Please Note: All images seen below are of my students artwork only. These photos/lessons are not posted in any particular order regarding the flow of my curriculum.

Hot Air Balloon Collage

Hot Air Balloon Collage

First graders used their knowledge of collage and learned what mixed-media is when creating these wonderfully fun and colorful hot air balloons!

DAY 1: ON 9X12” drawing paper, students designed their own hot air balloons by filling them with all the things that lines can do. They traced a large circle template made from cardboard, then added a small box on the bottom of the circle. We reviewed all the different types of lines and once they filled their balloon up, they traced over all their lines with sharpie and colored in.

DAY 2: Students painted a sky background with blue, purple, and magenta liquid watercolor paint. Students learned how to apply the wet-on-wet technique to help spread and blend the watercolor paints on the paper. To create wet-on-wet, students wet their paper with just water first, then applied the paint to that area.

Then students finished their balloons if needed.

DAY 3: Students carefully cut out their balloons and glued them into their sky paintings. They glued on yarn for the handles, a construction paper basket to ride in, and a few clouds for texture. I took each student’s photo, printed them out, cut them out ahead of time and added their picture to their basket for a final step.

Students had a lot of fun making these and I think they turned out great!!!  Enjoy looking at all these fun, colorful hot air balloons!

 

Learning Goals:

• Can define and create a mixed-media collage
• Can draw shapes to create a balloon
• Demonstrate an understanding on different types of line
• Learn watercolor painting techniques (wet on wet)
• Can define texture and add texture to their work

 

 

 

Bubble Gum Blowing Selfies!

Bubble Gum Blowing Selfies

This was a really fun lesson where first-graders learned the difference between a self-portrait and a portrait.

Students looked at different self-portraits by famous artists and then learned how to draw the head by drawing an upside down egg shape. They learned how to draw facial features in correct proportion. They learned that eyes are drawn like the shape of almonds footballs or lemons. They also learned how to draw the nose, mouth, ears and eyebrows . 

Students added a pattern of circles in the background, then traced over all their lines with a thick black sharpie. 

On the second day of the lesson I read them a story called The Colors of Us, by Karen Katz. I absolutely love this story because it talks about the unique and beautiful skin colors that we all have that make us different and to appreciate each other’s differences.  We talked about how weird and boring the world would be if we were all the same skin color.

Students then found a crayon that best matched their own unique skin color and colored in their self-portraits. 

For a final step, I poked holes in their papers using a sharpened pencil and a pre-tied pink balloon was attached to their self-portrait using tape on the back for their bubblegum blowing selfie’s! 

Students did a fantastic job creating their self-portraits! I LOOVE how these turned out!! 

A BIG thank you to Sharpies, Paint, and Paper for this super fun lesson idea! 

Learning goals

-Students can define what a self-portrait is, and know the difference between self-portrait and portrait

-Students begin to learn how to draw facial features in proportion to their head 

-Students can define “pattern” and create patterns in their work

MIXED MEDIA ALPHABET SOUP

I LOVE this lesson! Thank you LauraLee Chambers for the wonderful lesson idea!!

The focus of this lesson combines letter formation/identification with an understanding of mixed media (we used oil pastels, liquid watercolor paint, markers and charcoal), and three-dimensional elements within artwork. 

This lesson took 3 (40 minute) art classes to complete.

After showing students my teacher examples, and reviewing what mixed media is (using multiple art mediums in a piece of artwork), and what 3-D means (artwork that isn’t flat and sticks out –soup spoon and plastic letters), students each received a piece of 9×12″ 80# drawing paper with a circle traced on it (for the soup). The alphabet was projected onto the white board for students to review if needed.

Students drew the alphabet using oil pastels inside the circle to create their alphabet soup. They were encouraged to draw their letters large, pressing hard (so the oil pastel later on would resist the paint!) as well as draw some upside down, and backwards and going in different directions with multiple colors.

Once drawn and the letters almost filled up their bowl, they drew small orange squares (for carrots) and green circles (for peas).

Then students painted over their letters with a yellow-orange liquid watercolor (creating the broth), creating an oil pastel resist!

DAY 2: 

Students each received a 12×18″ piece of 80# drawing paper with another (larger) circle pre-traced with black sharpie. This circle was drawn off to the side of their paper, so there would be room for the napkin later on.

After reviewing vertical and horizontal lines, students drew a plaid tablecloth (or placemat) using 2 chosen colored markers. Then kids painted over their lines with water to create a “painterly” look. Students thought it was so fun that the marker could turn into “paint”!

DAY 3: 

Students cut out their soups carefully and then glued down in the center of the larger traced circle bowl, using a glue stick.

Then they glued down a pre-cut “napkin” (heavyweight tagboard cut to about 4 1/2″ x 9 1/2″) next to their bowls of soup using a glue stick. They then used a piece of charcoal to outline one side of their napkin (I told them to create the letter “L” with their charcoal, as well as half the side of their soup bowl (I told them to create a “C” with their charcoal). I explained this would create a shadow effect, and make it all look more realistic and 3-D. Then students smudged the lines of charcoal with their finger!

For the final steps, I glued down a plastic spoon (metal imitation soup spoons found on Amazon) and 2 colored plastic letters (plastic letter beads from Roylco) using a hot glue gun!

To view photos of students working on each step of this lesson, search for “Mixed media alphabet soup” in my blog posts! 

LEARNING GOALS:

-Students can identify letters and draw them in their artwork going in different directions

-Students can define mixed media and create artwork using a variety of media

-Students can define and create horizontal and vertical lines

-Students can define three-dimensional

 

 

 

1st Grade “LOVE IS IN THE AIR!”

WINTER LANDSCAPES

This lesson took 2 (40 minute) art classes to finish. A fun quick lesson right before the winter break! Students had so much fun creating them especially when adding flecks of white paint for the snowflakes with toothbrushes!

TO VIEW STEP BY STEP PHOTOS OF THIS LESSON TYPE IN “WINTER LANDSCAPES – 1ST GRADE” IN THE SEARCH BOX TO GO TO THAT BLOG POST

DAY 1

After reviewing what a landscape was, students drew 5 triangles on a sheet of 12×18″ 80# white paper with pencil. I encouraged them to draw them in various sizes. Students could use rulers if they wanted as well.

Once drawn, they went over their lines with a black colored pencil to darken their lines. This is so kids could see their lines better when cutting them out, after gluing down tissue paper on their triangles.

Then they glued colorful cut tissue pieces all over their triangles using watered down white school glue. Students overlapped tissue as they glued, making sure to cover all the white spaces within their triangles. It’s important here to apply thin layers of glue, then one tissue at a time, then add another thin layer of glue on top with their brush to make the tissue lay nice and flat.

I mentioned to students they could go beyond their triangles edges with tissue since we would be cutting them all out later on.

These were set aside to dry until the following art class.

DAY 2

Students cut out their snowy hills from white paper and glued onto a sheet of 12×18″ black paper with a glue stick.

Then cut out their triangle trees and glued onto their snowy hills with a glue stick.

Then for a final touch, dipped a toothbrush (packs of 5 at the dollar tree!) into watered down white tempera paint and using their thumb ran their thumb across the bristles (bristles pointing downward to their landscapes) flecking snowflakes all over! Messy for sure! But fun!

LEARNING GOALS:

STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THAT SHAPES ARE LINES THAT CONNECT

STUDENTS CAN DRAW AND CUT VARIOUS SHAPES TO CREATE A PICTURE

STUDENTS CAN DEFINE AND CREATE A LANDSCAPE

 

 

WATERMELON WEAVINGS

I absolutely LOVE these fun watermelons!!! Thank you Nichole ( Mini Matisse) for sharing this wonderful lesson! My students loved creating them!

STEP 1: Creating the loom

Students folded a sheet of 12×18″ red construction paper in half. They turned the folded paper around so the opening was at the top. Then they drew a horizontal line all the way across the top, and wrote their name above that line.

After that, they drew a short vertical line along the line where they wrote their name, starting in the center, then finding the halfway points between the center and to both the right edge and left edge of their paper. Then splitting those areas in half again and drawing 4 more vertical lines.

Then they drew straight vertical lines from those marks to the bottom.

Then they cut along each of those lines, making sure to stop at the top horizontal line, where their name was written. 

STEP 2: Weaving the pink strips!

Students opened up the red paper, (the loom) horizontally, and wove 1″ x 12″ cut strips of pink paper all the way across creating a tight weave.

1st graders learned how to go over and under each horizontal cut red strip with their pink vertical strips of construction paper and noticed how it created a checkerboard pattern! Students could choose from pink strips, magenta strips or a combo of both!

The trickiest part of this step was to be sure to reverse the pink strip every other time they wove. If the very first pink strip started on TOP of the red (like pictured above), they had to start weaving the next pink strip underneath the red, then the following pink strip started ON TOP of the red and so on so forth…. all the way across.

If students finished this step early, they became my teachers assistant and helped kids that wanted help weaving! 

Once all the pink strips were woven in the red loom, they glued the pink tabs along ALL the edges (both front and back) with a glue stick. This helps make sure the strips woven in won’t fall out or move out of place.

STEP 3: Adding the rind and seeds!

Students drew a GIANT letter U along a piece of 12×18″ green construction paper with pencil. (drawing 2 upside down rainbow lines). Then cut out their giant letter U and glued to the weaving using a glue stick. Students applied glue heavily to the rind and pressed for 5 seconds to make sure it was stuck on!

Then they cut along the edge of the green rind, cutting off the extra watermelon weaving to create the watermelon shape!

For the final touch, students added watermelon seeds within each pink strip with a black sharpie!

Art educator, Nichole Hahn’s Mini Matisse Blog had an awesome and easily explained video my students watched for this lesson. Click HERE to check it out from her blog!

I also blogged about this with photos for each step- just type in “Watermelon Weavings” in the search box located along the right side of this website on my main (Home) page! 

LEARNING GOALS:

Students can demonstrate weaving techniques and can create a paper weaving

Students understand vertical and horizontal 

 

Tanglebird Collage 

Tanglebird Collage

First graders listened to the story Tangle Bird by Bernard Lodge as inspiration for this fun weaving lesson.

Students looked at pictures of birds, as well as a handout that I created and photocopied showing birds in various poses (in the nest, flying above, open beak or closed etc.). I demonstrated how to create their birds using simple shapes by drawing a half circle for the nest, then an oval for the body, a small circle for the head and triangles for the beaks.

Students could draw one bird or more than one bird within a nest, or flying above a nest, up in a tree. They could also add baby eggs, eggs hatching, worms in their beaks and other fun details as well!

After outlining with a black sharpie and carefully coloring in with crayons, they hole punched inside their nest and wove yarn, using their fingers, creating a “tangled” or “neat as a basket” nest. Then glued the back of their drawing with lots of glue using a big glue stick, and attached it to their favorite colored 12 x18″ construction paper to create a frame for their picture.

Then they hole punched measuring every two fingers width, along the edge of the 12×18″ colored construction paper, and wove either a wrap around stitch, or over- under stitch with yarn to create a woven edge for their bird drawing. Most students needed help tying a knot in the first hole before weaving in and out of the rest of the holes.

This is one of my favorite 1st grade art lessons! 

Students did such a wonderful job creating these tanglebirds. I love how some pictures have babies hatching, mama’s giving the baby birds worms, some flying in, tops of the egg on the baby bird’s head, and some eggs cracked -about to hatch-! So adorable! Some students even took on the challenge to weave BOTH styles within their frame!

Learning Goals:

-Can demonstrate weaving techniques with yarn in their artwork

-Develop observational drawing skills while looking at pictures of birds
-Experiment with characteristics of line

-Connection to math through measuring (every 2 fingers -width)

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin’s Starry Night

Pumpkin’s Starry Night

As you might have guessed, first graders learned about Vincent Van Gogh for this lesson! On the first day of the lesson I showed students my example painting and then showed them a slideshow with some of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings– The first one being “The Starry Night”. They learned that he is one of the most famous artists of all time, is a Dutch painter who lived from 1853 to 1890 and grew up in the Netherlands later moving to France. They also learned that when he first began painting, he used mainly dark colors, but later switched to using more brighter, vibrant colors when he took a trip to France and was inspired by the bright colors his painter friends were using. They also learned that in just over 10 years he created about 2,100 pieces of art, about 900 of which were paintings, and many created in just the last two years of his life!

We also took a close look at his paintings, and again at “The Starry Night” and learned that he used lots and lots of short lines painted close together to create a sense of movement. Then students got to work creating their Van Gogh inspired masterpieces! I had a pumpkin tracer for each student to trace their pumpkin on the paper. Students held their paper vertically rather than horizontally, so they would have more room on their paper to create the starry night sky.

I demonstrated each step under the doc camera as students drew along with me. Students then drew a line for the ground the pumpkin was on, a crescent or full moon and lots of small circles that were spaced out all over the sky. They then drew lines in the pumpkins stem, and curved lines inside the pumpkin. If students wanted to, they could also add a face for their pumpkin. 

They then moved onto using crayons, taking both a yellow and a green in one hand and drawing 2 lines at once all along the bottom, for the grass. Students were instructed to press hard as they drew (I explained we would be painting the drawing in the next class, and for the paint to work they would need to press really hard). Kids would be learning for the first time about crayon wax-resist painting in the next class, but I didn’t want to explain the entire process so they would be surprised and amazed at how the watercolor paint didn’t cover up the crayon parts!

They colored in the moon and stars with yellow, and outlined all the lines within their pumpkin and stem with orange and brown. For a final step with the crayons, just like Van Gogh did with his brush, students drew lots of short (dashed) lines with yellow, circling all around each star three times. Then with blue crayon drew more lines all throughout the sky curving around their stars to create a sense of movement.

On the second day of the lesson, students painted their pumpkin, grass and sky ANY COLOR THEY WANTED!  The only rule with color I had was, was that they had to paint their pumpkin, grass and sky a different color. That way they each stand out from one another.

When painting students learned about crayon wax-resist  technique. They brushed on just water where they wanted their first bit of paint to go, then painted with liquid watercolors. This technique helps spread the paint and helps the crayon’s resisting. I love how liquid watercolors look- they are super vibrant and saturated with color! By far, my favorite paints for art lessons!!

EVERYONE did a great job!! Aren’t they beautiful?!!

Learning Goals: 

– Students learn about the life and artwork of Vincent Van Gogh

– Demonstrate an understanding on how to create different types of line

– Learn lines can create a feeling of movement in artwork

– Learn about and demonstrate an understanding of wet-on-wet and crayon-wax resist painting

 

 

3D Line Sculptures!

First graders are continuing to learn more about the element of art line in ART! They created 2 of each of the following (curved, zig zag, and curly) to create these awesome three-dimensional paper sculptures!

They also learned that they created their sculptures focusing on 4 of the 7 elements of art (line, color, shape, and form) and how ALL artwork in the world is created using at least one or more of these elements! They also learned that 3D artwork means three-dimensional artwork that isn’t flat and sticks out and that sculptures are 3D.

Students did such a fantastic job creating these line sculptures! I love how they look all assembled together on the wall too! Thank you Cassie Stephens for the idea!

Learning goals: 

Students can describe and create various lines in their artwork

Students can describe what 3D art means

Students understand that a sculpture is three-dimensional

Students learn about the 7 elements of art

 

 

 

 

Not So Scary Scarecrow Collage

Not So Scary Scarecrow Collage

For this lesson, students learned what a landscape is, and looked at various landscape paintings by the artists Vincent Van Gogh, David Hockney, and Grant Wood. They then created their own landscapes by drawing rolling hills with different types of lines within each hill,  a few clouds and a sun either setting, or up in the sky, with crayons.

On day two, they painted over their hills and sky, creating a crayon wax-resist technique using watercolors.

On day three, students created a scarecrow using little cardboard shirts, pants, and skirt tracers (that I made previously) onto different cut patterned papers, raffia for arms, buttons and glued them onto their landscapes.

For a final touch, students added additional details with oil pastels, like hats, hair, facial details, and crows etc.  Thank you Patty at Deep Space Sparkle for the inspiration!

Learning Goals:

-Understand and identify what a landscape is

-Learn about the artists Van Gogh, David Hockney, and Grant Wood

-Be able to identify and create different types of line in artwork

-Understand crayon-wax resist painting

-Understand what a collage is

 

 

 

 

Primary/Secondary Color Mixing

Primary/Secondary Color Mixing

For this lesson, first graders learned about primary colors (red, blue and yellow), and learned that you can’t mix colors together to create them, but that they can be mixed in a certain way to create secondary colors (green, purple, orange).

Before any painting, I showed students a short, super fun 3 minute stop-motion video of the band OK, GO perform a song about the primary colors and secondary colors, as well as a “LEGO version” of the same song in stop-motion. Students LOVED watching these! Then, as students watched me demonstrate each step on how to blend colors together, they did the same on their own papers.

First graders practiced combining primary colors to create secondary colors (red and yellow to create orange, red and blue to create purple, and yellow and blue to create green) using watercolor paint on 12×18″ paper, then labeled each set of colors with a black marker. Students were amazed to see the colors change!!

Learning Goals:

-Students learn what the primary & secondary colors are

-Learn how to mix primary colors to create secondary colors

 

 

 

 

Mondrian Inspired Collage

Mondrian Inspired Collage

This fun art lesson also connects to math! While revisiting what the primary colors are, first graders also learn about the life and artwork of Piet Mondrian, continue to learn about various lines (horizontal and vertical) and learn about geometric shapes while creating their artwork.

After reviewing the artwork and life of Piet Mondrian, students created their own Mondrian inspired creations!

Students first glued thin and thick strips of black construction paper (that had been pre-cut) horizontally and vertically on 12×18″ white paper. Some strips were cut to 12″ long, some 18″, some 9″ long and some 6″ long.

Students could cut the strips and arrange them any way they wanted, as long as they created a combination of various sized rectangles and squares, filling their entire paper. We discussed how the strips (lines) had to connect and touch each other in order to create a shape- either a rectangle or square.

Students then carefully colored in a chosen selection of rectangles and squares with primary colors, (using markers), leaving some shapes white.

Learning Goals:

-Learn about the artist Piet Mondrian and his artwork

-Be able to identify primary colors, and use them in their art

-Be able to identify and create horizontal and vertical lines within artwork

-Be able to Identify and create squares and rectangles within artwork

-Understand that shapes are lines that connect

   

We created the same Mondrian inspired artwork again another year, except used black paint to print the lines, rather than black construction paper.

On day 1- Students first stamped black lines on 12×18″ white paper using a cut piece of cardboard that had been dipped into black tempera paint. We reviewed horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. We discussed how the stamped lines had to connect and touch each other in order to create a shape- rectangles, squares, triangles etc.

On day 2- Students then carefully colored in a chosen selection of shapes with primary colors, (using markers), leaving some shapes white.

Learning Goals:

-Learn about the artist Piet Mondrian and his artwork

-Be able to identify primary colors, and use them in their art

-Be able to identify and create horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines within artwork

-Be able to Identify and create shapes within artwork

-Understand that shapes are lines that connect

 

 

 

 

 

Nighttime Cityscape Collage 

Nighttime Cityscape Collage

For this lesson, students looked at pictures of cityscapes for inspiration and learned about the differences between a cityscape and a landscape (we discussed landscapes in a previous lesson, when we did the “Not so Scary Scarecrow collage).

We talked about how close the buildings are within cities, how some are tall and some are shorter, and some are wide and some are thin. We really paid attention to the shapes of the buildings, as well as the shapes of the tops of the buildings and shapes of the windows.

I laid out a variety of colored construction paper that I pre-cut in various widths and lengths for the students to choose from. Students created their city buildings by cutting out smaller shapes from the tops of cut rectangles and squares to create buildings with different styled tops (some can be curved like a dome, some can be pointy like triangles, some can look like steps). They could choose to cut the buildings thinner or make them shorter too. They then glued them down on black paper and added yellow and black cut paper windows from thin strips of paper.

For a final touch, students drew stars and a moon with oil pastel to create a nighttime scene.

Learning Goals:

– Learn that simple geometric shapes can be used to create images

– Develop and refine cutting skills

– Understand and be able to identify a cityscape vs. a landscape

 

 

 

 

Dream House with Patterns 

Dream House with Patterns 

First graders listened to the story “The Big Orange Splot” by Daniel Pinkwater as inspiration for this lesson.

Afterwards, we talked about the messege behind the story ~ how it’s about creativity and individuality, and how it’s good to be unique and have different ideas, and to be accepting of people’s differences.

In the story, the main character, Mr. Plumbean, lives on a “neat street” where all the houses look the same. A seagull flies over his house and drops a can of bright orange paint on his roof, leaving a giant orange splot, but instead of repainting his house to look like all the others on the street, Mr. Plumbean paints it to resemble his dreams. He adds pictures of animals, people, and loads of color, as well as a tower with a clock on the top.

His neighbors send people to talk him into fixing/repainting his house to look like theirs, but everyone he talks to ends up painting and decorating their houses like their dreams as well. Each house ends up looking unique. In the end, all the neighbors say:

“Our street is us and we are it. Our street is where we like to be, and it looks like all our dreams.”

After sharing as a class some fun ideas on what they would include in their house, students drew their ideas in pencil, traced over their lines with sharpie, then colored using crayons.

Students included at least 2 different patterns somewhere within their drawing.

For a final step, students painted their sky either blue or black for daytime or nighttime (or space!).

I LOVE how all these houses came out so different! Some look like animals, some look like rockets in space, some are on another planet, some are like castles, and some look like a house but have cool colors and pretty details! Students had a lot of fun with this lesson and enjoyed it very much!

Learning Goals

– Students use their imagination to draw their dream houses while thinking about composition, color, and pattern

– Students gain an understanding of the background within artwork

 

 

 

 

SELF-PORTRAITS 

First-graders learned the difference between a self-portrait and a portrait.  This lesson took (3) 40 minute art classes to finish.

Students not only learn how to draw the face and facial details, but we also talk about color matching and trying to best match our own unique skin colors, eye colors and hair colors using crayons. We focus on the Elements of Art (Line, Shape, Color, and Form), as well as use (Principle of Art) Pattern in the background!

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DAY 1

First, students viewed a variety of self-portraits from first graders from previous years in my Powerpoint, as well as my own example drawings hanging on the board.

Students then watched while I demonstrated under the document camera how to draw the head by drawing an upside down egg shape. Then how to draw two curving lines for the neck and shoulders with the arms going off the page at the bottom.

I discussed how the drawing would be close up and not show the entire body, (like in their school photo that gets taken in the beginning of the year which I think helped them understand better).

They learned how to draw facial features in correct proportion and learned that eyes are drawn like the shape of almonds/footballs or lemons. I talked about how everyone’s eyes are different, but in general, that’s the basic shape of the eye. I also discussed how we have the iris (colored part, and the pupil, the black circle that allows us to see). And that the pupil is ALWAYS in the center of the iris, no matter what direction we are looking in! As I demonstrated how to draw eyelashes I talked about how we ALL have them, to help keep dust and dirt out of our eyes and to help protect them from direct sunlight, and showed them how they are more of a slight curving line rather than straight lines.

I demonstrated a few different ways to draw the nose, which students could choose what they felt they liked best for their drawing (as long as they tried drawing the more “realistic” looking nose (explaining as I demonstrated to to draw “a c shape, curving line up, a “u” shape, then a backwards c shape, as one continuous line), as well as how to draw a more realistic looking mouth, simple “c” shapes for the ears and curving lines for the eyebrows through a demonstration under the document camera.

Kids had a tricky time drawing the nose and lips the most, but they did a fantastic job!!

Once they finished their self-portrait in pencil, students added a pattern of circles in the background, by tracing a circular jar lid, then traced over all their lines with a thick black sharpie to make their lines stand out more.

DAYS 2-3

On the second day of the lesson students began coloring in with crayons.

I explained to look for a crayon or two that would best match their own unique skin color. We discussed how people’s skin have a variety of colors in the world, and that they are ALL beautiful!!

I talked to them about how it’s important to appreciate each others differences and how boring the world would be if we were all the same skin color! Students agreed it would definitely be a boring world if we all looked the same!

Students then found a crayon that best matched their own unique skin color, eye color and hair color and colored in their self-portraits. I demonstrated that they could combine and layer colors to create the colors they needed if need be. I encouraged students to press hard when coloring and to try to color in completely so no white paper showed through. They did such a fabulous job!

 

 

 

 

Lines That Wiggle- Sketchbook Cover Drawings

 

Lines That Wiggle- Sketchbook Cover Drawings

For every grade level (1st-5th) I have students create a drawing that gets mounted onto a sketchbook for each student to use throughout the year. The sketchbooks stay in my art room in grade level/ classroom bins. Each grade has a different drawing lesson and creates different artwork from other grades.

To create the actual sketchbooks, students folded a sheet of 12×18″ 60# paper in half horizontally, for the cover. Students then staple in 12 sheets of pre-cut 8.5 x11″ paper (donated extra long printer paper -8.5 x 14″- Legal size- that I cut to 8.5 x 11″ ahead of time).  *Any left over cut scraps of white paper are then used for other collages/lessons. Then their drawings get glued onto the cover. 

Great for when kids finish early, plus it keeps all (what usually would be) loose practice drawings all in one contained place. Students use sketchbooks to free draw in once finished with an art lesson (if they finish early), as well as to practice drawing/plan out their ideas, before doing a final version. 

Growing up, I had sketchbooks and diary’s that I would draw in, and I think it’s so fun to be able to look back on something like that. My students will have sketchbooks from 1st-5th grade, a new one every year to be able to look back on and see /track their own artistic growth throughout the years! Especially fun when you’re older to dig up all your old sketchbooks from your parents keepsake chest and flip through as an adult! 

So for this particular sketchbook cover drawing lesson, first graders drew overlapping, wiggly lines to create an abstract drawing.

To start students off, I read them the book “Lines That Wiggle” by Candace Whitman, for inspiration. 

After reading the story, we went around the room and shared what different types of line we noticed looking around the art room.

For the lesson students drew 8 loopy lines from one side of their paper to another in pencil. I encouraged them to draw large loops so it wouldn’t be too time consuming when it was time to color. Lines could overlap one another and I pointed out while demonstrating, that when a line connects it creates a shape! Plenty of shapes were created once the 8 loopy, overlapping lines were drawn.

Students then went over all their lines with a thick black sharpie, then colored in each shape carefully with different colored markers. I demonstrated how to use larger markers for larger areas to fill in and thin tipped markers for smaller areas. Students were encouraged to fill in all the white spaces on their paper.

Students learned that artist’s use sketchbooks to plan out ideas for paintings or other artwork, to jot down ideas, to experiment before making final decisions and to practice their drawing.

Learning Goals: 

– Understand the purpose of an artist’s sketchbook

– Can draw looping, wavy lines (and can identify other types of line)

– Understand that a shape is a line that connects

TEXTURED PAPER QUILTS

This first grade lesson took about (2) 40 minute art classes to create.

Students first learned about the artist Sanford Biggers and we discussed his AMAZING artwork. We also discussed how we’d be utilizing the elements of art; Line, Shape, Color, and Texture to create these fun paper quilts.

DAY 1

After reviewing his artwork, students each received a sheet of 8.5” x 11” copy paper with a grid as seen in the photo below.

Then students colored in each corner with marker, and drew a pattern with black sharpie on the edges.

After that students colored in 8 sections with whatever color they wanted using marker.

Then they drew patterns in the remaining 8 sections with sharpie.

Then students drew ”stitches” with black sharpie all around each rectangle and corners.

DAY 2

On day 2 students cut all around the edges of their paper, creating fringe.

Then students crinkled up their papers into a tight ball and then carefully pulled it apart and repeated crinkling it into a ball and uncrinkling it about 12 times to create texture! Students were surprised they were told to crinkle up their artwork and were amazed that their papers had also shrunk!

LEARNING GOALS

• Students can define and create a variety of patterns in their artwork
• Students can define and create real and implied texture in their quilt

FALL TREE DRAWING

This lesson took 3 (40 min.) art classes to complete.

DAY 1

Students followed along with me as I drew under the document camera for each step of drawing the tree. We started with two straight lines that were parallel to create the trunk.
We used the letters Y and V and M to create the branches.
Then we discussed texture and how adding various short and long lines within the tree creates the texture of the bark. Students then added the zig-zag line for the roots, then another one for the grass. Then they could add a hole if they wanted for a critter to live in, and leaves (on branches tips, but also falling down).
Students added swirly lines for wind, clouds, a sun, and other details as well.

DAYS 2-3

Students continued where they left off and then added sharpie over all their lines and then colored in with marker. We reviewed what the warm colors were and they colored their leaves using warm colors.

LEARNING GOALS

• Students can identify and create a variety of line in their artwork
• Students can create and identify where they used texture within their artwork
• Students can define and identify warm colors within their artwork

LINES MAKES SHAPES “HOUSE”

This lesson took 2 (40) minute art classes to complete. First we reviewed all the lines we learned about. Vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, zig-zag, wavy, bumpy, spiral, dotted etc.

Then we reviewed how lines that connect create shapes, and we reviewed a variety of shapes. Then following along with me under the document camera, students drew their 3D house. Students learned how to create a brick chimney with wavy lines for smoke, and added any shape windows they wanted. They then added landscaping and any other additional details in pencil.

Once finished, they traced over all their lines with sharpie, and colored in with marker.

LEARNING GOALS

• Students can define, create, and identify various lines in their artwork
• Students can create various shapes and identify them in their artwork
• Students can use line to create various textures within their artwork
• Students understand how lines can create something that looks 3D on a flat surface

SUNFLOWER DRAWING INSPIRED BY VINCENT VAN GOGH

This lesson took 2 (40 min.) art classes to create. Students learned about Vincent van Gogh then watched a cute cartoon video about him by Art with Mati and Dada on YouTube.

Students then followed along with me as I showed them how to draw the flower, on 9×12” 80# drawing paper. I encouraged students to draw big and make their flower large on the paper.

Once complete, they traced over all lines with black sharpie and colored in using crayons. Students could fill in their backgrounds with a blue sky or a sunset sky. I encouraged students to press hard as they colored to create a more vibrant color.

LEARNING GOALS

• Students learn about and can identify Vincent van Gogh’s artwork
• Students can utilize line, shape, and texture to create a picture of a sunflower
• Students can define and show overlapping in their artwork (flowers petals)