20 Winter Themed Art Lessons!

Hey there, friends! It's that time of year where the days might be cold and a little gloomy but the art room can be a bright and colorful place...especially with these projects! 

I thought I'd round up some of my very favorite winter art lessons that are (totally free!) kid tested and approved and share them with you. You are welcome to use them in your art making world (although I do not grant my permission for any of these lessons to be repackaged and sold on Teachers Pay Teachers). Nearly all of these lessons come with a video for you and your artists and some come with free downloadable drawing sheets. So be sure and follow the link to the blog post.

Without any further chattin', let's dive in! 

Kicking things off with this lesson of wintery penguins from my first grade artists!

This is the perfect Back to School after winter break lesson as it focuses on a review of LINE and PAINTBRUSH CONTROL. Of course, to kick things off for that, you might find my books Larry the Line and The Paintbrush Ballerina very handy!

Both books are rhyming books which make them super fun to read. Larry the Line will introduce your artists to the names of lines and ways to remember them and there is a free line guide to be shared with students in the back. The Paintbrush Ballerina has a strong focus on how to use, handle and care for a paintbrush. I created a ton of free downloads to accompany that book and you can find them here and here!

Once line and brush practice is complete, early finishers practice their penguin drawing on dry erase boards. The following glass, we dive into large paper and draw with our beloved bingo dauber! If you have not used them yet in your art room, here's more details!

Chalk was used (sparingly!) to add a little shadow and color to these cuties! From there, we cut them out and added them to the spiral line painted backgrounds. 

Now this kindergarten snowman lesson was very similar in the lesson format! We reviewed lines and painting and created the background. We practiced drawing snowmen and then created our own with an ink filled bingo dauber. Then we cut then out and attached to the background!

If you are short on time or are uncertain if your kindergarteners won't accidently decapitate their snowman in the cutting out process (it happens) then you could...simply have students decorate the background! This early finisher made a second snowman and just added spots of color for snow. So do what works! Save your sanity! 

If you do have some early finishers who are looking to practice their snowman drawing skills then I might have a fun game for y'all! This one is FREE WITH DOWNLOADS and I promise your students will love it. This works for all early finishers so be sure and have it on hand for your artists as they work.

Looking for a little something that would serve as an in-between project? Maybe a short lesson that is sure to yield big results? This winter pup and kitten lesson was a kid favorite! Each one was so cute and the artists just follow along drawing with me in the video! Check it out here.

After winter break is usually when I start hyping myself up for upcoming clay projects! I definitely don't do those right after a break...I like to ease back into a routine. So to get the kids excited about clay and the annual Clay Mug Lesson, we create these big ole hot chocolate paintings! Of course, we use our ink-filled dauber. For color, I love to use neon oil pastels and liquid watercolor. 

Looking for a quick collage lesson? This one is perfect! And we created them in a smaller format (I think it was 6-8" squares?) so we were able to use up paper from the scrap bin. This is a great lesson to remind students on how to use their scissors and glue too! Need a book about that? I might be able to help...

I wrote Scissors, Glue and YOU! to help all artists learn to use this supplies without waste or, worse, injury! It's another fun rhyming book that features Larry (from Larry the Line) and Alfred! Kids love to see these two in art class. You can check it out here. 

Speaking of collage...here's one I do with kindergarten every year!

If you do decide to venture into the clay mug lesson, I've got ALL of my tips and tricks for you! I did this with my whole school for several years and they LOVED it. It was an outrageous hit and I think I figured out the best way to go about teaching it. You can check out all the details here!

A lesson that I love to do each year with my third grade artists is this one! We used to create these pieces on cardboard pizza rounds until I convinced my friends over at Prang to create ROUND PAPER! You can now buy it here. 

Speaking of round paper...that brings me to all of the snow globe lessons I've created! Turns out...I've made a lot! This lesson was designed for my fourth grade students. They loved getting detailed with all of the buildings for their snow gloves! Lesson here. 

Because we explored MANY concepts in this lesson, it was a long one! So for some shorter snow globe projects...

Let's start here! This one is also great for a sub because I have a free video as well as two free downloads to go with this lesson!

With these two free downloads, your students can also create the following snow globe lessons:

This marker print snow globe project!

And this floating chalk print snow globe!

Okay, question: are Gingerbread or Candy Houses JUST for the holidays?! If your answer is no then add THIS fun lesson to the mix! 

Did I mention that there's a free download?!

I don't know about you, but I love to sneak in a short lesson after a long one! So...if your students have just wrapped up a big project, they may enjoy this two day art project for kids of all ages!

Learning to draw 3-D is always a hit with the kids!

Just when you thought this blog post was done...I have more! Here's a rapid fire of all the other winter themed lessons I have for you for free!

This selfie with printmaking thrown into the mix. My second graders loved this one!

I know chalk can be a bit of a mess and that's a big reason so many of us steer clear but...would you look at these beauties by my fourth grade? Lesson details here!

Looking to get those kids out of their seats and work on a large scale project together? Then you might want to check out the details of these big and beautiful beast!

Making snowflakes is always fun but have you ever tried EMBOSSED snowflakes?! You can check out how we did these here!

AND for those of you that are feeling ambitious, why not try tree weaving on for size?! You can see the details here!

Still want more?! Then...visit this blog post and this one! Have a great week, friends!

Let's Draw Wonky Winter Houses!

Happy New Year, friends!

If you are heading back next week and looking for a lesson that the kids will love, have I got one for you! I did a variation of this lesson years ago and my students, first through fourth, LOVED it! You can see the different spin I put on that lesson here. There's a video for that particular lesson and you can find it on that blog post.

If you are like me, when I come back from a break, I feel completely out of sorts. Supplies are scattered, nothing is where I remember it to be...and I'm just trying to get used to getting up at a 'normal' hour. So! For this updated spin, I decided to ONLY use permanent markers and markers, water and a paint brush. Not only that but...I shrunk the paper! That way, this is an abreviated lesson that will help you regain your sea legs so you are ready to dive into the new year...but maybe in a week or two ;)

By the way, in this lesson, I'm using my Prang markers which ARE MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. Seriously. I've not turned back since I started using them. The colors are SO juicy and perfect for this kind of spin on painting with markers. You can check them out here.

Did I mention that I have a free download for you and your artists?! Yep! My students loved this download! I never made it available before...but had many requests so...ask and you shall receive! Here it is!

I hope y'all have fun and have a wonderful start to your new year!

AND...if you are looking for some new methods for starting your new school year, my book Art Teacherin' 101 is full of them! 

Have a great rest of your break, friends!

How to Draw (and Paint!) Gingerbread Houses!

Hi, friends!

Coming to you with a new, fun and wintery lesson just in time for the holidays. Here's a How to Draw (and Paint!) Gingerbread lesson that you and your artists will love. Added bonus: this one comes with a FREE download! Just check it out below. But first, the video:

Because I know you may be short on time (and attentio span), I thought it would be fun to do this lesson a copule of different ways. One, why not make 'em little? By folding a square of paper in quarters, you end up with four little squares for practice drawing your houses. When finished, I used watercolor pencils (my new fave!) for a quick painting project. 

This idea sheet will break down the steps easily! So you and your artists can either follow along with me as I draw in my video OR...they can simply use the drawing sheet! You can find it for free here!

Now, I've not played around with these watercolor pencils from Prang very much until recently. I was VERY suprised how bright and colorful the colors were once paint was added. I did like that the set of 10 pencils came with a paintbrush too. It was the perfect size for this activity! AND...I was even able to add color and paint to the popsicle stick frames!

I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday! 

If you are still hunting around for the perfect Christmas gift, I have some super fun books that you and yours may enjoy! I've been packing the up and getting them out as the orders come in so they make it in time for the holidays. Now's the time! Here's a link to my books. 

Stay cozy, friends!

Five Fast, Fun and EASY Lessons to do Before Break!

Well, y'all, it's time. Time for a BREAK! And time to take it easy with some fun lessons that not only will the kids LOVE but also mean low prep/stress for you. So here are my Five Fast, Fun and EASY lessons for before Christmas break!

Okay, for this first one, I've got two TOTALLY FREE downloads and a video for you and your artists! You can find the downloads and video here. 

These lessons are for you and your artists. You do not have my persmission to create, repackage or sell them on Teachers Pay Teachers (yes, I have to say this because yes, people do that). I share because I love y'all and I want the best for you and your artists. It makes me sad when folks take advantage of that to make a quick buck.

I did THREE variaions of this snow globe lesson because I just loved it so much! For this next one, you'll need a basin of water (I use a plastic container) and some chalk for FLOATING CHALK SNOW GLOBES!

I promise the kids will love this one!

Got just a little time to spare? I promise you, all of your students will love some Snow Man Bingo! This is another totally free download! You can find it right here!

This drawing activity is one that my students really loved. We learned to draw cute winter pups and kittens by following my video! You can check it out here. 

Have you ever tried MARKER PRINTS?! This one is also a huge hit! I've got all the details and a video demo here.

By the way...if you are still shopping the artist, art teacher or favorite creative in your life, you might want to place your order for any of my books now. This will (fingers crossed) hopefully get them here in time for the holidays! I would say to order no later than this week!

My books can be found here. Have a great week, y'all!