Cassie Stephens: art class

Showing posts with label art class. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Line Designs with Chalk and Glue!

At this point, I feel like I'm spamming my own blog with LINE lessons! Just for a recap, I'll add links to them all right here:

* Line Sculptures

* Line and Shape Paintings

* All About Me Line Portraits

I'll be sure and do a Best Line Lessons post soon but if you are looking for more ideas now, see THIS review of my fave line lessons here!

And if you are looking for all of my Larry the Line lessons, see the end of this post!

Before we dive into the lesson at hand, let me just share my LOOOOVE of lessons with black glue! Now for some of these, I didn't know about this epic time-saving hack and I MADE my own black glue with ink and Elmer's Glue All. It's a REAL DRAG, lemme tell you: the bottles clog, the ink spills, the glue leaves a permanent mess because of the ink...it's all such a pain. I will say...the end result of the black glue versus this hack is better but not so much that it's worth the hassle.

Here's some of my very favorite black glue lessons:

* Abstract Faces Inspired by Sandra Silberzweig

* Black Glue Tigers with Chalk

* Black Glue Abstract Fish

* Stained Glass Trees

When we use chalk, this is our set up: a divided tray with warm and cool colors and black, gray and brown removed. These divider trays were donated to the art room from a hospital...so I can't tell you exactly where they are from. BUT I do love that they keep the colors separate.

We also use a tissue for cleaning our finger AND a laminated color wheel.

I always get so many questions on where I got the color wheel...I found it online YEARS ago and I couldn't tell you where. So...I made one for you! You can download it here.

And now for the lesson! Here you go:

I know art teachers tend to have a love/hate with chalk pastel (I just call it chalk)...it's messy and often the artwork smears. BUT I love the stuff. The colors are bold and bright. And if you use a color wheel and really teach the kids about analogous colors, I think you'll find it fun to teach. I use that same color wheel method you saw in the video for every chalk lesson.

For my VERY favorite chalk lessons and more of my tips and tricks, visit here!

When studenst are done with their chalk lessons, I will often spray their work with an aerosol hairspray like Aqua Net from the dollar store. It will dull the work a pinch and can leave little speckles of spray but...it works pretty good. As long as the artwork is not man-handled much once complete, the spray works fine.

And, OF COURSE, if you don't have my book on LINE and SHAPE already, now's the time to get 'em!

You can find Larry the Line here.

And Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes here!

Let's Draw and Make Larry the Line!

(Adding this here before I forget...Larry the Line downloads can be found here!)

Hi, friends!

The other day, I shared a spiral Larry the Line download (check it out here) and it got me thinking. I've had a lot of requests of How to Draw Larry the Line tutorials in the past and I thought I would combine that idea with a follow up to the spiral snake download. So...here we go!

A How to Draw and Make Larry the Line!

I'm here for scale to show ya just how big you can make these!

In the video, I'll walk you and your artists through how to draw their very own Larry the Line, how to create their snake as well as do a line review. To check out the full video, it's here:

In this video, I share how you can make your Larry the size of a messy mat or 18" X 24", 12" X 18" OR 9" X 12". It's up to you and the supplies you have available!

For supplies:

* Large Larry: tagboard (aka Messy Mats), new or used! Not sure what a Messy Mat is? Here's a short clip! And here's a link to those mats as well as my very favorite art supplies.

* For tagboard, I'd recommend using an ink-filled bingo dauber!

* Tempera paint! Need some tips and tricks on working with kids and tempera paint? Here ya go!

Planning to create a smaller Larry? Then you can simply use markers to draw!

Of course, this TOTALLY FREE download may be a fun warmup for artists!

And if you don't have a copy of my book, Larry the Line, you can find it here!

And stay tuned, I've got another couple of Larry-themed lessons coming your way this week, yay!

Line and Shape Paintings!

Y'all, I don't know if you have noticed but...I'm on a bit of a lesson-sharing roll lately and I hope you all are here for it! Because...I have much more to come. The best way to stay tuned is to check back here often, join my email list or subscribe to my YouTube channel. My lessons are always FREE and usually come with free downloads too.

I'm so excited about this lesson!

This video lesson has THREE lessons in it...and you can decide what works best for you and your artists. Before we dive in, here are the supplies I used:

* Oil Pastels (I like neon ones, you can find them here)

* Square paper (I only use 80lbs paper)

* Ink-filled bingo daubers

* Watercolor Paint

This first portion of the lesson goes perfectly with my book Larry the Line...if you don't have it and would like to take a look, you can find it here.

This video is broken down into three different lessons. It's perfect for a wide range of learners! Here's what I would recommend: K-6th Grade: Everyone can do the first portion of this lesson! It's a wonderful line introduction and review. Students will also learn how to use their watercolor paint to add color. 3rd-6th Grade: The second portion of this lesson is great for these learners as it will introduce them to geometric and organic shapes as well as positive and negative space. 4th - 6th Grade: The final portion is perfect for these learners but does require paint pens (I am using the POSCA brand) or metallic Sharpies. I know these supplies can be pricey so you may wish to limit this portion of the project based on the supplies you have available.

The second half of this lesson focuses on SHAPE. I dive into all things shape in my book Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes!

I dive in deep in this book...I wrote it when I noticed that most books on shape just focus on learning the names of shapes and seem to cater to very young children. I used the second grade curriculum to guide me in writing this rhyming book and it covers ALL things shape!

For this final portion, students can use paint pens or metallic sharpies. Both can be pricey...which is why I recommend this for your older students who may take better care of supplies.

Regardless of which portion of this lesson you use, I know you and your artists will love it! I especially know they will love the first portion of creating lines from sounds!

If you have not used ink-filled bingo daubers, I have lots of info about it here. It's one of my very favorite art supplies!

Thanks for letting me share, y'all! Have a great weekend!

Let's Create a Ladybug Print and Collage!

Hey, friends!

A couple of years ago, I shared a kindergarten lesson on creating symmetrical butterflies. It was always such a hit with the kids and each looked stunning!

Right?! Did I mention this was kindergarten?! AND first grade, because sometimes, for my sanity, I do the same lesson with multiple grades. Here's the lesson video:

I decided to take the same process and create a couple of lessons with different bugs. Today, I'm sharing a ladybug collage print:

Now...recently I was attending the art teacherin' conference in Missouri and was chatting with some teachers. They were commiserating on just how hard it is to share with students how to use scissors and glue bottles properly. With that in mind, I decided to extend this lesson from just printing a ladybug but to also using our scissors and glue. AND...I included portions of my book in the video!

Everything that I wanted to teach children about using scissors and glue...IS IN THIS BOOK! Check out the book, take a look at the inside and even watch videos about using this book in your art room right here!

In the ladybug video, I read portions of the book, sharing these illustrations to better help young artists understand how to correctly use their scissors and...

Apply their glue! Kids really love this book because...it features Larry the Line and Alfred the Ape (who knows his shapes!).

There's also a line review included in the video...you may notice me using a spinner. You can find that spinner (one for each couple of students or maybe one-two per table works great) and my other fave supplies for this lesson here.

OR...you could just keep it simple and do bug prints!

I keep thinking that a huge display of bug prints would be perfect for "We're Buggin' Out for Spring" or...state testing...or...the end of the school year?! Who knows! Regardless, I hope y'all have fun!

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Clay Projects for Middle and High School: A Ceramic My Favorite Things Box!

Hey, friends!

A while back, I created this ceramic box in my clay class at the Clay Lady Campus. I have since adapted the making of the box to include the use of a template to make the whole process much easier. I thought I'd share the process and the template with you in case this a project you might like to do with your middle and/or high school students!

Before diving into clay with your students, you may want to offer them a bit of a crash course in clay. I created this video a couple of years ago...and I have heard from so many art teachers that it is a staple in their clay unit (which makes me so happy to hear!). Not only that...but this clay video buys you time! You'll have time to prep clay, refill those water cups or just take a sip of coffee while it's actually still warm. Cheers!

If you are new to clay and are looking for some supply recommendations, I got you. What I primarily used in my art room were clay mats (purchased from The Clay Lady; I had a set of 20 that I used for the 25 years of my teaching career...BUT you can only use them on the white side, NOT the blue), toothbrushes, cups for water and wooden skewers. For my supply list, visit here!

For the first version of this box, I made a rectangle which is totally doable. But, in the video, I decided to go with a square. The smaller size made it easier to flatten the clay in the method that I used.

To make your life a little easier, I thought I'd create a template for you. You may need to print this on thicker paper or trace it to tagboard so it can withstand the damp clay and multiple uses.

Tap here for the free download!

Now, when I created my piece, I added these kiln fire safe 'hangers' to the back. I placed two into my clay piece before firing. They are made to withstand the heat of the kiln and will anchor themselves into the clay when fired. Then, after the firing, I have added wire to the back to hang the piece. However, they could totally be made to sit on a shelf as well!

Here is the piece that I created in the video. I know I mention it in the clip but...it is VERY important that these pieces dry slowly and on foam. For the first few days, I would dry keep these in a plastic grocery bag that is a little open to allow a small amount of air to circulate. Then, I would dry them for a few days on a foam block (or sheet rock, found at the hardware store) with plastic draped on top. Finally, I would remove the plastic and allow to dry on the foam. You'll know it's ready to go in the kiln when...you hold the piece to your cheek and it is not longer cool but room temp. Then you can fire away!

No kiln? No problem! Here's a piece I created with DAS clay, a fabulous air dry clay!

As for painting these, I truly think it's so much easier to dip them into a base color like I did with the brown paint. Glaze is expensive, it involves multiple firings...and it's hard to get into all of the knooks and crannies. So...why not try this method? I did it a lot with the projects in my art room. Especially our clay tacos!

Here's my finished piece! Have SO MANY ideas for this project so stay tuned! For now...I just wanted to share this super fun lesson with you and your artists!

Still want some clay help? I got you! I have TONS of my clay tips and tricks here!

Have fun!

Let's Learn Shapes: Funny Face Geometric Shapes!

Recently, I shared a lesson on organic shapes. Today I thought I'd share one on geometric shapes!

Both lessons are inspired by my book Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes. You can check it out here!

And before I forget...I did create a BIG post of my top 12 favorite lessons on shape! You can check out all of those lessons here.

Back to the lesson at hand! In this one, students will use watercolor paint and a wet-on-wet technique to create their jumble of geometric shapes! For my favorite watercolor supplies, you can visit here. Here's the video lesson:

This lesson pairs perfectly with my previous one on organic shapes so they are fun to do together. And they are quick lessons, so no need for a lotta days set aside for this!

Transparency film is totally not necessary BUT...I have found that kids love to draw on the slick surface of a dry erase board. With that in mind, I thought of my stash of transparency film when it came to these projects. If you ask around at school, there is usually a ton under a pile of dust somewhere in the librarian's closet! Or you can pick it up here.