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Tag Archives: drawing

Halloween Themed Choice Menu

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Halloween Themed Choice Menu

At a recent inservice, we were introduced to ways to give differentiation to learners of different paces and allow them to pursue activities or topics they may be interested in.  One of these ways is a tic-tac-toe choice menu.  You can make menus for students for the main project in a unit (for example, different products to make to show understanding after reading a novel).  I like the idea of having menus as enrichment or extensions of a unit.  I … Read more… →

Whimsical Landscapes (Justin Vining artist study)

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A colorful abstract drawing featuring a mix of landscapes, cityscapes, and whimsical elements like waves and a rocket, inspired by Justin Vining's artist study.

I love this lesson!  I teach about contemporary artist Justin Vining and the kids explore the qualities of watercolor pencils to create their own whimsical landscapes. You can see artwork from another year at this blog post. You can read my interview with Justin Vining here. I even got this lesson published in a magazine! Here are some of my 4th/5th grade students’ artworks from the end of last year. When teaching this lesson, I show the students some YouTube … Read more… →

Sailboats from Milk Cartons- 1st grade

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Colorful handmade sailboats with paper sails, crafted from decorated milk cartons, displayed on a white background.

Earlier I wrote a tutorial on how to make sailboats from milk cartons. My 1st grade students have finished making their sailboats.  Here are some of their finished projects! After the boats were made, the students drew pictures of their boats.  I had stuffed animals available if they wanted to draw a stuffed animal in the boat. Have you ever made boats with your kids?

Fairy Houses and Gnome Homes- Drawings & Sculptures

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Illustrations: 'Fairy Houses' text with a mushroom house, flower tower, and a fairy with long hair and colorful dress.

What could be more fun than fairy houses and gnome homes?  I don’t know, but let me know if you find out!  I’ve discovered that kids love 1) Open-ended projects  2) Getting to choose from a huge pile of random, colorful materials  3) Miniature things   4) Using their imagination.   This project is a winner for all of these reasons. I saw a question on an art teacher Facebook group which reminded me of this project my 4th/5th grade students did … Read more… →

I’m Not Just a Scribble: Children’s Book Author Interview

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Colorful crayon artwork with a rainbow, clouds, and flowers, featuring a happy stick figure with glasses at the bottom—ideal for a children's book.

(Amazon Affiliate links are used in this post at no extra cost to you.) Have you heard of the book I’m Not Just a Scribble… ?   “Scribble, the book’s main character, never thought he was different until he met his first drawing.  Then, after being left out because he didn’t look like everyone else, Scribble teaches the drawings how to accept each other for who they are.  Which enables them to create amazing art together!”-  from the book’s description. I’m … Read more… →

In Case You Missed It: Frank Stella Inspired Children’s Art Project

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Abstract artwork featuring intertwined red ribbons and geometric shapes on a dark background framed with a colorful border.

Two and a half years ago I posted this lesson about using Frank Stella’s artwork as inspiration for children’s drawings.  I love Frank Stella’s work.  After visiting an art museum and seeing an exhibit of the progression of his style, I was hooked.  It is so fascinating and there is a lot to look at.  The sheer size of these prints are stunning. In case you haven’t figure out by now, my favorite style of art is BUSY, abstract, super … Read more… →

Fun and Easy Mandalas with Metallic Gel Pens

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Fun and Easy Mandalas with Metallic Gel Pens

One day this summer, my daughter came home from camp with a circle design drawn using metallic gel pens.  I thought it looked so cool, I wanted to try it with my students in 3rd/4th grade.  I usually teach about mandalas and radial balance at this age level. Mandalas have religious and spiritual significance around the world.  They have been used for meditation and relaxation.  I showed the students mandalas including Tibetan and Navajo sand paintings, ancient Aztec and architecture.  … Read more… →

Art Gift Ideas for a Child

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A colorful art set with text "Art Gift Ideas for Your Young Artist" surrounded by paint, ribbons, beads, and flowers.

The holidays are quickly approaching!  While you are thinking about the kids in your life, consider picking up some creative gifts.  Please don’t buy those cheap art supply kits with a lot of different cheap crayons, markers and colored pencils.  Spending a little more money will allow the child to experience quality art supplies and they will last longer.  Here are some of my favorites. 1.  Watercolor Paints- Splurge on a better quality set than Rose Art.  The child will … Read more… →

How to Survive as a Firefly: Art Project

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Free firefly art project featuring colorful designs and step-by-step drawing guides.

I was given the book How to Survive as a Firefly from Innovation Press to share with you on my blog.  This is a pretty cool book, with nice illustrations and good scientific information throughout the book.  I wrote a FREE art project tutorial with drawing guides, available at my TPT shop to accompany this book.  The directions are also here in this blog post, but to get the drawing guides you’ll have visit my TPT shop. Here is a … 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.)

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… →

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.