Delaunay Mural

Robert Delaunay, a French painter, printmaker and writer, used Cubism as one of his points of departure. By the 1930s his work was a study of geometric forms and vibrant color. Delaunay also wrote extensively until the end of his life, leaving a legacy of important essays on the development of abstract art.
This mural has 24 pages to color and measures 44" by 40" when complete. This mural includes color callouts to keep continuous color in the large circles. 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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Draw a Hand Tree

I saw this idea on Artsonia.com, and love showing kids how lines can give dimension to their art.

1. The students first trace their hand on a piece of paper. When finished, they should make the tops of their fingers very pointy.
2. Vertical lines are drawn as shown. The more irregular they are, the better. When complete, the lines can be traced with a marker.
3. Demonstrate to the students how they can place their marker on a vertical line and "jump", or make an arch to the next line. It's best to start at the bottom and work upwards. When they reach a finger, the lines become just single "jumps".
4. Leaves may be added around the tree, and grass in the background.
5. Color with crayons or colored pencils. Note: This can make a spooky Halloween drawing if done on black paper with white pencil crayons.

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Picasso Pastel Portraits

Pablo Picasso was one of the most prolific artists ever, and one of his contributions was cubism, the idea of looking at something from different angles. A good way to demonstrate this idea is to draw a portrait with both a front and profile view.
1. With a 9" x 12" piece of black construction paper, show the students how to draw a profile down the middle of the paper. Start at the top center, draw a forehead straight down a couple of inches, then comes a nose that ends in the center of the paper, lips below, and chin that curves up and goes off the paper. Finally, add a neck to the bottom.
2. Complete the profile face with a profile eye, and chin line that matches the opposite side.
3. Complete the front view face with an eye that looks directly out, along with a mouth and chin.
4. Add hair and any other desired detail.
5. Trace the drawing with a black oil pastel. Press hard to make a dark line.
6. Fill in all of the drawing with oil pastels, leaving no paper to show. Encourage unusual colors, as many abstract artists do.

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