Cassie Stephens: larry the line

Thursday, August 21, 2025

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!

Monday, March 11, 2024

My Book Larry the Line and More!

So...I can't believe I never did this but...I FORGOT TO SHARE ON MY BLOG THAT I WROTE A CHILDREN'S BOOK!

Seriously?!

Yes, seriously, I wrote a children's book and yes, seriously...I forgot to mention it here.

It's official: I'm the worst blogger.

I think I was just so excited that I posted to my other social media accounts right away...and then I was so excited to pack up and send Larry the Line out that I just, well, forgot. But, better late than never, as they say and so...here we are.

I wrote a children's book called Larry the Line!

Now for those of you who are the OG's of this here blog, you may already know all about Larry the Line. He's a friend of mine. He can make three straight lines for me!

I came up with the poem during my first year teaching when I was trying to think of a fun and engaging way to teach students about line. It's a short poem and it's aways been a wild hit with my students. I've chatted about it here and here.

And made plenty of videos about it too.

After writing and self-publishing Larry the Line, which you can find here, I decided to also create digital downloads to go with it. I had so many requests for them, especially that clay sheet (see below) I thought I'd make it happen. You can pick the downloads up here.