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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.
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.
