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
‘Tis the season for holiday decorations, so this Giant Popsicle Stick Snowflake is my solution for some inexpensive flakes that have a lot more impact than paper ones, and will last for … 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’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 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
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
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
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
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
To make this ornament Christmas card, try filling the shapes with lots of with lines and patterns and watch the edges appear all by themselves. MATERIALS • White cardstock paper, 5″ x … 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
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
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
Here is one way to make easy snowflake art with paint and paper. Try blending several shades of blue on good watercolor paper and sprinkle salt to add more texture. Brush it … Read More
This old-fashioned Victorian House is the stuff of storytelling. It’s tall shape and old windows are fun for children to draw. MATERIALS • Multimedia Paper • Sharpie, black • Liquid watercolor paint … Read More
You can learn how to draw the Grinch’ with a very mischievous face with my step-by-step tutorial. I’m going to see if I can play my favorite “You’re a Mean One, Mr. … 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
This was such a fun bleeding tissue paper discovery. Turns out if you cut small squares, and apply them with water to watercolor paper, they leave behind the most amazing swirly winter … Read More
This winter tree landscape makes use of a simple idea, namely that torn paper looks a lot like the bark edges of a tree. I first did this with a mixed class … Read More
My Holiday Matchbox Art kids did a great job today, as they experimented with adding mini pom poms to their drawings. These two amazing 2nd graders, Rebecca and Violet, made them with … Read More
Making holiday cards with kinders may sound like a fairly simple task, until you factor in all the details. Is it doable with a wide range of abilities? Is it flexible for … Read More
These Pom Pom ornaments were inspired by some fabric ones I saw at Anthropologie. I decided I like mine even better as Michaels has pom poms that come in really pretty shades … Read More
Here is my experiment in diagramming art instructions. Maybe visual projects need visual instructions? It would be interesting to truly test different approaches and see which gets the better overall comprehension. For … Read More
This cardinal painting was a favorite with parents when it was used for a art fundraiser project this year. The red and blue colors just can’t help but make a pretty image. … Read More
I call this paper chain tree my “minimalist” holiday card. Stores like Michaels have lots of pretty scrapbook paper these days; I prefer ones with a small scale print. MATERIALS • … Read More
If you paint a winter tree, you have the chance to study and draw them without any worries about leaves. I’ve posted my favorite method of drawing “Y Trees” before but this … Read More
Here’s an adorable Gingerbread Matchbox made yesterday by Nya, a fifth-grader. I showed students how to draw a simple droopy roof line and some candy windows, but Nya took the idea to … Read More
Here is a really simple way to add texture to a watercolor painting. Just sprinkle salt while it’s still wet and let sit for a few minutes. All kinds of cool shapes … Read More
The good and bad news is that oil pastels like to smudge together, especially when black is around. But rather than fight it, why not embrace it in the way that stained … Read More
To make this holiday ornament card, try filling the shapes with lots of with lines and patterns and watch the edges appear all by themselves. MATERIALS • White cardstock paper, 5″ x … Read More
Here’s an idea for a painting, a good old-fashioned winter townhouse. Architectural drawing is so much different than drawing faces and other organic shapes. I like to show students that art covers … Read More
I saved this Gingerbread House watercolor painting project for my 2nd and 3rd graders so they could practice making a house with “form” and not just “shape”. A one-sided house has shape, … Read More
If you want to spur a little more creative thinking with a gingerbread boy project, try asking students to add some clothing. Older students may also add a 3D edge to one … 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
Students can learn how to make their snowman card come to “life” by altering where the face and buttons are placed on the body. The fact that they can easily do this … Read More
Here’s an homemade snowman card idea that just uses markers and white circles cut from a hole punch. Make your templates once, and you could start a production line of homemade holiday … Read More
‘Tis the season for holiday decorations, so this Jumbo Craft Stick Snowflake is my solution for some inexpensive flakes that have a lot more impact than paper ones, and will last for … Read More
This old 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
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 is easier to glue … Read More
You can learn how to draw the Grinch’s very mischievous face with my step-by-step tutorial. I’m going to see if I can play my favorite “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” song … Read More
I’ve broken down the steps on how to draw a Poinsettia, which would make a lovely holiday picture, as well as be easily be tied into a Georgia O’Keeffe lesson. • View … Read More
This how to draw a teddy bear tutorial is fun for the holidays, and super simple to draw. And I think you’ll find that many girls will find a way to turn … Read More
