Shadow tracing is a great way to get outside on a bright sunny day, explore positive and negative space, and have some fun with color at the same time. Shadow tracing is low stress for students (2nd grade and up) and has minimal prep for teachers. Students can usually finish one of these paintings in a single class period, or you may want to let them do a few tracings the … [Read more...]
Line Designs with Shading
I'm not really sure what to call these drawings, but my students love them! I found this project on Art with Mr. E. (and added to his instructions just a bit) to use with my 4th & 5th graders for some end-of-the-year fun!! With this project, you can teach that shading and careful use of line can give a 2D drawing the "illusion" of being 3D. I loved the … [Read more...]
Visual Texture
This activity is great practice for learning to see values (lights and darks) and duplicate them in your drawings. Younger students may only have the patience to do two or three of these, while older students may want to do several more. Make sure you use the same pencil and the same paper for both the rubbings and the copies, or you'll have trouble duplicating the lightest … [Read more...]
Name Tangles
"Name Tangles" are a fun way to create a cool design using your name or another word of your choice. Try adapting this idea for a unique greeting card design!Materials:9x12 white construction paperPencil and eraserBlack markers, fine and broad pointDirections:1. Use large stick letters to write your name, beginning with the first letter touching both the bottom and left side of … [Read more...]
Tangle Drawings
Tangle drawing by Krista, grade 4Tangle drawings are like sophisticated “doodles”, with an endless variety of possibilities! Visit Zentangle.com (and its companion Flickr site) to be inspired and see how one couple has turned these simple, yet sophisticated drawings into a world-wide craze! Vocabulary: Tangle - a confused mass of something that is twisted … [Read more...]
Kindergarten Stars
Try these simple instructions to teach your kinders how to draw stars. As adults, we make these designs automatically, almost without thinking, but for a five year old drawing their very first star, it's nothing short of magical! Once it "clicks" for them, they will be drawing stars everywhere!First talk about types of lines, concentrating on "diagonal" and "horizontal". … [Read more...]
Kindergarten Birds
These kindergarten bird paintings are guaranteed to make you smile! I was completely charmed by these when my students did them last week, so I wanted to share a few, along with some tips for getting great results....I began by sharing a special "artist secret" with my students.... that "artists use shapes to help them draw things"! Next, I read them the story of Mouse Shapes … [Read more...]
Grade 4 Portfolios – “Ish” Drawings
There are lots of wonderful children's books available today, but "Ish" by Peter Reynolds stands out as one of my all-time favorites. This is a story that everyone (kids and adults!) can relate to.... in fact, it's so influential that I can literally see a "before and after" effect each time I read it to my students. This year, "Ish" is the inspiration for my 4th grade … [Read more...]
Duplication Exercise
Train your students to notice details and "see like artists" with this fun activity! In her classic drawing books, Drawing with Children and Drawing for Older Children and Teens, art teacher and author Mona Brookes offers an engaging way to practice seeing and drawing using her "Duplication Exercise". This activity is completely adaptable to any ability level, K through … [Read more...]
“Touch” Contour Drawing
A workshop participant trying out the "touch" method of contour drawingIn my last teacher workshop, I showed how students can improve their drawing skills with different types of contour drawing. In previous posts, I've talked about blind, memory and guided contour drawing. Last, but not least, is "touch" contour drawing. This is another great way to train students to pay … [Read more...]
