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!

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Woodland Creature Collage Lessons Inspired by Charley Harper!

One of my favorite contemporary artists is Charley Harper. I love his retro style (well, it probably wasn't considered 'retro' at the time!), his flat design and his subject matter: creatures! A while back, I created two fun fall lessons for my second and third graders featuring Charley Harper. These are quick lessons that you should have time to create just before Thanksgiving break. 

I love creating mashup lessons with a mixture of artists. Including a nod to Vincent van Gogh just seemed appropriate for this nocturnal bandit. Of course, you could read about Vincent while the kids create by using my book Find Your Way! 

What better way to learn about an artist and their life then by...going on adventures with them!?

This lesson does include an intro to Charley Harper so your students can become familiar with his work. They had so much fun drawing their raccoons!

Supplies needed and more details can be found in this blog post!

Both of these lessons are guided drawing projects. For this lesson, you can read more here. 

Both lessons use the same art supplies which makes prep SO much easier! 

If you are low on time, you could always shorten the project by eliminating the collage portion and just draw and add color straight to the construction paper. Also, cutting down on the size of the paper might help too.

No matter what you and your artists decide to create, I know you'll love learning about Charley Harper and creating your own woodland creature collages!

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4 Easy Ideas for {Surviving} Halloween!

Hi, y'all! 

With Halloween (thankfully!) falling on a Friday this year, I thought I'd share some make-n-take art lessons with you for the big day. One thing I learned REAL FAST as a teacher is that ya never want to bust out those beautiful projects the kids have been working for days on at a time like this. Instead, let 'em have at it with some quick lessons. So! I'm sharing some of my faves with ya today!

Let's start with this Mixed Media How to Draw Silly Pumpkins lesson! You can find my draw along video here!

Got some construction paper, glue and scissors? Then this lesson is a fun one that always yields the cutest Frankensteins! Check out this lesson video here. 

Why not just let 'em draw?! I have this totally free download and a quick video that you can check out here. 

Now one of my fave things to do was to set up CENTERS on Halloween (and any major holiday when I knew the kids were gonna be 'touched'...and not by an angel!). You can see how I do that right here!

Here's to survivin' and thrivin' this week, friends! You can do it!

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Sunflower Still Life Collage

Hey friends! Today I'm sharing with you a fun sunflower still life lesson that is the perfect review for lines and shapes...while introducting collage and monoprinting! This lesson is perfect for your 1st grade and up...and I'm going to share with you a bunch of alternative art supplies just in case you are on a cart or don't have the supplies I am using on hand. So, like many of my videos of late, I'll walk you through a 'teacher talk' at the start of the video to help you think through how you can best make this lesson work for you. Here you go:

Before we dive in, I do want to share...my book, Art Teacherin' 101, has been sold out for the last month. I'm happy to say that I now have it back in stock! If you have been waiting to get a copy or just want to find out more details on my book, you can find it here. 

I'm so excited that my book has sold 10K copies! It's so amazing to think that I've been able to share with so many incredible art teachers. A big thanks if you have ordered a copy! And...just so you know...I sign all copies before packing them up. That's right...my books are packed and sold by yours truly. I'm an independent book publisher and seller. If you ever have any questions about that, feel free to reach out! 

And now...back to the lesson:

To begin, I used my tempera paint filled bingo daubers! You can pick up your empty daubers here.  And my preferred paint (and supplies) are here.

Knowing that not everyone has bingo daubers or the time to fill them, in the video, I share a couple of alternatives. Students could use tempera sticks to create their line papers or...they could paint the lines! So even if you are on a cart or short on supplies, I got you.

This lesson could be done on 9" X 12" paper as the final result or, my preference, 12" X 18" paper. I like the larger format only because it allowed more room for the bigger flower prints. 

For the flower prints, I would recommend using a pizza pan. I got a class set at Dollar Tree for $1.25 each and use them ALL THE TIME. We print on them so much! 

By the way, if you are new to using tempera paint with students and are looking for some pointers, I got you covered right here!

I would split this lesson into three days: 

Day #1: Creating the line papers! Do a Line Review with my friend Larry the Line, of course!

Day #2: Flower Printing! You could include a shape review here! In the video, I talk about both organic and geometric shapes. Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes would come in handy here!

Day #3: Collage it all together! On the final days of this lesson, it's time to create a collage! If students need a reminder on how to use their scissors and glue...well, I think I can help!

AND...if you are looking for a way to have a Calm and Focused art class, you may want to check out my tips here...and my book that kids LOVE to hear while they work...here!

Have a great week, friends!

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Top 12 Art Lessons on SHAPE!

For your older students, like 3rd and 4th grade, this lesson is a great way to not only review line and shape but also...color! This lesson is one that I do every year as a fundraiser. The results are always absolute show stoppers. HOWEVER...I no longer make black glue that I mention in this lesson. You can, of course, but it's a total pain! So...be sure and check out this hack on that here as well as my tips and tricks for using chalk in the art room.

Looking for a fun and colorful painting project to teach students about geometric and organic shapes? This one is so fun and the results are so happy! You can check out the full lesson (with video!) here.

No bingo daubers? No problem! Check out how we did this lesson with kindergarten before I had bingo daubers!

This Paul Klee/Mary Blair-inspired shape lesson was apart of a rotating stations that I did with my students. For my first thru fourth grade, my students rotated from station to station making a variety of shape-inspired art. These castles were one of the stations. The following art class, we added color and designs to these castles. You can check them out here!

Looking to dive into a little printing? This lesson is one I do with my kindergarten students but kids of all ages have enjoyed it! All you need are some foam stickers and a large foam shape for the background. I found these hearts at the dollar store but I've also used foam stars too! You can check out this lesson here.

Here is a little look at the printing plates created with stars in the background. This was apart of my shape making stations! Details on that here. 

I also did a variation of this lesson with my older students as they learned about shape and radial symmetry! You can check out the lesson and video here. 

After students are finished printing with their plates, the plates can be turned into some super cool metal art! You can check out that process here. 

If you are interested in doing elements of art stations in your  art room, I made a video to walk you and your students through the process. You can find it here. 

During 2020, I did a series of videos on robots...that all feature the element of art of SHAPE. This first one is all about drawing robots and using shapes. You can find that video here. 

Did I mention that there are several TOTALLY FREE downloads? Yep! Check them out here!

Collage is the perfect way to introduce students to shape! You can find the video lesson for this robot collage project here.

I always love doing collagraphs with my students. Start hoarding those cereal and snack boxes as that cardboard is thin and easy to cut. These can be created by doing crayon rubbings as I did here or you could use brayers and printing ink. Find the video lesson here. 

You could also take it in a totally different direction by covering the collagraph with foil and doing marker prints! This type of printing is always one the kids love! Details here.

Looking for a fun LINE and SHAPE review that also ties in with this spooky time of the year? I have a lesson for you then! You can find the full lesson video and lesson details here. 

Looking for a fun shape sculpture lesson? This is a fun way to not only use up some scrap paper but also...it's a nice follow up to my line sculpture project! You can find this lesson video here. 

AND...if you are looking for the perfect book to share with your students as they explore shape...have I got it for you! Check it out here, friends, and have a great week!

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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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