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Text “Art is Basic” in watercolor style, with colorful markers and foam star stickers on the top left and bottom right corners, against a white background.
  • Home
  • Free Art Sub Plans
  • Art Projects
    • Back to School
    • Great for Grades K-5
    • Kindergarten
    • First Grade
    • Second Grade
    • Third Grade
    • Fourth Grade
    • Fifth Grade
    • Clay
    • Collage
    • Drawing
    • Fibers
      • weaving
    • Painting
    • Printmaking
    • Sculpture
  • My Shop
  • About Art is Basic
  • Contact
Text “Art is Basic” in watercolor style, with colorful markers and foam star stickers on the top left and bottom right corners, against a white background.
Colorful abstract landscape art featuring a rainbow, planets, and buildings includes text about the artist Justin Vining. This artwork was recently highlighted in a published article.

Published Article

Great news! I have been published in the Summer issue of School Arts magazine. I wrote an article about artwork…

  • May 28, 2016
  • 5 Comments
  • all grades, contemporary artists, published
A colorful abstract face with various patterns and textures, featuring two horns and closed eyes.

Jesse Reno: ambition over direction

When I found out that Jesse Reno was going to be at the National Art Education Conference this year, I…

  • March 25, 2016
  • 1 Comment
  • abstract, all grades, artists, contemporary artists
A colorful 1st Grade drawing of four cartoon animals, a butterfly, and a tree on green grass under a blue sky with a yellow sun, resembling cheerful still life drawings.

Stuffed Animal Still Life Drawings with 1st Grade

Do you want to know what will really get first graders excited about drawing still lifes?  Have them bring in…

  • March 2, 2016
  • 13 Comments
  • 1st grade, animals, artists, contemporary artists, drawing, first grade, Uncategorized
Abstract painting with vibrant colors, bold black lines, and various shapes including circles, flowers, and organic forms.

Abstract Paintings Inspired by the Art of Shinique Smith

Have you heard of the artist Shinique Smith?  I just love her artwork!  It’s very gestural, colorful and it just…

  • September 12, 2015
  • 8 Comments
  • abstract, collaborative artwork, contemporary artists, fifth grade, fourth grade
Illustration of a tree figure and a green bear with a water gun, labeled "Hybrid Machine-Animal Drawings.

Hybrid Machine-Animal Drawings

After looking at the art of contemporary artist Nicolas Lampert, my students combined two or more different objects or creatures…

  • August 23, 2015
  • 2 Comments
  • abstract, collage, contemporary artists, drawing, fifth grade, sixth grade
Children engaging in an art project, using colorful paper and drawings, diligently creating a large blue poster board with contemporary art concepts.

New Ideas and Resources to Teach about Contemporary Art

In previous blog posts, I talked about contemporary artists you may not have heard about before and I put together…

  • August 11, 2015
  • all grades, contemporary artists, Uncategorized
A rubber ducky dressed as a cowboy with a hat, red bandana, green checkered shirt, and blue overalls.

Rubber Ducky Public Sculptures in St. Joseph, Michigan

A couple of weeks ago we took a summer trip to my brother’s cabin in Michigan.  We spent some time…

  • June 28, 2015
  • 1 Comment
  • all grades, animals, contemporary artists, sculpture
Easy End of Year Art Project

Easy End of Year Art Project: Collaborative Banners

Are you looking for an easy end-of-year art project?  On the last days of school, I had some students that…

  • June 6, 2015
  • 1 Comment
  • all grades, bulletin board, collaborative artwork, contemporary artists
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Collage of colorful, hand-drawn school art projects, bingo sheet, and text: “Back-to-School ART BIG BUNDLE, 22 ART RESOURCES!” on a white background with purple border.

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Free Sub Guide

A colorful flyer titled "Ten Easy Art Activities for Subs" features images of art supplies, a worksheet about creating an “Art Sub Tub,” and highlights free art sub plans perfect for substitute teachers.
Poster listing “10 Fun Back-to-School Art Projects” with vibrant student artwork, sample project names, and labeled sections for personal and creative activities—perfect inspiration for exciting back to school art projects.
A hand holds two colorful art books, titled "What If" and "The Spark in You," against a pastel background with text promoting 150+ books for art class.
Poster for "30 Low-Prep Art Sub Plans" featuring colorful student artwork, colored pencils, and text promoting easy ideas for elementary art.
A collage of colorful art lesson plans and examples labeled "Mega Bundle Art Sub Plans," promoting 20 print-and-go activities with handouts and illustrated project samples.
A promotional image for yearlong art choice boards, featuring sample boards for August, September, October, February, and December; includes text highlighting 12+ months of activities.

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Collage showing various art supplies, including scissors, colored paper, markers, paint, construction paper, glue, and other materials, with the title “Ultimate List of ART SUPPLIES for Elementary Art Class.”.
Art centers for early finishers display with colorful hexagonal pieces, origami books, and bricks in a basket.

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