A Printed Shape Castle Lesson!

Hello, friends! I'm coming to you with another SHAPE-themed art lesson. Earlier this week, I shared a super fun painting lesson when introducing the element of art, shape. You can check out that free painting lesson (with video!) here!

A while back, I created this printed castle lesson and shared it when I was doing shape stations with my students. If you'd like to check out more about my shape stations, I have lots of info here. 

One of the lessons that came out of those shape stations was this Paul Klee meets Mary Blair inspired castle project. Today, I thought I'd repackage the lesson into one video that will walk your artists through the process. 

Now, this lesson can be as simple as making printed castles all the way up to using chalk pastels and adding a background. I'll leave that up to you! Just know that I wanted to cater the video to your art teacherin' needs. So keep it a one-day activity with castle printing or take it beyond (as I did with my older students) and add more art supplies.

Regardless, here's the video for you:

For this, you'll need the following supplies:

* Construction paper. I only use Tru-Ray!

* Cardboard, lots of cardboard for printing. ALWAYS have students print with the wavy edge of the cardboard. Check out how we did that in this fun line printing painting!

* Tempera paint. Check out my fave painting supplies here.

* Tissue paper shapes.

* Chalk and oil pastels.

By the way, using puffy paint with students IS NOT for the faint of heart. You gotta keep an eagle eye on those kids when they are using puffy paint or they will ruin their artwork in a blink. So...I recommend doing it in small groups with you or a trustworthy student as the monitor. Trust me on this one!

This lesson is a long one...if you decide to go the whole thing, just so you know! But the results are pretty fun. 

Of course, you can also skip the cutting out of the castles and adding to the background. Instead, simply have students add "snow" or stars to the background paper to add a little more interest. Maybe even glitter!? BUT that might be a little too much. 

Of course, if you are introducing students to shape, might I recommend MY book?! You can find it here!

No matter what you do, I hope you and your artists have fun creating!

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Line and Pattern Collaborative Painting!

Hey, friends! I'm coming to you today with a lesson that has been rolling around in my head for a while. I know this time of the school year, so many of us focus on LINES and I thought this painting project, that could serve as a school-wide collaborative, would be perfect!

Like my more recent lesson videos, I'm doing a little bit of a teacher-talk at the start of the video to walk you through the prep process. There isn't much but I do think it's important. 

By the way, for A TON MORE line lessons, check out this blog post!

Okay, let's dive in! 

For this lesson, you'll need:

* 9" square paper

* 9" square template if creating a collaborative mural

* Paint-filled bingo dauber, 1 per 1-2 students

* Tempera paint

OF COURSE you're gonna need a copy of my book, Larry the Line, right?!

I find that templates work great and just make one per table! Then the kids can add the tick marks so they know where to start and end their first lines. I think the mural would work best if those first lines were all the same. I decided to use a dark blue.

I've been using the Prang Tempera Paint and really loving how bold and bright the colors are. Looking for a crash course in using tempera paintin the art room? Check out my Top Ten Tips for Tempera Paint here!

If you do this lesson and post on social media, please be sure and tag me, I'd love to see what you and your artists create! Please do not rewrite this lesson and sell on TPT as your own...I hate to say that every post but, it happens!

Have a great week, friends!

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Let's Create Lines with Larry the Line!

Hi, friends!

Since I know so many of you kick off the school year by covering LINES, I thought I'd share a new line lesson with you! 

I actually had a brain explosion of line lessons lately...and I CANNOT WAIT to share all of them with you! So be sure and check back here often because I'll be uploading them all over the next couple of days. 

Of course, THIS lesson is inspired by the one, the only Larry the Line!

To know me is to know about Larry the Line. He's been in my art room, inspiring artists for 25 years! A couple of years ago, I turned the short Larry the Line poem I created into a book. You can find it here.

I am working on creating a whole library of books on the elements of art. So far...I have line and shape (check out Alfred here!) 

But today...we are focusing on LINE.

For this project, I'll be sharing a wet-on-wet technique as I introduce lines and watercolor paint. I love the low-mess, low-stress activity of watercolor paint and this lesson really shares the magic of the medium. 

Once dry, students can use line idea sheets to add designs to their snakes. For the supplies I am using, visit here. 

And for the video that you are welcome to use in your art-makin' world, visit here:

In the video, I use permanent markers to add lines to Larry. For a free download of Larry's Line Gallery, visit here!

Have you ever tried this technique with your students? They love it and it's like magic! 

However...be CERTAIN that they keep their papers flat. The paint will be super drippy and you'd hate to see their lines get all mixed up. I recommend having students carry their work on a tray when it's time to clean up...or a sturdy tagboard messy mat.

Even without Larry's line designs, these are super fun. I hope you and your artists have fun creating!

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Why You NEED Modeling Clay in your Art Room!

When I first started teaching my art room had NOTHING in it but a bowling pin, a Leonardo da Vinci board game with the pieces missing, a coffee can of broken crayons and...a TON of modeling clay. I cast the clay aside not thinking I'd ever have use for it. But when my curriculum called for a "clay unit"...and I had no kiln and no budget, this stuff came in super handy. Turns out, my students and I loved it and used it to explore more than just sculpting. It became a vital tool for learning lines, shape, texture and more. Here's how:

I love using modeling clay for early finishers, lesson review, preview to sculpture and more! I created these clay sheets just for you! Please feel free to use them in your art room. 

Also, I know a lot of you need to turn in lesson plans. My friends at Prang created one for you! You can download it here!

To purchase your modeling clay, here's what I'm using. 

Here you go:

This is a great sheet to use to introduce clay to your students! You can find all of these downloads here. 

I use this sheet after introducing line or when I'm doing a line review with my students. Of course, I read my book Larry the Line and this follow-up activity ties in perfectly! You can find my book Larry the Line here. 

I'm closing in on nearly 200 five-star reviews of my book Larry the Line! I love to see Larry in your art rooms...thank you so much! Get yourself a copy here.

Once my students learn about lines, we move on to shape...so I created these sheets so students can see how to use lines to create shapes. These sheets can be found here!

Of course, my book Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes is the perfect companion to these shape sheets.

You can pick up a copy of Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes here!

Thanks, y'all! Enjoy!

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How to Have a Calm and Productive Art Class!

It's that time of the school year, friends.

That time of the year when your classes may be a little LESS focused and a little MORE squirrelly. For me, that stretch between winter and spring break is always the longest. This is when the burnout always seems to hit me AND my students.

For that reason, I'm always looking to try a little something new and different this time of year. Something (anything!) to keep myself and the kids engaged and excited.

So, if that's you too, let me share my favorite way to create a calm and motived art class...while also integrating art history! 

When I was in fourth grade, I had a teacher who would read aloud from a chapter book after recess. I don't remember what the book was but I do remember that it was something I looked forward to.

Several years ago, I had a very difficult group of fourth grade students. They were argumentative, loud and VERY unmotivated. I had one boy in particular who let it be known that art WAS NOT his favorite. I began to dread the class.

One day, I spotted a chapter book in my storage closet. I remembered my fourth gade teacher and thought...what if I read to them while they work? I loved it when I was a kid...

When the class arrived, I told them that I was going to read to them and taht they had to work quietly in order to hear. I animated the story with silly voices, sound effects and movement. When the clean up alarm went off, something wild happened: the kids and I were bummed art class was over!

From there, reading became my constant motivational tool. After I gave directions and students were settled in and working, I would read. And that boy who previously wasn't a fan of art class? He asked if he could sit CLOSER to my destk so he wouldn't miss any of the story.

While I felt like I'd hit the art teacherin' jack pot with this new tool in my tool belt, what I still wasn't lovin' was that I could never seem to find THE PERFECT book to read.

You see, I wanted to read an artsy chapter book. Something that would excite them about the world of art and art history. So...I wrote one!

I knew their favorite types of books were the ones where they could decide their adventure. And that's how Find Your Way came to be. It's a Decide Your Direction Art Adventure!

Find Your Way features 7 artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, Augusta Savage, Hokusai, Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet.

There are over 32 endings in the book for countless adventures!

The book is filled with quotes from the artists as well as adventures based on their real life events.

I created over 80 illustratios to help bring the book to life for your artists. 

Also included are 7 biographies on each artist as well as 7 art activies.

I wrote Find Your Way while I was teaching. My students weighed in on my first, second and third drafts as I would edit and rewrite in the evenings and weekends. They enjoyed the adventures....and I know your students will too.

But you don't have to read Find Your Way to have an engaged and motivated class. Maybe start with a book or an author that you loved as a kid! I have always found that the best sources for inspiration are my own childhood interests.

Most of all, go easy on yourself, take a breath and have fun. This time of the year is tough! But so are you.

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Paintbrush Ballerina Bootcamp!

Hello, friends! 

I got such a great response for my Paintbrush Practice sheets (available for free here), that I thought I'd create another way for your students to continue their paintbrush practice...with Paintbrush Ballerina Bootcamp!

Inspired by my new book, The Paintbrush Ballerina, I created a series of fun and quick activities for your artists to practice their paintbrush skills before diving into any painting activity. Here's why:

Often, when painting with students, we assume they have used paintbrushes before and know the do's and the don't's. But many of our students have limited painting practice so...it's great to just start at the very beginning. Before diving into your next painting lesson, why not spend just one art class hosting a Paintbrush Ballerina Bootcamp!?

To begin, gather everyone around and read The Paintbrush Ballerina. It's the method I have used for over 20 years in my art room to teach my students how to use and care for their paintbrush. 

From there, have your students use my Paintbrush Practice sheets (download them for free from here) and use their paintbrush on the sheet with just water! Be sure and slide the sheets into a clear plastic sleeve to do so. Here's a quick demo:

Once complete, they can move on to painting on a piece of construction paper and, still, just that cup of water and a paintbrush. This will move them from tracing the lines on the sheet to painting the lines themselves! Here's a look:

For longer format videos to share with your students, feel free to visit my YouTube video. I add content there weekly so be sure and subscribe!

The final phase of Paintbrush Bootcamp can be painting...with watercolor paint! I created these free Fancy Frames for you and your students to enjoy as well as certificates to pass out once Bootcamp is complete. Here's one Fancy Frame download. I hope you and your artists love them!

I printed my frames on white cardstock so they could withstand the watercolor paint. I also used Creativity Street metallic paintsticks to add a little sparkle to my frames. 

Find the second Fancy Frame here. 

Of course, introducing paint into the mix means another round of instruction. So...this could be your second day of Paintbrush Bootcamp! I did create a short video about using watercolor paint that you and your artists may find helpful:

Once your artists have completed Paintbrush Ballerina Bootcamp, it's time to congratulate them! I created this for you to use too! I added color to mine with those paint sticks and some color pencils. 

Find these certificates here!

Have fun, y'all! And stay tuned...I've got more fun projects and handouts coming your way soon!

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10 of My Favorite Heart-Themed Lessons of All Time!

Hey, friends! Earlier this week, I shared some of my favorite lessons to ease back into the art room. They were all Valentine's themed to give you a jump start on a display for next month. You can check out that blog post (where each lesson comes with a video!) right here. 

Today I'm sharing lessons that are also Valentine's themed (or really heart/love themed!) but there are a little more in-depth and will take multiple class periods. Personally...I love a long project for these long winter days. It means less prep (after the first initial wave of tons of prep, ha!) and gives the kids something to really dig their teeth into. So, let's dive in! Just follow the lesson links and that will take you to the full lesson, video and resources!

Let's start strong with this Candy Hearts lesson that I did with my fourth graders! They loved creating large candy hearts and coming up with a (teacher-approved, ahem) saying. You can check out the lesson and video process here. 

Spring is when I LOVE to dive into weaving so...why not get everyone prepped by doing a paper weaving project? It's a great way to remind your students of the weaving process. Or...introduce them to it! This is a weaving (with a little bit of sewing) project that I did with my first graders. You can check it out here. 

Looking to dive into printmaking in the next couple of weeks? Here's a lesson that I did year after year with my second graders because it was such a hit! We made so many prints that we did some print swaps before adding our cut letters to these pieces. We even framed them with our scrappy messy mats! All the details can be found here. 

Speaking of printmaking, would you believe that kindergarten created these?! We used foam stickers and had a blast. You can check out the lesson here. 

And we then used our printing plates to create THESE! I know, I love em! You can see how we did it in this blog post. 

My third graders FLIPPED OUT over creating these plaster chocolates with puffy paint icing! Send out an email requesting heart shaped boxes now and use them for a display or, do what we did, and make your own! Details here. 

If you are in the mood to bust out the clay, might I recommend these? This project was one I did with my teachers, faculty and staff at my school! It was so fun to come together and create. I did create a video for them to watch and you can check it out here. 

In the mood to try a new art supply? For these, we used Celluclay, one of my personal favorite supplies to use when I create! These were made with an aluminum foil armature and Celluclay on top. You can check out the details here. 

Since these projects can take a while, you'll find you have some students who finish before others. I resolve that a couple of ways: I allow those students to 'assist' other artists by creating with them (with student permission, of course) or...I give them another lesson to do! This was one of those 'early finisher art lessons' that I created. I simply played the video for those kids and they got to work. This one is much easier than it looks! Here's the details! 

If you are looking for a lesson that can ultimately become a school wide collaborative or a mural, check out this one. This is a SUB PLAN! Granted, my sub KILLED it but...I do have the full video for you and your students to view here. 

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