Memory Drawings
This unit focused on recalling a family memory and creating a picture about this story. We read about the artist Faith Ringgold and her story quilts.
Marcia
Marcia is an elementary art teacher and loves painting, drawing, sculpture, art journaling and clay. Her blog, Art is Basic, features many exciting art projects for kids.
Budgets for Art
I was reading the teacherartexchange listserve from the Getty museum, which is a very cool list serve, and I felt really sorry for one teacher who only has $100 for a budget that serves 350 students. She was wondering what…
Portrait Drawing Exercise from postcard images
Drawing Activity This drawing activity will help to sensitize you to the variety of drawing styles and qualities. First, fold your paper in half 3 times in order to make 8 rectangles. In each of the rectangles, you will make…
4th/5th Grade Secret Cities– Drawing in 3-d, shading
Secret Cities The 4/5s learned how to draw 3-d forms and include shading and shadows. They stacked these shapes to make a “secret city”. I got this idea from a book about drawing by Mark Kistler. This artist had a…
the art of silliness!
This is a worksheet from Carla Sonheim’s Art of Silliness class. I recommend this class, it’s very fun. The worksheets she sends you each day are very unique drawing activities. What I am doing with these is photocopying them for…
Wouldn’t this be a fun and educational project for kids?
In my blog perusing, I found this cool junk mail tutorial. Wouldn’t it be a fun project for kids to recycle all those pieces of junk mail we all receive? The catalogs and flyers that come in the mail are…
Cross Hatched Animals
Hatching and Cross-Hatching by the 3/4s The 3/4s are learning about hatching and cross-hatching. They explored this technique in a portrait drawing. After a quick practice of portrait drawing, the students moved on to a cross hatched animal. Animal pictures…
Contour Shoes– 3rd grade
Contour Drawings The students observed the details and lines on their shoes. They completed a contour line study of their footwear. Next, they turned these drawings into “miniature playgrounds” for stick people. Contour drawing helps define and explore edges through…
Illuminated Letters– The 5th/6th grade
The 5/6s visited the Chazen Art Museum to see Medieval illuminated manuscripts. These delicate and decorative books were amazing! The students designed their own illuminated letter using inspiration from the illuminated manuscripts they observed. Weused pencil, watercolor paints, colored pencils…
Substitute Assignment
On Wednesday I had a substitute teacher. I left this drawing assignment for the 2nd graders to complete. Divide your paper in half. On one side, draw what you imagine your life to look like when you are 30 years…
Patchwork Animals– Kindergarten
Patchwork Animals To connect again with literature, the kindergartners read the book Elmer, by David McKee. Using squares of colored paper and patterned paper, they are making their own patchwork animal. The objectives of this project are to…
Australian Animals– 2nd Grade
Australian Art: In April, the second graders learned about Australian art. Animals were drawn similar to Australian Aboriginal drawings showing the animal’s bones, organs and muscles as well as the outside normally seen. Some of the oldest Australian art…
Girls Night Out
The other weekend, I went out for a Girls’ Night Out at our local paint your own pottery place. They also do glass fusing, which I excitedly tried for the first time. It was a blast! We were able to…
Third/Fourth grade Landscapes
American Landscapes The 3/4s learned about Colonial times and Westward Expansion. The students watched a video about American landscape artists during the 19th century and they painted their own landscapes. One of the goals was to use inspiration from the…
Monochromatic Rhythm Paintings
Monochromatic Rhythm Painting The third graders are learning about how rhythm is used in art. Rhythm is a principle of art that’s difficult to summarize in words. Assuming that you’ve picked up on a rhythm in music before, take what…