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
My students needed some easy snowman drawing directions, so I make this diagram. Simple adjustment of the face and buttons can add a lot of dimension. Consider making a snowman art show with lots of these guys all lined up looking around and in different directions. So much more fun than every one just looking straight ahead. MATERIALS Drawing paper, … 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
Here’s a tutorial for how to draw Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, which keeps him simple without losing any of his cute details. For more holiday drawing, see my popular new “Christmas Drawing” ebook in my PDF Shop. I recommend folding the paper four times to get the creased grid line shown in the tutorial. It really helps students plan the placement … Read More
This could be the world’s easiest way to make a cute polar bear drawing. I like using markers to keep the whites white, but any media will do. MATERIALS View and download Snow Bear Tutorial Drawing paper Black, red and blue markers DIRECTIONS Draw the snow bear according to the tutorial. Trace all the lines with a black marker. … 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 make a cute penguin drawing, and then design your own hat and scarf. If you need something a little more realistic, the hat and scarf could be dropped. Either way, this guy is made from some pretty simple symmetrical shapes so ever first graders would have fun drawing him. Or her, of course. If you like this … Read More
Learn how to draw the Grinch and his very mischievous face with my easy step-by-step tutorial. My recommendation for getting the best results with this tutorial? Use real watercolor paper so the colors stay nice and bright, and if you use liquid watercolor paint, mix up a batch of the “Grinch” greenish yellow color for everyone to share. It’s not … Read More
Make your own homemade snow globe with just a plastic cup and some Model Magic. Add a Santa hat for some extra holiday fun. I saved this homemade snow globe project to introduce kinders to Model Magic for years and loved it. The cups kept their snowman creations safe and air tight so they stayed nice a fresh for quite … 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
Mix things up a bit with this fun to draw Santa on a Stamp. Use kraft paper and you can get a natural look for your Santa and his white beard. White paper will work just fine too, you just won’t need to fill in the beard, obviously. Whatever media you use, go for the brightest reds and blues as … 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
My school had a nutcracker theme for their holiday show one year, so I showed students how to make a giant nutcracker drawing on butcher paper. Now you can download your own diagram to help you make your own nutcracker drawing. Folding the paper to create guide lines really helps with the proportion. Sketch it in pencil, use … Read More
Here’s an easy Christmas card idea that makes a very colorful image. Just change the colors and it works for many different celebrations. 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 Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or neither? … Read More
A simple polar bear drawing can make a very cute holiday card. You can swap that hat out for a regular stocking cap the rest of the year. I love using this easy drawing as a watercolor project. Try using real watercolor paper so the colors are bright and the crayon resist for the snow really stands out. This painting by … Read More
These DIY pop up Christmas cards are easy to make, thanks to the fact that you can now get circle paper punches in a variety of sizes. Just be sure to cut all the circles and flakes ahead of time. Don’t make the mistake I did which was to think I could punch out plenty while students worked. Stress is … Read More
A cute snowman drawing doesn’t have to be small and flat. In fact, they are a great subject to make look more dimensional. If you start with an old CD for tracing, you’ll be guaranteed to get your snowman off to a great start. Getting that first circle down on the paper (not too big, not too small) makes all … Read More
If you add a few extra details to a simple snowman drawing, you can add a bit of whimsy, no matter what media you choose to use. My snowman drawing was made on black paper and traced with white glue. After the glue dries, the art can be colored in with chalk or color sticks. MATERIALS Download Snowman Tutorial Black … Read More
These snowflakes make great zentangle patterns for beginners. They may look complex, but are made from just adding lots of arrows to my star template. I tried out some new Stabilo markers for this drawing, and totally love the pointMax set. The tips are nice and firm, so it makes them a pleasure to draw with. The company makes other … Read More