It doesn’t take a genius to see how easily Olaf the Snowman could be made out of Model Magic. Add some googly eyes, twigs, beans and bam, he’s done! I’ve been creating Model Magic with students for years now, and it’s ease of use never ceases to amaze me. The biggest tip I can give to newcomers, is to try … Read More
Zentangle art is drawing with repetitive patterns. My snowflakes may look complex, but they 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 … Read More
You can make this winter tree drawing with the help of bleeding tissue paper. Just apply water to small squares and they leave behind amazing swirly winter skies. This worked for a series of art trading cards today, but I can’t wait to try it on a larger format. You would think that a bunch of tissue squares would leave … 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
Make your own handmade greeting cards with my sticker snowman project. Animate your snowman by moving the arms and hat and adjusting placement of the face. These snowman trading cards make use of a trading card sleeve to line them up for display, but you always just glue the cards to a folded sheet to make a card. I love how … 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 Ruby awhile back. I love how colorful her home is. Thanks Ruby for letting me share it! MATERIALS • Watercolor paper • Sharpie, black, fine tip • Crayons … 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 children can draw. • View and download Cardinal Tutorial MATERIALS • Multimedia Paper • Sharpie marker, black • Oil Pastels DIRECTIONS 1. On a horizontal sheet … 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 than the school grade stuff. I’ve never seen such vivid results from school supplies, but I love every painting made with this tempera paint from dickblick.com. This is … Read More
Making your own scratch art is one of my favorite oil pastel drawing ideas. Try coloring one or two or three layers to see what happens. Many different textures are possible, including this fuzzy-looking mitten. MATERIALS • Multimedia paper • Ruler • Oil pastels, I recommend Portfolio brand • Wood stylus DIRECTIONS 1. Use the ruler to draw a frame … 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 old-fashioned look, along with the chance to color a nice white beard and fuzzy hat brim. • View and download Santa PDF Tutorial MATERIALS • Color print of … 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 posted my favorite method of drawing “Y Trees” before but this time it’s with a winter theme. • View How to Draw a “Y” Tree MATERIALS • Multimedia … 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 easy dots of snow to finish things off. • View and download Winter Landscape Tutorial MATERIALS • Watercolor paper • Black Sharpie marker • Liquid watercolor paint, blue … Read More
Here is a very simple but very cute way to draw a polar bear. He is made of just a few simple, symmetrical shapes, but if you arrange them the way I have shown, they make an unmistakable bear. • View and download Polar Bear Tutorial MATERIALS • Color print of Polar Bear tutorial for each student • Drawing paper … 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 off when dry and glue down punched out paper snowflakes. Super simple and gets amazing results every time. MATERIALS • Watercolor paper (try Strathmore for special occasions) • … Read More
This winter tree art landscape makes use of a simple idea, namely that torn paper looks a lot like the bark edges of a tree, but needs to be done neatly for maximum impact. I first did this with a mixed class that included first graders, and while they painted and tore the paper just fine, it was hard for … Read More
Students can learn how to make their sticker snowmen card come to “life” by altering where the face and buttons are placed on the body. The fact that they can easily do this all with stickers and markers makes it even more fun. MATERIALS • Recollections card stock paper, blue • White sticker mailing labels 1″ x 4″ or so … 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 • Crayons DIRECTIONS 1. Draw the tall house in pencil. 2. Trace the drawing with a black marker. 3. Draw snowflakes in the sky with a white crayon. … Read More
If you are going to practice drawing buildings, why not have some fun with these old-fashioned architecture features? I’ve found it helpful for students to use grid paper, so I made a custom sheet and tutorial that I am happy to share in the link below. • View and download Draw a Winter Town Tutorial 1. Draw ground line and … Read More
You can make beautiful bleeding tissue paper art with small squares of turquoise and purple. Apply water and they leave behind amazing swirly winter skies. This worked for a series of art trading cards today, but I can’t wait to try it on a larger format. You would think that a bunch of tissue squares would leave geometric patterns behind, … 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 that included first graders, and while they painted and tore the paper just fine, it was hard for them to keep the snow white. For that reason, I … Read More
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