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!

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Let's Draw (and Paint) a Wreath!

Hey, friends! I shared on social media last week that I had some exciting news...with my friends at Prang, you can now purchase ROUND paper!

Here's a little more about how that idea came to be:

If interested in seeing those round Dot Day activities my students did, visit here.

But...I know that there are TONS of art lessons out there that could be based on a round piece of paper! In fact, I would have loved it for my Snow Globe lesson! 

Here's a little peek at the paper Prang has for you:

I was concerned that the paper wouldn't be their good quality stuff but it is! In fact, I was able to paint on it to create this wreath project! I created a video for you to use in your art room or at home. Of course, if you don't have round paper, that's no problem! I walk you through an alternative at the start of the video. Here you go:

So, honestly...while creating this video, I wasn't sure if the markers were going to bleed enough to provide color. At first...it seemed nothing was happening. I thought the lesson was just going to be a flop! BUT then I came back an hour later after the paper had dried and it looked AMAZING! So be sure and tell your artists to be patient and let it dry.

Creating a wreath puts me in mind of Christmas! If you have children who are readers...might I recommend my art-themed choose your own direction book Find Your Way. I've had so much positive feedback from parents, homeschool families and teachers alike! You can find it here. 

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