Happy new year!

What do you need?

1. white drawing sheet 
2. water paint color
3. brushes
4. liquid water color paint
5. crayons

What should you do?

1. Draw some Dutch canal houses. 
2. Color them with water color paint. 
3. Use crayons to draw fireworks. 
4. Paint the sky dark blue with liquid water color leaving the edges white. 

Works of art are made by students of grade 6.

Happy new year

What do you need? 

• white drawing sheet 
• blue liquid water color paint 
• brush
• crayons
• black construction paper
• leftovers of yellow and orange paper
• yellow chalk pastel

What should you do? 

1. Draw fireworks with crayons on a white sheet. 
2. Paint the whole sheet with blue liquid water color paint. 
3. Let dry.
4. Cut a skyline out of half a sheet of black paper. 
5. Paste the skyline on the blue sheet. 
6. Cut windows from yellow or orange paper.
7. Draw a yellow chalk line on the roofs and smudge it.   
   

Works of art made by students of grade 3, 4 and 5.

Dutch December skyline

The Dutch website juf Lisette has a lesson we do every year: the December skyline! 5 December is the day Sinterklaas visits all Dutch children to give them presents. You can read more about Sinterklaas and his Petes in the category Typical Dutch.

What do you need?

1. construction paper in dark blue, yellow and black
2. paperclips
3. scissors
4. cutting knife
5. cutting blade
6. glue

What should you do?

Draw the skyline of a street on the black paper. Add a tree if you want to, or draw a Pete near the chimney.

Put the black sheet on the yellow one and attach them to each other with four paperclips. Cut out the skyline; you'll cut two sheets at the same time. When ready, remove the paperclips and cut some windows out of the black sheet.

Cut a moon out of the rest of the yellow sheet.
Stick the black and yellow skyline together and slide the black sheet one millimeter so you see the yellow edges.
Look to the position of the moon: the yellow edges are there where the moon shines.
Stick the moon on the blue sheet and stick the skyline below. 

There's a ghost in my bedroom!

Help, there are ghosts in my bedroom! Behind the wardrobe, under my bed, behind the curtains....

You need:

1. white drawing paper 
2. indian ink
3. dip pen
4. pencil
5. paper towel
6. black paper for background

What should you do? 

1. Sketch your room with a pencil: bed, wardrobe, toys, window, door. 
2. Draw ghosts on several places. 
3. Trace the drawing with indian ink. Leave the ghosts white, and fill the rest of the drawing in with various textures*. 
4. Paste the drawing on a black sheet.

* Look for a lesson on texture at this link: Exercise in drawing texture. 

Works of art made by students of grade 5. 

Haunted house in the moonlight

You need:

1. white drawing sheet A4 size 
2. black construction paper
3. yellow chalk pastel
4. scissors
5. cutting knife
6. glue
7. white pencil
8. black marker
9. blue and purple tempera paint
10. sponge
11. saucer

This lesson is all about Halloween and haunted houses. 

What to do? 

• Tear a strip of black paper from about 5 cm and paste it on the bottom of the white sheet: the ground. 
• Draw a old house on black paper and cut out.
• Use a cutting knife for doors and windows. 
• Paste the house on the white sheet. 
• Use a white pencil for details such as bricks, ghosts, spiders, spider webs etc. Use a black marker to draw things in the open window.
• Cut and paste a moon. 
• Outline moon and house with yellow chalk pastel and smudge the chalk outwards. 

• Stamp the background with purple and blue tempera and a sponge. 
• Finally paste the artwork on a yellow background sheet.

Circle City

You need: 

1. white drawing sheet
2. compass
3. ruler
4. pencil
5. markers
6. colored sheet
7. glue

Explain the one-point perspective: objects further away appear smaller. If we draw a street towards the horizon, it narrows and trees get smaller. 

In one-point perspective you draw all lines parallel to the viewing direction to one point. You literally put a dot on the horizon. 

What to do? 

• Draw a circle of 20 cm in diameter using the compass. Mark the hole in the center with a dot.  
• Draw lines form the edges of the circle to the dot in the middle, using ruler and pencil. 
• Draw buildings in different heights using the lines.  Draw doors and windows. 
• Color with markers. Outline everything with a fine black marker. 
• Cut the circle and stick it on a colored sheet. 

Art work made by students of grade 4. 

Dutch canal houses: indian ink and soft pastels

You need: 

1. drawing sheets
2. pencil
3. ruler
4. indian ink
5. dip pen
6. soft pastels

Dutch canal houses are famous for their facades: stepped gable, neck gable, bell gable, clock gable or spout gable. Show pictures of those five gables and discuss them. Show photographs from canal houses and discuss the other features of canal houses: the stairs, symmetry, windows, ornaments, shutters. 

Students draw a line on their sheet about 5 cm from below. This is the canal. At the end you can glue all drawings together to get a long street full of canal houses. Sketch the houses lightly with a grey pencil. Indicate the places of windows, stairs, doors and shutters. Draw small boats in the canal. Draw the houses with indian ink and color them with soft pastels.

by students of grade  6

Funny houses like James Rizzi

Made by Kalen, grade 4

You need:

1. white drawing sheet
2. crayons 
3. liquid watercolor paint
4. brushes
5. jars with water 

James Rizzi was born in 1950 in Brooklyn. He studied art in Florida, where he started experimenting with printing, painting and sculpting. Rizzi’s work often shows his birthplace New York. His paintings look sometimes childishly naive, with the bright colors and brilliant gaiety. In the art press Rizzi is often described as "Urban Primitive Artist '. Rizzi himself says he is influenced by Picasso, Klee and Dubuffet.

Made bij Jade, grade 4

Show some paintings of Rizzi and discuss the characteristics:

• bright colours
• no gradations within colours
• evertything is outlined with black
• houses have human faces/characteristics
• the artwork is full and busy
• background is full too

Students use a dark color crayon to draw a house in Rizzi style, a house with human characteristics like hair, mouth, eyes etc. 
Paint with liquid water color paint.

The sky is the limit

Golden Gate Bridge, made by Elize, grade 6

You need:

1. grey paper A4 size
2. white and black pencils
3. pictures of famous skylines

During a visit to the Museum in The Hague, I saw an artwork that Escher had made on gray paper. The only colours he had used were black and white. Together with the gray, you do have a lot of colours at your disposal. The Escher drawing I saw then, was the inspiration for this lesson.

Show photos of some famous skylines. Discuss skylines, skyscrapers and remarkable buildings. Ask children to search a skyline on the internet. Print this in black and white and then copy it so you can see the shadows of the buildings (settings light - dark on copyer). Students draw with just white and black pencil on the grey sheet.

Sydney skyline by Adnan, grade 6

One colour city - group work like Alisa Burke

You need:

1. drawing sheet A1 size
2. drawing sheets 10 by 20 cm (A4 size cut in three) 
3. various colouring materials: crayons, oilpastel, colour pencils, watercolour paint, markers, tempera etc. 
4. fine black marker 
5. liquid water colour paint 
6. big brush
7. scissors
8. glue

An artwork I came across on Pinterest from Alisa Burke was the inspirations for this lesson. Show Burke's work and discuss it: all houses in the same colour, windows are white, everything is outlined with black marker, houses uizen hebben één kleur, de ramen zijn wit, alles is zwart omrand, the houses aren't just next to each other but behind each other and (overlap). That means you cannot see the bottom of the houses that are not on the first row. 

Students form groups of four and discuss together the colour they'll choose. One of the students paints the background: use white crayon to draw stars or clouds and then paint the entire sheet with with liquid watercolor. Leave about one inch white along the edges.

On the smaller sheets students draw high houses, with windows and doors and decorations. Colour with the material of you choice. Outline the house and windows with black fineliner and cut it out. Be sure the group draw together about 15 houses.
Lay the painted houses on the large sheet to get a beautiful collage. Note that you do not see undersides of the houses that are not in the front row.

Made by students of grade 5/6

Castle and Sun, like Paul Klee

You need:

1. printed drawing sheet 
2. crayons
3. watercolour paint 
4. brushes
5. jars with water

On the Italian art blog  Arteascuola from Miriam Paternoster, I came across this terrific art lesson about Paul Klee. Be sure to visit Miriam's blog, it's great!

Paul Klee (1879 – 1940) is a German/Swiss painter. His work belongs to modern art. Klee developed mainly as an autodidact and left more than 9000 artworks. In 1912 he saw the work of Picasso and Malevich and met Robert Delaunay, who believed colour is the most important element in a painting. After a trip to Tunisia in 1914 Klee started to paint more colorful and abstract. He painted landscapes, portraits, animals, mythology, mysterious machines. In his work he combined abstract and figurative shapes. Klee 's work cannot be described in one single word. Surrealism, cubism, abstraction are terms which are applicable to his paintings. He is classified by expressionism. (Source: Wikipedia)

Print any text on drawing sheets or choose an old book page. I had chosen the Wikipedia page about Paul Klee. Show Klee's artwork 'Castle and sun' and discuss the characteristics: Klee used just squares, rectangles and triangles. What colors are used?

The students use a crayon in a color that contrasts with the watercolor paint (sharp point to make thin lines) and draw a frame around the text. Then they draw a building consisting only of rectangles, squares and triangles. Do not use a ruler, because the text provides sufficient support.
Paint with watercolour. Choose cold or warm colors. Do not allow the same colour next to each together.

All works of art made by students of grade 4.

Houses - like Ton Schulten

Made by a studenty of grade3

You need:

1. drawing sheet A4 size
2. tempera paint in red, yellow, blue and black
3. brushes
4. jar with water
5. pencil 
6. ruler

Ton Schulten (1938) is a Dutch painter living in Ootmarsum. After his work as a graphic designer, he decides in 1989 to try to make a living as a painter. His main inspiration is the open landscape of Twente (a part of Holland):  an open landscape divided in parts by hedges and hedgerows, looking like a stage with curtains.

Painting like Ton Schulten in lower classes can be done, but you have to keep it simple. Show artworks from Ton Schulten and discuss them.

• his use of colours  
• the 'curtains' on the sides
• simple shapes
• divided in rectangles

The students divide the sheet of drawing paper in 24 squares (4 by 6). With the primary colours yellow, red and blue and the mixed colours, they paint the squares. Each colour may be used just three times. If the work is dry, paint simple houses across the dividing lines with a small brush and black paint.

Colourful city

You need:

1. white drawing sheet A4 size
2. pencil
3. colour markers
4. black fine marker

What kind of lines do you know? Straight, zigzag, wavy, spiral, edgy etc.

Draw on the upper half of the sheet six different lines from left to right. Draw on the lower half a lot of different overlapping  houses. Start with the front row. Be sure to vary in width and heighth and draw several kinds of roofs.

Choose seven colours. Colour the spaces between the six lines each with a different colour. Use the same colours for the houses of the city. Outline everything with a fine black marker.

Made by a students of grade 5

Source: Ecole les Peupliers

Under the rainbow

Made by a student of grade 5

You need:

1. white drawing sheet 25 by34 cm
2. black marker
3. tempera paint
4. brush
5. scissors
6. glue

I found this idea on Pinterest. It's origanally from a teacher from Estonia.
Paint coloured stripes or circles at the top of a white sheet. Let dry. Draw contours of houses on a second sheet of paper with thin pencil lines. Ensure overlap. 'Colour' these houses with different patterns in black marker. Don't outline the houses; the surfaces should be recognizable by the different patterns.
Make the row of houses as wide as the painted sheet. Cut the row of houses and paste it on the painted paper.

Lighthouses along the coast

You need:

1. drawing sheet A6 size (postcard)
2. watercolour paint
3. brushes
4. jar with water
5. scissors and glue

What are lighthouses? Where can you find them and why there? Why did we need them, and do we still need them?
Show pictures of lighthouses on the digital board and discuss them. What does a lighthouse look like? What colour is often used? Where is the lamp of the lighthouse? Where's the door?

For the background students paint with watercolour paint a simplified landscape of air and soil. The paint should be dilluted with a lot of water to get soft colours. The sheet doesn't need to be painted completely, it is even better to leave the edges white. Put this painting aside to dry.

Then sketch a lighthouse on a second sheet of paper. Paint it with watercolour paint, using less water now to be sure the colours really stand out.
Let the work dry and cut the lighthouse. Paste it on the painted background.

Made by students of grade 3

House in cubist style

By a student of grade 4

You need:

1. drawing paper A4 size
2. colour markers
3. pencil
4. ruler

Draw a house simplified house with windows and a door. Add one or two trees. Divide the sheet in with three horizontal and three vertical lines. Colour the surfaces with four different coloured markers.

Amsterdam by night

You need:

1. white drawing sheet A4 size
2. liquid water colour
3. brush
4. jar with water
5. indian ink
6. straw
7. black and yellow construction paper
8. scissors
9. glue

Paint the white sheet blue or orange with liquid water colour; add water to get a brighter blue / orange above. Let dry. Drip some indian ink and blow it upwards with a straw. Cut a row of canal houses out of black paper and paste it on the coloured sheet. Cut and paste windows and a moon out of yellow paper.
Paste the artwork on a black sheet.

Artworks made by students of grade 4

Dutch canal houses groupwork

Part of the groupwork, made by students of grade 4

You need:

1. white drawing sheets
2. tempera paint
3. brushes
4. pencil
5. glue plakkaatverf

After a request of Amy Baldwin, art teacher in Millington, my 4th graders painted Dutch canal houses for the Empty Bowl fundraiser in Millington (Mi).

Before starting to paint, we talked about the Dutch Golden Age, a period roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. In this century many of the typical canal houses were built, in that age used as store houses. We looked at pictures of canal houses, discussed the different kinds of gables (neck gable, trep gable, bell gable) and details of the houses (windows, year it was built, stairs).

Every students gets a sheet of paper and has to draw a line on 8 cm of the bottom - this is for the canal. On the left side of the sheet there must remain a white strip of 2 cm (to paste all paintings together).

Every student draws his own canal house. Stop drawing after 5 minutes, to avoid drawint to many details. Paint the house with tempera paint. Mix colours, or for even better results: take two colours of paint on your brush and mix a little while painting.

Paste all paintings together to make a long street. Paint the canal. You might even add the words  'Groeten uit Holland'!

Click to see full site.

Fairy tale caste

Made by students of grade 4

You need:

1. white drawing sheet A4 size
2. indian ink
3. dip pen
4. watercolour paint
5. brushes
6. jar with water

See some pictures of castles and talk about the several parts: battlements, high thick walls, drawbridge, towers, schietgaten, portcullis etc. Talk about the location of a castle: often a high point, so oversee the area. Show that many castles were surrounded by a moat and discuss why this was.

Students draw their castle directly with indian ink on ther sheet. Add details like shutters, torches or flags. Draw the background, the surrounding of the castle. Colour the drawing with watercolour paint. The combination of indian ink and watercolour paint will give a perfect aged feeling.

Cityscape at night

You need:

1. black construction paper 20 by 20 cm
2. oil pastel
3. white tempera paint
4. some drops of dishwashing detergent
5. brush

Students draw the outline of simple houses on black paper. Behind the high ones, in the front the lower ones. Colour the houses with oil pastel. Draw and colour a behind the houses. Mix some drops of dishwashing detergent with tempera paint. This keeps the paint to stick to the oily chalk. Outline the houses and moon with the white paint. Finally paint windows and doors.