Pastel Cactus Drawing

One of my favorite combos is blending chalk pastels over dried glue. I’m always on the lookout for new subject matter, so when I saw this cactus illustration, I knew it would make a great image, and allow for some simple shading practice.
1. I used 9" x 12" black paper, but recommend something larger for 1st or 2nd grade students. I had to really be careful to keep my glue lines from touching each other, so a larger format would make it a lot easier.
2. My diagram shows the steps I took to make my drawing. When complete, I traced all the lines with white glue. It seems that the Rite Aid White glue dries clearer than others, which I prefer.
3. When the glue was dry, I used chalk pastel pencils to fill in the cactus. I decided that the light source was from the left, so I used a light green on all three left sides of the cactus, and a dark green on the right. I also had a medium green to fill in the middle, but you could just used two colors that meet in the middle.
4. After the cactus was colored, I filled in the sky, ground and rocks with single shades. To finish, a little white pencil made highlights on the cactus, and a little black made a ground shadow for it and some rocks. Spray with a sealer or hairspray when complete.

CA Visual Arts Standard: Grade Four
2.1 Use shading (value) to transform a two-dimensional shape into what appears to be a three-dimensional form (e.g., circle to sphere).

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Mache Pumpkin from Plastic Bags

This pumpkin is made from about 40 plastic grocery bags, some Saran wrap, 3 rubber bands, newspaper, paper towel and mache, topped off with a beautiful new orange glitter paint I found at Jo-Ann Fabrics. I'm so excited to have found this beautiful way to recycle plastic grocery bags.

Plastic Bag Pumpkin Tutorial
1. Collect about 40 plastic bags and loosely stuff them inside each other, one at a time. Compress lightly and tie bag shut with a slipknot at the top.


2. To smooth the surface, wrap the outside of the bag with a few long pieces of Saran Wrap. Overlap as necessary to keep edges lying flat. Take a rubberband (I used a 3" dia.) and slip around the center of the ball. Repeat with 2 more rubberbands, adjusting them evenly.



Adjust your rubberbands on top to be as close to the “stem” as possible, and the bottom to make a nicely centered crisscross as shown above.

3. Cover the pumpkin with one layer of paper mache. Be sure to run your finders through the creases often so that they stay prominent and don’t get smoothed over. For my favorite mache recipe, click here. Let dry overnight. Repeat with another layer of newspaper and let dry.

4. This step really helps to smooth out the bumps and gives you a nice white background to paint on. Cover the pumpkin with one layer of mache and paper towels.

5. I painted my pumpkin with two shades of Americana® orange acrylic paint. First a darker Cadmium Orange, then highlights of Jack-O-Lantern Orange, and finally Holly Green for the stem. After the paint dried, I added a layer of “Craft Twinkles Orange” from DecoArt®. It’s a kind of gel-looking paint that not only adds glitter, but a nice shine as well.

I’m going to experiment next with making more of these in different sizes. I think for elementary age students though, this size or larger would be best. This pumpkin measures about 8" in diameter.

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Hundertwasser Portraits

I’m still so hooked on the Vienna artist Hundertwasser, that I thought I would try combining his style with my popsicle portrait project. I think his art has a kind of layered marker look to it so it seemed like a good match.

1. It seems that Hundertwasser had a real aversion to straight lines, so I thought I would start with 8 un-straight jumbo popsicle stick glued to two back ones and let dry.
2. I traced the board onto dry wax paper just so I knew the size my drawing should be. Looking at Hundertwasser’s paintings, I tried his style of a very round head, large eyes that spread across the whole face, simple features and hair.
3. When the pencil drawing was done, I traced the lines with a gray marker, and then colored in all the shapes with Sharpie markers. In the past I have always tried to not smudge the color together, but this time I let them smear all they wanted to! When the coloring was done, I cut the drawing out very close to the edges.
4. I mixed 50/50 glue and water and brushed a layer all over the board and the back side of the drawing. I placed the drawing on the board and brushed another layer of glue over the front. Any wrinkles were spread out to smooth before the glue dried.
5. After the glue was dry, I went back with the markers and added those trademark Hundertwasser lines wherever it seemed fit. The marker colors show up much brighter over the dry glue so they give some added punch to the picture.

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International Passport Template

My passport template has been very popular over the years, so I decided to offer an International version as an alternative to the USA and Canadian templates. The difference is just the cover of the book, which now reads “International Passport”.

My template has 6 black and white passport pages to color, and one template for a sleeve. The final passport measures 4.25" x 5.5" folded. Please note that the map pages are outlined only and have NO type information on them. (The students get to look up and write that info in themselves!) You can see a preview of the pdf file by clicking HERE. You can purchase my pdf file with instructions for just $5. Click the “Add to Cart” button below to make your payment and receive download instructions.

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Close Up Portrait

I've found that drawing a portrait of another person from a photo can sometimes help students see more details than usual.

1. Find closeup photos of different faces, male and female, preferably with strong features. Make sure the photos are all closely cropped, especially into the top forehead.
2. Give the students paper that is in the same proportion as their photo. With a pencil, follow the steps shown in the diagram to the right. I’ve found that starting with a large "U" shape seems to be easier than an oval. Review the basic facial proportions with students before they draw their own. One of the most common misconceptions is that eyes are located near the top of the head, when actually they sit in the center. The bottom of the nose is halfway between the eyes and the chin, and the mouth is halfway between the nose and the chin.
3. After the facial features and shoulders are added, have the students trace their lines with a black marker and color everything in with construction paper crayons. Encourage the addition of shadows, such as on the neck chin, etc.

CA Visual Art Standard: Grade Four
2.5 Use accurate proportions to create an expressive portrait or a figure drawing or painting.

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Recycle Mosaic Faces

I was wishing for some pretty colored paper to collage with when I realized my stash of recycled food boxes would do the trick. I save these boxes for their bright colors and enjoy finding new ways to recycle them.

1. I started with a black piece of paper, where I lightly sketched the outline of a head and neck.
2. My boxes came from food that held cereal, crackers, granola bars...anything that is clean and has lots of color to it. I began by choosing the eye shapes, then lips and nose. Then I found a skin color box and cut it into little “tiles”. All these shapes are glued down using a thick layer of glue stick glue. Any extra glue blobs are OK as they dry clear. More is better in this case to keep corners from popping up.
3. Finish the portrait with some interesting clothes and hair. It took some patience to try to fill in as many small pieces as I could, so I plan to encourage students to not rush through this project. The more detailed shapes they include, the more interesting their artwork will become.

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Cezanne Meets Matisse

Paul Cezanne was a French artist whom Matisse and others considered the father of post-Impressionism. This mural honors both artists by combining Cezanne’s subject matter with Matisse’s vivid color palette.

This mural has 24 pages to color and is 42" by 35" when complete. I can email my printable pdf file with instructions for just $5. (Click “Add to Cart” below the mural thumbnail to access PayPal for same day delivery.)

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Back To School Portraits – Modigliani Style

Amedeo Modigliani was famous for his elongated and elegant portraits, painted in Paris back in the early 1900s. Heads and necks were long and narrow, giving his subjects a very graceful look.

1. Starting with a 7" x 12" paper, I made light pencil marks approximately 1/3 down the center of the paper, and another third down again. To draw the head, I made an oval that filled up the top 2/3 of the paper. A neck filled the bottom third, along with curved shoulders.
2. At this point, you could remind students of the “normal” placement of features on a face, namely the eyes belong in the center of the head, and the mouth at the bottom 1/8". To make a Modigliani face, the eyes need to be above the center line, and the mouth extra close to the chin. I drew in a long nose in the space that was left. Hair and ears can be filled in as desired.
3. All the pencil lines are traced with a thin black marker, including a signature on the shirt.
4. Modigliani also used a lot of dark and rich colors, so students may be asked to follow that palatte.
CA Visuals Arts Standard: Creative Expression
2.2 Use the conventions of facial . . . proportions in a figure study.

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Art Journaling 117

This is another drawing inspired by the Austrian abstract artist, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. His philosophy about nature is very reflective in his artwork, so I used his quote and love of wavy lines to jump start this journal page.

1. I started by drawing a wavy horizontal line, and then five random circles for the flower centers above it. All the centers had a stem drawn down, then lots of concentric circles around them.
2. When I was happy with the size of the flowers, I drew lots of wavy horizontal lines that imitated the horizon line, and jumped around each flower.
3. After the sky was complete, I added block letters below spelling out one of my favorite quotes from Hundertwasser. With the drawing done, I traced all the lines with a thin black marker.
4. Using colored pencils, I filled in the drawing, using some more coloring ideas from Hundertwasser. The background I colored one color with medium pressure, and then came back over the black lines and pressed harder to shade. The ground and stems and letters were colored with matching colors too keep things readable. But with the flower circles, I let myself try all different kinds of combinations to see what I liked best. I think having some rules like this will keep teachers from getting a lot of half-done pages which have a tendency, in my experience, to not get completed.

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Art Journaling 116

Aluminum foil and Sharpies are at work here, in addition to some extra texture rubbing.

1. This idea comes from “The Usborne Book of Art Projects” book, one of my favorite. I started by taking a plastic net that onions come in, and stretching it over a square of cardboard. With a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil placed on top, I lightly drew a rainbow trout fish with a pencil. I had help by looking at pictures on the internet, but students could look at colored pictures. The more details the students add, the more colorful their fish will look.
2. When the drawing was complete, I colored in all the rainbow colors of the fish (rubbing to get lots of bumps) and then traced the fish with a black marker. Dots may be added at the end. When complete, all the fish are cut out.
3. I painted the background of two journal pages with watercolor, leaving some sky space on the top. When the paint was dry, I arranged the fish and glued them down.
4. Lastly, I used a silver Sharpie to write a bit about these interesting fish, and added some details to the water too. This process might work well for any report that involves shiny, colorful animals.

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Masking Tape Portrait

This is another way of getting lots of irregular torn edges, without the fuss of gluing them down. I used blue painter’s tape to make this portrait on a piece of colored paper.
1. Each student will need a 9" x 12" piece of colored paper, and a roll of blue painter’s tape (sharing would work too). I used the 1.5" wide variety so I was forced to tear it a lot if I wanted narrow strips. I personally think the more torn edges there are, the better the art looks.
2. I started by laying down the oval shape, then the neck, and finally the face and hair. You could require the students to make their head touch the top and sides of the paper so their faces will be large. Small faces would be difficult to fill in.

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Sunflowers, Up Close & Personal

Vincent Van Gogh is probably most famous for sunflower paintings. This project shows how pictures can become more interesting when some shapes “break” the frame and actually appear to go off the paper.

1. After viewing Van Gogh’s sunflower print from 1888, give the students an extra large paper, (I used 10" x 13") and an old CD to use as a template. They are to trace the CD just once somewhere on the paper – left, top, or right side, extended a bit off the page.
2. Students may add their own radiating flower petals, stems and leaves. They should give some consideration to making their artwork look balanced. For instance, if one large flower is on the right, then a couple of smaller ones should be added to the left to create a visual balance.

3. When the pencil drawing is complete, all lines are traced with a gray oil pastel (I used the Portfolio® brand). The flowers and sky are colored in. Heavy coloring will imitate the dense look of Van Gogh’s paintings.

CA National Arts Standard: Grade Six

Analyze Art Elements and Principles of Design

1.4 Describe how balance is effectively used in a work of art (e.g., symmetrical, asymmetrical, radial).

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Art Journaling 115

Some of the best art journal pages I’ve seen just seem to just have a sense of freedom to them. I think that’s going to be my number one goal when I take this project to the classroom in a couple of weeks. The paper can be spotty and messy, headlines can go at the bottom instead of the top, and writing can go sideways and even upside down. No worries, just paint and draw and write and have fun!

1. I put a teabag in a few tablespoons of hot water to make some really strong tea. Note: Test the different teas first, a cinnamon type worked much better than Lipton. Using a brush or the wet teabag, smear the paper with tea, leaving some blotches and white spots. Let dry.
2. There are many “how to draw a cat” sites on the internet, but I liked http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/Sparkythespark/howtodraw.jpg because it seemed appropriate for elementary age students. I drew the cat across the pages with a pencil, and then traced with a brown Gelly Roll pen.
3. My title seemed to fit the best on the bottom right. I made block letters and then shaded in the edges.
4. Lastly, I wrote about my cats in the area remaining, and decided it didn’t have to be horizontal. I made my writing go up and down and follow the shape of the tail. This was a fun page to do and I really liked how the tea spots dried and all the natural colors seem to work together.

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Ode to Matisse Mural

In the late 1800’s, Henri Matisse explored new ways of interpreting shapes and images in his vibrant paintings. His persistence opened a floodgate for modern artists to express their own vision, which believe it or not, was a radical idea at the time.

This collage of some of Matisse’s most famous paintings has 24 pages to color and is 30" by 62" when complete. You can purchase my pdf file with instructions for just $5. Click the “Add to Cart” button below to make your payment and receive download instructions.

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My new blog – Sewing Projects for Kids

I’m excited to announce the launch of Sewing Projects For Kids, my new blog dedicated to teaching sewing basics to kids and beginners of all ages with some very simple but creative projects. My first post is this colorful faux chenille bag. Just click on the bag to visit my blog.

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Art Journaling 114

I used two laws of perspective to help give this spread some depth. One is that with distance, similar shapes appear to get smaller, and two is that colors in general get lighter.

1. I started by drawing a horizon line about 2/3 of the way down the page. I drew the road that narrowed with distance, added the trees that got smaller, and the border around the edge.
2. With the lettering, I'm trying to experiment with staggered placement to both loosen up the look and hopefully the students. This journal should be one place where they don't have to worry about keeping things in straight lines. When I was happy with the pencil writing, I traced everything with a black Sharpie, going over the headline letters twice to make them darker.
3. Lastly, I colored in the pages with my favorite Prismacolor colored pencils. I used the lightest shade of green for the distance fields, and a darker for the area that is up close. I imagine two shades of blue could be used for the sky too.

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Art Journaling 113

I started with one of my favorite poems, “The Wise Owl” for this 2-page spread layout.

1. I really love the look of white on dark journal pages I have been coming across, so I splurged on a white DecoColor marker from Aaron Brothers for $3.50. To prepare the pages, I painted them with a dark blue watercolor and let dry.
2. My owl was drawn on the right page copying a magazine image, but I will probably find something simpler when I do this with a class. The point is to have a large bird drawing, with as many feathers and spots and line details as possible.
3. On the left side, I wrote my poem “The Wise Owl”
The wise old owl
sat in an oak.
The more he saw
the less he spoke.
The less he spoke
the more he heard.
Why can’t we be like
that wise old bird?
4. Some stars and dots were added around the pages, with a little yellow oil pastel inside the large stars.

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Art Journaling 112

This is another 2-page art journal spread, this time on the topic of dreaming.

1. I plan to give the students a rectangle to trace, one approximately the size of the shown quilt. They are to tilt it, make it go off the paper, and trace.
2. The head is drawn, along with a pillow and headboard. The quilt may be divided up into smaller squares. A quick heading and paragraph about dreaming are added in the extra space.
3. All lines are traced with a black marker. I filled in all the spaces on the quilt with color and pattern.

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Art Journaling 111

The goal I have for my journal is to fill up every single page, including the left hand sides. This post is an idea for making a 2-page drawing, one that goes across the center spine.

1. I placed my hand across my open journal and traced it with a pencil. Following the same angle of the fingers, I wrote “GOALS” as if extending from one finger, and the words “2009 – 2010 Year of School” below it. I decided to list my top 3 and added them at the same angle. I hope to reinforce to the students that when they write in their journal, they don’t necessarily need to write in horizontal lines.
2. To give texture to the large area on the left, I drew lots crosshatch lines with the Sharpie marker. On the right, all the writing was also traced with a thin Sharpie.
3. Lastly, I colored in the pages with a little oil pastel. My Portfolio brand of pastels are water soluable so if you brush water on top, it looks a bit like a painting.

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Art Journaling 110

This could be called a “My Favorite” page, which could include food, pets, flowers, clothes ... anything that is easy to find in your average magazine.

1. I found my photo first, and glued it to the center of the page.
2. I wrote in curved lines, “My Favorite” on top and then “Oatmeal Cookies” below with a permanent marker.
3. Radiating lines were drawn with watercolor pencils. I started with pairs of dark orange, filled them in, and then filled the remaining areas with yellow. A little water turned the pencil into paint.
4. After drying, I used regular colored pencils to define the edges and the letters a little more. I think this would be cute also with a photo of a cat or dog – any subject matter that they can cut out of a magazine.

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Art Journaling 109

I’ve seen even really young students make some stunning collages with magazine photos. The most successful seem to be those with a theme, like those that collect swatches of similar color.
1. I’ve posted this idea before regarding color collages, but I think another approach is to do it with a more organized grid system. My journal pages measure 7" x 10" so I used a 2" template to trace and cut lots of swatches of blue from various magazines. I glued these swatches down, all side by side, forming a 3 column by 4 row grid.
2. After all the squares are in place, I used the themed blue colored pencils to fill in the rest of the page until all the white was gone.
3. Using a black Sharpie, I did my best to name all the various colors of blue. I admit that I cheated and googled to get some extra blue names, so maybe in class the kids could be asked to label just a few of their squares. The point is for them to realize that that there are many, many shades and variations of any one color, and naming them might bring a little more appreciation for all their subtleties.

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Art Journaling 108

Today had a very prominent number attached to it – my son turned 13. There was lots of talk and cards and cake all revolving around this special number, so I'm thinking that must happen with other occasions to. Maybe a really good test score, or jersey number or locker number could be the starting point for a journal page.

1. I started by writing a little about the day in very spaced out lines with a black pen. I continued until the background was filled with evenly spaced lines.

2. Using watercolor pencils, I drew an outline of a big “13” on the paper. The area around the letters was shaded in, changing colors in some areas. For those unfamiliar with watercolor pencils, the cheap ones from Crayola will not give you bright, pretty colors. My favorite are the Prismacolor brand, which you can find at Staples.

3. I brushed water over the pencil and blended the colors when necessary.

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Art Journaling 107

I saw a poet somewhere who writes by just choosing words from a page in a book, and blacking out all the rest. I think kids could have a lot of fun with this if they were allowed to make really silly sentences that were still structurally correct.

1. The students will receive one column of a newspaper story. They are to circle a series of words that make a complete sentence. My one rule is that no two words may be next to each other. The chosen words are highlighted and circled with a marker.
2. The newsletter is taped to the left on a journal page. On the right, the made up sentence is written out by hand so that it can be easily read.
3. Finally, whatever image this sentence brings to mind would be illustrated and colored with colored pencils. I imagine these pages would be very fun to share with the class when finished.

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