Student Art from Minnesota

Last week I received this wonderful photo from a 4th grade class in Royalton, Minnesota. Their teacher, Erin, had tried out my Picasso Paper Bag Costume project with her entire class and agreed to share her results. Are these a bunch of cute and creative kids or what? I love all the colorful faces and the animated posing too, it really makes for a wonderful photo. Thanks kids, for letting me share your art with my readers....

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Sir Ken Robinson on Education and the Arts

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Scarecrow Painting

I found this idea of a watercolor scarecrow over at Artsonia.com. If anyone would like credit for the idea of drawing him in this closely-cropped fashion, please let me know. I love how my students could easily make a large detailed face, but still include faraway fields and trees too.1. Students began with an 11" x 15" piece of watercolor paper. I wanted them to get set up with the outline of the body and head before they started customizing, but being that I had many kinders (this was an afterschool class) I knew they would tend to make the shapes very small. To compensate, I had students make their own guides. I had each one align an extra...

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Fall Tree Painting

The basic concept behind perspective is learning that the further away objects are, the smaller they appear. This painting idea comes from one of the Usborne art books, all of which I am very fond of.1. The students need a set of watercolor paints and good brushes (including small thin ones for detail work). They can start by painting an off-center tree, with trunks and branches. Remind them that trees tend to make forks and split off again and again as they grow up.2. Colored leaves in varying sizes are painted next. Some may be left on the tree, some floating away or even off the page, and a few extra large ones. Some details may be added with...

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Haunted House Coffee Painting

I saw this idea in a recent Arts & Activities magazine, and loved the look. I thought a haunted house would be a good subject matter because of all the moody brown tones that could be created.1. Halloween can be such a mixed bag when it comes to art lessons. I like spooky fun, but have seen more than my fair share of RIP headstones, etc. I set up rules that this project was to be 'drawn' with a paintbrush (so the kids wouldn't draw tiny shapes they couldn't paint) and that it was essentially a landscape (no ghosts, no zombies, headstones, etc.). Each student got a sheet of paper, thin brush, water and a tablespoon or so of instant coffee.2....

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Day of the Dead Skull Drawing

Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and Latin American on Nov. 1st and 2nd. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to remember friends and family members who have passed on. I like how the festivities include lots creative imagery with patterns. This project was inspired by a Day of the Dead postcard which featured a very patterned skull drawing.1. In order to get the students drawing their patterns as soon as possible, I made cardboard templates of skulls for them to trace with a pencil on a black piece of paper. I reminded them that when they drew their eyes, they should be in the middle of the head, sitting on...

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Symmetrical Owl

This project fulfilled all my criteria for a successful lesson today: it was seasonal, a visual art standard (symmetry) was covered, and it really peaked all the student’s interest. 1. To make a pattern, I gave each student an 8.5" x 11" sheet of old newsprint and had them fold the paper in half the long way. They then drew the outline of a simple owl as shown, making sure the center was on the fold of the paper. With the paper still folded, they cut the owl out.2. The newsprint owl was centered on a sheet of 9" x 12" sheet of black paper and traced around the edge with a pencil. Working only on the black paper now, the rest of the owl was drawn....

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Cubist Paper Bag Costume

A Halloween book that included faces on paper bags inspired my “Cubism” costume. I can’t wait to wear it in our school parade on Friday.I used a regular brown grocery bag, and started by drawing the split face on one side with a black pastel. For more specifics on how to draw the two-sided face, check out my post here. After the features were drawn in black, I colored white pastel to fill in the background and cover over any logo art. (My Portfolio® brand pastels are pretty opaque.) I continued drawing the hair around the sides, top and back of the bag, always coloring very heavily. Lastly, I poked two eye holes near the bottom of my nose. I...

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A Positively Negative Pumpkin

I tried this with 2nd and 4th graders, and they both seemed to enjoy the puzzle aspect of making a whole pumpkin from cutting out just a half. I like how this is an example of using both positive and negative shapes, and positive and negative colors.1. Give each student an 8.5" x 11" sheet of cream paper and a 5.5" x 8.5" black sheet of paper. With my sample, I first aligned the black paper on the left side of the cream.2. Starting on the middle edge, students draw a large half of a pumpkin. Next, one eye and one half of a mouth are added. When complete, the eye and mouth are cut out, all as complete shapes, not in bits and pieces. I show students...

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Pumpkin Festival Photo Op

My school's biggest annual fund raiser is our Pumpkin Festival. With Halloween themes galore, I decided to blow up my mural of “The Scream” to create a fun photo op. 1. I printed my mural templates at 130% on 11" x 17" 65 lb. cardstock.2. The pages were colored in, trimmed off and taped together from behind. I used clear packing tape to handle the additional size and weight.3. To mount, I taped together four 30" x 40" sheets of 1/2" thick foam core. I taped over the seams on both sides with duct tape and reinforced the back by taping down four 3' wood dowels.4. I layed out the finished mural on the front to measure the excess foam core. I marked...

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Contour Fall Leaves

Contour drawings are made with just lines, which also add a bit of visual energy to this picture.1. I started by making a sheet of line drawings of different leaf shapes, which you can access here. Give the students one print of these leaves, and one matching-size blank paper. Have the students trace several leaves on their paper (if they can see through their paper) or use carbon paper to transfer the lines.2. Once the blank paper has been filled up with about 3 leaf shapes, they are to be traced with black marker and colored in with colored pencil.3. Lastly, each leaf is traced around with a colored pencil, following the edges of the original,...

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Halloween Monster Gloves

OK, so maybe this is more craft than art, but Halloween can be a great time to challenge your creative muscles. And if I could inspire even just one person to make something instead of buying that awful ready-made stuff in stores, I will be a happy camper. 1. The key is finding fake fur from fabric stores that matches the color of some knit gloves. I think that all black or all white are the easiest to look for. I cut the largest square of fur possible for the top of the glove, and hand-stitched in place. I think you could glue, but would need to put some kind of divider inside the glove to keep both sides from gluing together. If you really...

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Bone Letters

You could make this a lesson about anatomy and what the different kinds of bones in your body look like – or you could just make some creepy looking name signs for Halloween!1. I drew examples of some typical bones on the board. They generally look like sticks, but have large bumps on the end. I gave students long pieces of paper and had them write their name lightly in pencil, using just stick letters.2. The students can then turn those letters into little sections of bone as they see fit. Curved letters can be made from several short straight ones, or something that looks like a rib bone, which has just a rounded point on one side.3. Trace...

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Black Cat with Glowing Eyes

These glowing cat eyes are made from blending a few layers of pencil crayons. White on the bottom, then yellow, and for those interested in more detail, a bit of brown. Please note though, that the average pencil crayon and black construction paper won’t deliver these results. You need crisp black art paper and soft pencil crayons, such as the Prismacolor or Dick Blick brand to get the rich color against a very black background.1. I gave the students a 7" square of black art paper, and had them follow my drawing steps, as shown above.2. When complete, they traced all their lines with a white pencil crayon.3. The students added a heavy layer of...

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Halloween Pasta Skeleton

A fun way to teach students how to apply basic anatomy to art is by creating skeletons from pasta.1. To make a sturdy pallet, the students arranged 20 popsicle sticks horizontally and secured them with 4 sticks glued vertically to the back.2. A variety of pasta shapes were needed. I started by briefing the students with a simple sketch illustrating the proportions and the placement of shoulders, hips and joints.3. Using white glue, they started by placing the head, spine, ribs and hips. They then added the shoulders, arms, legs, hands and feet and let dry until the glue turned cle...

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Jack-O-Lantern Painting in the Round

Most kinders have trouble drawing large free-hand circles on rectangular paper. For this project, inspired by a window decoration I recently spotted at a paper store, I pre-cut the paper to help guide them to make a better circle.1. I started with orange 65 lb. card stock and used my circle cutter to cut out the circles approximately 8" in diameter. Printing and cutting by hand is of course and option.2. In pencil, the students drew their circles about an inch or so from the edge and then added the stem and the rest of the features.3. I gave each student a sheet of plastic canvas and a peeled black crayon to do a light rubbing over the entire...

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Halloween Drawing

I love the layering technique behind this drawing, which I learned from a colored pencil tutorial. Please note that not just any colored pencil will do this, just ones like these from Dick Blick. The average school-quality brand are just not soft enough to blend together.1. Last Halloween, I found some colorful clip art images for the students to use as inspiration. Trees with wiggly branches, crow silhouettes and and funny monsters can all be drawn in different configurations to make a very interesting picture. I asked the students to sketch out their own designs in pencil on black paper. Note: It pays to buy some serious black paper from an...

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Designer Wallpaper Skulls

I recently received a large wallpaper donation at my school, and have decided to show the students how to cut out “designer” skulls.1. I will give the students a sheet of wallpaper approx. 8.5" x 11". They are to fold it in half the long way, and draw 1/2 of a skull on the fold, making it as large as they can in both directions. The skull is basically an oval head with a narrow chin.2. With the skull still folded (right sides together) they draw one eye halfway down the skull, half of a triangle nose, and half of some shape of mouth. These shapes are all cut out, still on the fold. For the eyes, I just cut straight over to the eye, and then around...

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Glue and Pastel Spiderweb

This basic glue and pastel process can be used with a variety of subject matter - this spiderweb worked well for little hands that were just learning how to control a glue bottle.Week One: Distribute 9" x 12" sheets of black construction paper to each student. Ask them to make a dot with a pencil somewhere near the center of the paper. Show them how to draw straight lines out from the center, going to the edges of the paper: about 2 lines up, two to the right, then the left and the bottom edge. Next, they need to draw a series to concentric circles around the center dot. Encourage the students to keep the lines simple, with lots of space in between....

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Witch Hat Drawing

A Halloween stock art image inspired me to make this witch hat drawing. It’s a good example of using positive and negative space in a very seasonal manner.1. I started with a 6" x 9" piece of black drawing paper. I made a dot on the top center, and drew a hat that touched it and the two bottom corners. A band and star were also drawn in pencil.2. I traced all the lines with a white Prismacolor pencil, and then shaded in the outside (negative) areas white. Sometimes this is also called “underglazing” a drawing. Note: Crayola pencils will not work for layering, they are not soft enough. Test your pencils before you try this lesson.3. Orange and...

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Gilded Halloween Portrait

I found a great book simply called “Halloween” by Joanne O’Sullivan, which has a ton of creative ideas. This is an adaptation of a portrait project, which I am including in an after-school class next month.1. I started with one of those super-inexpensive unfinished frames from Michael’s. had some iron-on appliques in my stash of supplies. You could probably buy something similar from JoAnn’s. You just need something that looks decorative to imitate the look of a fancy old picture frame. I covered my frame with a thin layer of Mod-Podge, placed the appliques on top, and let dry.2. When the frame was dry, I applied a generous amount of metallic...

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Day of the Dead Drawing

Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico in which family and friends pray for and remember friends and family members who have passed away. It occurs every November 2nd in connection with All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day celebrations.1. Starting with black construction paper, show the students how to draw in pencil a large skeleton head, which looks a lot like an upside down pear. Circles are added for the eyes, a triangle for the nose, and rectangle with lines for the mouth. A skinny neck and shoulders are added.2. After the pencil drawing is complete, the students are to take white glue and trace all the lines. Let...

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“The Scream” Mural by Edvard Munch

The Norwegian artist Edvard Munch is regarded as a pioneer in the Expressionist movement in modern painting. This mural of his famous “Scream” painting features color callouts on every page so this sample may be reproduced as shown, just in time for some Halloween fun.My mural has 36 pages to color and measures 45" x 55". 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. Note: Color callouts on the mural come from the Portfolio® Oil Pastels, specifically the 24 set as shown he...

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Watercolor Crayon Resist Leaf

This is so simple but really makes a beautiful image. There's a texture rubbing involved, which is a good trick for young students to learn.1. I had some donated corregated cardboard that came on a long roll. I think you can purchase this at any moving company, you just need to be sure to get the kind that has the open bumps on one side. Cut the cardboard into rectangles that are at least as large as your drawing paper.2. I started the students with blank drawing paper, about 9" x 12", and large cardboard leaf templates. To add more educational value, you could have many different leaf shapes. For example: maple, ginko, birch and oak all have...

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Geometric Landscape

Would you like to make sure your students know how to mix a color, in this case green? Then give them one of Crayola’s Watercolor Mixing Sets (which basically only has shades of primary colors) and tell them their job is to figure out how. I asked my students to not only make green, but at least three different shades of green for a simple but colorful abstract landscape.1. To begin the drawing, I set up a lot of limitations just to keep students from getting hung up on drawing flowers or animals or even a sun. They were to draw at least three triangles trees, with simple trunks, and a wavy ground line.2. When the pencil drawing was complete,...

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Drawing and Shading Lesson

This project was a big success in my after school drawing class today. I started at Michael's where I found an assortment of bright red gourds and a marbled pencil crayon that matched their coloring perfectly, simplifying the process of coloring and shading for any age.1. The gourds come in small sets. I scanned a handful and made color printouts for my youngest students. I wanted them to observe the shaded edges of each piece, but all students had the option of sketching from the real models. I demonstrated how to look carefully at the shape of each gourd, and had them draw several randomly across their paper. The stems were filled in with pencil,...

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Vintage Halloween Mural

I've always enjoyed vintage Halloween art for its whimsical quality. I thought it would be fun to incorporate elements from my favorite pieces to make this, my first Halloween mural. My pdf file consists of 30 pages and measures 40" x 60" when complete. I'll deliver my Halloween Mural via email, for just $5. Click the “Add to Cart” button for same day delivery....

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Mark Rothko Abstract Art

Mark Rothko emerged during the 1940s to create a new and impassioned form of abstract painting. My goal was to have students make a simple abstract picture, and let the visual “weight” of each color determine their order.1. I gave students pre-cut cardboard rectangles measuring 2.25" x 8", 3.5" x 8", and 4.5" x 8". They were labeled A, B and C respectively so A=smallest, B=medium, C=largest rectangle. On a 9" x 12" sheet of paper, they were to center and draw one of each rectangle, in any order. I recommended that they center and trace the two outside shapes first and then finish with the middle. (Click on the image to see an example.)2. Ask...

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