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  • Banner with colorful artwork promoting an art shop featuring kindness coloring pages, artist activities, and resources for teachers.

Kindergarten Watercolor Shapes

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A watercolor paint set and brush beside a colorfully painted paper showcasing various shapes in different hues, ideal for kindergarten creativity.

I am always trying to come up with new ideas for my youngest students to experience painting in a successful way, learn about important art concepts and still be able to use their creativity. In this lesson, the goals were the following: Students will… Practice using a paintbrush properly. Learn about the qualities of watercolors through instruction and exploration. Experiment with watercolor resist. Be able to identify common shapes such as circle, diamond, triangle, trapezoid, star, square, oval, rectangle, heart and … Read more… →

Art Video: Doodling with Watercolor Pencils

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A colorful abstract drawing with various shapes and a set of watercolor pencils beside it.

  In this video, I give a demonstration of how to use Maped Watercolor Pencils to make a beautiful doodled painting.  If you are reading this through email or a blog reader, you may need to pop on over to my actual blog to see the video.  It should show up below. If you would like to purchase a set, click here: Maped Watercolor Pencils I was given a free set of watercolor pencils to review. (affiliate links have been used.)

Watercolor Pencil Review

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A colorful abstract drawing with various shapes and a set of watercolor pencils beside it.

Hi friends!  I was given a free set of Maped Watercolor Pencils to review.  I decided to practice my skills at making videos and I did a review of these pencils. Stay tuned!  In my next blog post, I will give a demonstration of how to use Maped Watercolor Pencils to make a beautiful doodled painting. If you would like to purchase a set, click here: Maped Watercolor Pencils (affiliate links have been used.)

Toothpaste Batik on Fabric

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A child's drawing of a unicorn with a pink mane and horn stands under a night sky with stars and a crescent moon, capturing the scene with the intricate detail of batik art.

My creative and wonderful blogging friend, Phyl, has posted several times about her toothpaste batik process.  I have admired the results for years and decided to try it last year for our Wild about the Arts Fine Arts Night.  I was hesitant to try because of the logistics.  It was not a quick and easy project, but I loved the process and I loved that it was so “different” than other things my students have experienced. These were made with 4th … Read more… →

Back to School Letter Art for Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st grade

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A child's hand is coloring a large letter "C" with crayons on a piece of paper, creating delightful Letter Art ideal for Pre-K projects.

Hi all!  I hope your school year is off to a great start.  This project is how I began the year with my youngest students.  First, I read them two short books about creativity and making art.  First, we read Think Big.  It’s very short and simple (about two words on each page), but it shows different ways people express themselves.. dancing, sewing, cooking, woodworking, theater, art, etc. The title Louise Loves Art has two meanings.  Ask your students if … Read more… →

Positive Mindset Posters

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Positive Mindset Posters

Growth Mindset… Positive Thinking.. whatever you want to call it, there is power in changing the way you think about your day. This package has 24 colorful, positive posters to hang in your classroom. I choose to be positive. Attitude and Effort are more important than talent. Attitude is the mind’s paintbrush. It can color any situation. Is this my best work? A Challenge lets me exercise my brain. Don’t say “I can’t”. Do say, “I will give it a … Read more… →

Fun Art Process with Stencils and Watercolor Paints

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Colorful dinosaur and moon doodles, with a name and the brand "Nike" in children's handwriting, created using watercolor paints.

This is a very simple, but satisfying process I tried with 1st graders.  All you need is a pencil, some stencils and watercolors. Over the years I have collected all kinds of stencils from garage sales, thrift stores, donations and catalogs.  I have them all in a big box for kids to pick from.  Sharpies are optional and can be used to trace over lines. The first step is to use the stencils to draw shapes, write words and make designs.  This … Read more… →

Free Coloring Page: Growth Mindset

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Colorful hand-drawn illustration with the text "Dreams don't work unless you do," incorporating various geometric shapes and patterns. This piece promotes a growth mindset and is also a free coloring page for added creativity.

I have been having fun this summer making coloring pages! These coloring pages have been very popular in my shop: Emoji Coloring Pages 5 pages Growth Mindset Coloring Pages Set #1 10 pages Growth Mindset Coloring Pages Set #2:  The Art Class Edition 15 pages Growth Mindset Coloring Pages Set #3 11 pages I have two free coloring sheets for you that did not end up in the coloring sheet packages in my shop. Click HERE for two free coloring sheets. For high … Read more… →

Painted Rocks with Magazine Cut Outs

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Three painted rocks with positive messages: "DISCOVER," "make," and "BRAVE." The colorful rocks are decorated with magazine cut outs, adding a unique touch.

At the end of the school year, my students had fun painting rocks and using magazine words to decorate them. We used acrylic paints to paint the rocks. Then, we used Mod Podge to glue down the words and seal them. The metallic paint was from Target’s little acrylic paint jars.  I have some printable magazine word cut outs in my shop for easy use.  Just print, cut out and go!  These are perfect for collages, art journals and “About … Read more… →

Cylinder Sculptures for Kids

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Cylinder Sculptures for Kids

I saw this post by the Art Bar Blog which gave me the idea to make these cylinder sculptures with my 1st graders.  We started with toilet paper tubes and paper rectangles rolled into tubes.  The best way to adhere these is to pour out some liquid glue onto a paper plate, then stick the ends of the tubes into the glue. We also used washi tape, colorful straws, pipe cleaners and pom-poms for added interest and texture.

Freebie! Draw Light Until You Know It’s Right POSTER

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Illustrated sign saying "Draw LIGHT until you know it's right!" with a pencil graphic below. Get your free Light Drawing Poster today!

I have been teaching myself how to use Adobe Illustrator this summer so I can make some clip art to use.  I made a cute poster you could print out for your class.  I have seen this phrase on many posters online.  I made the pencil on Illustrator!  Ha Ha, I’m so proud of myself.  I’ve always used Photoshop to do everything, so Illustrator has been kind of a mystery to me. To download the high resolution PDF version, go to … Read more… →

Wooden Peg Dolls: Kokeshi

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Two colorful Japanese Kokeshi dolls with painted faces and fabric clothing, standing on a white background.

Thank you to all who entered the Beautiful Oops journal giveaway.  The winner has been randomly chosen and notified… and that winner is Amanda Shaw.  Congratulations! When I was at the NAEA conference two years ago, I saw a station where people were making wooden Kokeshi dolls in the vendor area.  Every time I walked by it, either it was too full or I had to be on my way somewhere else.  So, I didn’t make one.  But, I found … Read more… →

Free Printable: Faith Ringgold Inspired Quilt Template

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A child's drawing of a family surrounded by a colorful mosaic frame, with a hand resting at the bottom, inspired by Faith Ringgold.

Hi!  I’m here today to share with you a meaningful art project for your younger students.  This would be good as as a “getting to know you” activity.  The following examples were all made by kindergartners near the end of the year, but I would think this lesson would be suitable for kids through grades 2. Many art teachers have taught about the artist Faith Ringgold and had their students create paper quilts.  I have a free printable for you … Read more… →

Repeated Shape Designs

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Colorful abstract art with various textured, layered shapes resembling petals on a white background features repeated shape designs.

This is a simple challenge that leads to a variety of creative artworks!  Choose one shape to repeat throughout your artwork.  Use markers, watercolor paints or any art media of your choice.  The challenge is to arrange the shapes in a unique and interesting composition. Include a variety of colors and sizes.  Overlap some shapes to add interest.  Add patterns or designs inside the shapes. Limitations encourage students to think in new ways.. to be creative within the constraints. Repetition is … Read more… →

  • Banner with colorful artwork promoting an art shop featuring kindness coloring pages, artist activities, and resources for teachers.