watercolor DIRECTIONS 1. Draw a cardinal and tree branch in … Read More
Learn how to draw a nutcracker that touches the top and bottom of your paper and you’re guaranteed to always fill the paper. I drew these with kinders through 5th graders for years, and found it worked well for everyone. Older students ended up taking more time to add details, and more of a background (windows, doors, gifts, etc.?). There … Read More
Winter art projects for elementary students work best, I believe, when the subject and supplies are kept simple, simple, simple. The shadows cast by the moon are easy to see on the winter snow and offer a beginning lesson in perspective. For more drawing tutorials, see my “How to Draw” ebook in my PDF Shop. MATERIALS • View and download Winter … Read More
One of my favorite winter art projects for kids uses bleeding tissue paper to create a lovely swirl of snowy skies with just the right mix of color. All you need to do is overlap little squares of bleeding tissue paper on wet watercolor paper, wait a moment, and remove. The color left behind does all its magic. You would … Read More
Sometimes I find easy art projects for kids that aren’t easy to replicate for lots of students. That’s when technology steps in. This fox painting looks like students recycled newspaper for the background of a painting, but actually one sheet was scanned and printed for all of them. No need to make your own, just download my file in the … Read More
If you’d like a peek at one of my classroom boards, here is a look at my step by step pumpkin painting instructions. I wanted students to see how easily they could make a dimensional looking pumpkin. Drawing a circle and painting it orange would not produce nearly the same results, so it was important to follow these steps. After … Read More
Here’s a lesson about the Mayflower for kids to trace and paint. It’s a map of the Mayflower’s journey, and will look old and wrinkled when complete. • View and download PDF Mayflower Map for Tracing MATERIALS • Printed copy of tracing map for each student • Tracing paper or Sandwich Paper from restaurant supply store, like Smart & Final … Read More
Add a grid to your leaf art projects and students can’t help but fill the entire paper. Draw a different type in each and you have a very pretty painting. MATERIALS • Watercolor paper or multimedia paper • Black Sharpie marker • Liquid watercolor paint DIRECTIONS 1. I used my printer to make lines that divided the paper into 6 … 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
I created this Jasper Johns project for kids so they could make a miniature version of his paintings, and recycle an old CD case as well. Students can get as messy as the want with their painting and the numbers will still show up because they are raised. Plus it’s a pretty good way to recycled some old CD trays, … Read More
Teach students how to draw a “Crankenstein”, thanks to this very funny new children’s book by Samantha Berger. Super simple and cute. Turns out that you only need a few elements to draw a Crankenstein. Angry eyes, a wiggly mouth and hunched shoulders all add up to one very angry kid. Add a little green paint and you have a … Read More
I found this idea for an easy scarecrow painting over at Artsonia.com. I love how my students could easily make a large detailed face, but still include faraway fields and trees. This is just a good old-fashioned watercolor resist, but it really brings out the best in both materials. Crayons add some extra color, keep the paint from running together, … Read More
This tree silhouette art is a multimedia project using chalk pastel and tempera cake paint. Each media does what they do best – make fuzzy backgrounds and opaque coloring. MATERIALS • Multimedia paper • Old CD for tracing • Chalk pastels (blue and purple recommended) • Tempera cake paint, black • Paint brush, water DIRECTIONS 1. Students traced a CD … Read More