High legged elephant like Salvador Dali

A great lesson from colleague blogger of Artisan des Arts.

You need:

1. white drawing sheet A4 size
2. markers (not waterproof)
3. brush
4. jar with water
5. chalk pastels
6. felt
7. scissors and glue 

Show some surrealistic artworks of Dali. Show The elephants. Discuss the realistic (the body of the elephant) and the surrealistic parts (house on the back, high legs) of this work.

Students draw a Dali inspired elephant and trace it with a marker. I gave them some 'how to draw' templates. Take a wet brush and go over the lines, so the water turns into watercolour. Let dry.

Draw a horizon line and a sun. Colour the background with chalk pastels and blend with your fingers. Draw shadows of the elephant's legs. Maybe they don't have the right direction, but that's part of surrealism!

Cut a piece of felt for a blanket, decorate it and paste it on the elephant.

All artworks are made by students of grade 4

Catching snowflakes

 

Made by students of grade 4

You need:

1. blue construction paper
2. oilpastel crayons
3. fiberfill 
4. glue 

I don't know who was the first that posted this lesson ...Who do I link? Artsonia, Pinterest? However, it came across all art blogs lately! 

It's snowing! Look up and try to catch snowflakes with you tongue! What does your face look like when you look up?
Draw a child in a cheerful winter sweater. Colour with oil pastels. Outline with black. Paste a piece of fiberfill on the tongue, and do not forget to draw the snowflakes.

(Source: Artsonia/Pinterest)

Suburb for birds

Made by students of grade 4

You need:

1. coloured cardboard 
2. wallpaper 
3. wrapping paper
4. tempera paint
5. black marker
6. brushes
7. scissors and glue

Students draw a birdhouse with a special entrance on brown wrapping paper. This entrance can be a heart, a star of even a bird. Cut this entrance and outline the hole with a black marker.

Paint the house with cheerful colours.

Paste it on a piece of wallpaper and cut it out with 2 cm around. Paste a strip of black paper on the cardboard, this is the standard for birdhouse. Paste the birdhouse on the standard. Outline the house with black marker.

All birdhouses together will make a colourfull suburb for birds!

Thanks to Maureen Kaal 

Snowmen

Made by a student of grade 4

You need:

1. blue construction paper
2. oil pastels

Students draw three or more overlapping snowmen wearing fashionable scarves. Colour with oil pastel and outline with black.

Doodling together group mural part 2

What to do with that great group mural (see Doodling together group mural) if it has to make place for other artworks and everybody wants to have it? Exactly! Cut it in equal pieces and paste those pieces on black sheets of construction paper.  That awsome mural turns out in a lot of great artworks; one for all groupmembers!

Happy new year

Made by students of grade 3 and 4 

You need: 

1. white drawing sheet A4 size
2. blue liquid water colour paint 
3. brush
4. crayons
5. black and yellow or orange construction paper
6. yellow chalk pastel

Show pictures or movies about fireworks and discuss what this looks like. Use crayons to draw fireworks on a white sheet. Paint this with blue liquid water colour paint. Let dry.

Cut a skyline out of half a sheet of black paper. Paste this on the blue sheet. Cut windows from yellow or orange paper.
Draw a yellow chalk line on the roofs and smudge it.   

The Xmas tree isn't green

You need:

1. two drawing sheets A4 size
2. liquid watercolour paint
3. brushes
4. jar with water
5. tissue paper
6. scissors
7. glue
8. pencil
9. gold or silver marker

Paint a background with liquid water colour paint. Use two dark colours and let them blend into each other, leaving some white on the sheet.
Choose three colours of tissue paper. Fold the sheets several times and cut triangles and squares. Take a white sheet and make it wet with a brush and water. Lay the pieces of tissue paper on the wet sheet. If the tissue paper is not wet enough, it won't bleed. If so, make it wet again with a brush with water. Fill the sheet with these tissue paper parts and leave it to dry. Remove the pieces of tissue paper when it is completely dry.

Artwork made by students of grade 4

Fold the tissue coloured sheet and cut triangles in several heights. Paste the trees on the background. Don't paste the trees all at the same height, so you get depth. Cut some smaller triangles from the left overs if you want more trees.
Outline the trees with silver or gold marker and draw a simple branch structure. Draw the trunks with a brown pencil.

Small animals like Hans Innemee

You need:

1. three sheets of coloured paper 12 by 12 cm
2. pencil
3. chalk pastel
4. hairspray
5. white sheet for background
6. glue 

Hans Innemee (1951) is a Dutch artist. He studied graphic arts and worked for some time as an art teacher.
Innemee's art is a kind of collage made from monotyped drawings. After monotyping a lot of drawings, he makes his artwork by ripping parts of them and pasting them together on home made sheets. Coloring is done with oil pastels.

View artwork of Hans Innemee. Talk about the small stories in his art. Ask students which story they have in mind while seeing the artwork.

Discuss the characteristics of Innemee's work:

• Drawings of animals.
• Simple shapes.
• No details.
• Few colours.
• Black outlines.
• Simple background.
• Text / Title under the drawing.

The goal for this lesson is: draw a story in three steps on three sheets. Color with chalk pastels. Work like Hans Innemee.

Paste the three sheets on a larger sheet. Fix with hairspray. Write under the small sheets in as few words as possible the text of the story you had in mind.

Made by students of grade 4

Thanks to Hans Innemee for permission to publish his artwork in this blog post and his kind words about the artwork of my students! 

Doodling together - group mural

Made by students of grade 6

 You need:

1. drawing sheets A1 size
2. tape
3. tempera paint
4. brushes

Step 1
Stick some large sheets together with tape and lay them on a group tables of equal height.
Groups of four students at the same time draw little forms or doodles on this sheet using black tempera. The drawings should not touch each other.  When all doodles are finished, have a couple of kids connect them by straight black lines.

Step 2
Paint all surfaces and doodles with tempera. Each student chooses a colour and paints some surfaces or doodles. Be sure to avoid surfaces with the same colour next to each other.

This lesson can be done in every grade by varying subject or colours: choose only primary colours and straight forms to create a  Mondrian version.
Or choose a theme for the doodles, like Christmas, food or sports.

Great success in which variation whatsoever is guaranteed!

The proud artists of grade 6 all together! 

Original idea: Experiments in Art Education.

Typical Dutch design (group work)

Made by students of grade 4

 

You need:

1. white drawing sheet A6 size (postcard)
2. pencil
3. markers in red, blue and silver
4. coloured cardboard
5. scissors and glue

Discuss with the students things that are typically Dutch : tulips, windmills, clogs, cheese, canal houses, red white blue, etc. Look at  pictures of typical Dutch patterns (google 'Dutch fabrics): red- white or blue-white small squares or stripes or combinations of them.
Let students draw examples of cups and mugs on the digital board: narrow, wide, high, low, with belly, straight, angled, with or without foot, different ears etc.

The goal is to design cup and mugs with a Dutch design. Colour with marker and only use red and blue. Cut and paste all cups stacked on a sheet of coloured cardboard. Outline the stack with  silver.

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

Spider in coloured web

Made by students of grade 2

You need:

1. white drawing sheet A4 size
2. blackoilpastel
3. autumn leaves
4. liquid water colour in orange and green

Divide the sheet with a black oil pastel in eight parts: two diagonal lines, one vertical and one horizontal. Draw a web between those lines. Draw one or more spiders in the web.

Colour the different parts with liquid water colour in orange and green.

Lost in the hall, a lesson about surrealism and perspective

Made by a student of grade 6

Thanks to Phyl, who originally posted this lesson. You can find hers here!

You need:

1. white drawing sheet 24 by 24 cm
2. ruler
3. pencil
4. watercolour paint
5. brushes
6. jar with water
7. magazines
8. scissors and glue
9. rubber foam

Show some surrealistic artwork from Dali and discuss about the salient features  surrealism.

Follow the first two steps of this lesson through direct instruction: the students follow the instructions the teacher gives.

Step 1
Draw two diagonal lines. Draw a square of 8 by 8 cm around the middle point. Draw around the square dots every 1 cm. Draw on the outside edges of the sheet dots with 3 cm between them.

Step 2

Connect the opposite dots by drawing lines. Draw on the diagonal lines dots with 2 cm between them. Connect the dots. 

Step 3
Colour walls, floor and cealing with watercolor. Always select two colours together and keep both walls equal in color.

Step 4
Cut some squares on three sides apart, fold the paper and paste a picture from a magazine behind.

Step 5
Cut two human figures out of foam and paste them as if they are floating in space.

Four season trees

 

You need:

1. four white drawing sheets A6 size (postcard)
2. Q-tips
3. tempera paint
4. coloured corrugated cardboard
5. silver and gold markers
6. fiberfill
7. glue

How can a deciduous tree tell you what season it is? What colours do they have in spring, summer and fall? What does a tree look like in winter?

Discuss these questions at the beginning of this lesson. Write on the board the colors in the spring heard (light green, green, white, pink - blossom), which belong to the summer (green, dark green, yellow) and the autumn colours (brown, orange, red, yellow). And in winter there aren't any leaves. left of course.

 

The students will make a tree for every season. The colours of the leaves have to show what season it is. The log is "painted" with a Q-tip, the leaves have to be may only be spotted. Remember that in fall there are a lot of leaves on the ground! Use fiberfill (snow) for the tree in winter.

 

Paste the trees next to each other on a piece of corrugated cardboard. Design it with gold or silver marker and write the seasons above the trees.  

Organisation:

Give each groep of six students an eggtray with several colours of paint. Give each student a Q-tip to paint the trunk. Per groep een eierdoos met de verschillende kleuren verf. Geef de leerlingen elk een wattenstaafje voor de boomstam.For the dots: one Q-tip per colour for common use.
 

Artworks made by students of grade 3

 

Thanks to Maureen Kaal

Owls in the moonlight

Background of dilluted water colour paint 

You need:

1. drawing sheet 60 by 25 cm
2. white drawing sheets
3. brown wrapping paper
4. indian ink 
5. liquid water colour paint
6. brushes
7. pieces of styrofoam
8. pencil
9. flat piece of glass
10. paint roller
11. block printing ink
12. chalk pastel
13. saucer

Background of dilluted water colour paint  mixed with a drop indian ink  

Part one:
Put a saucer on the big sheet. This piece of paper remains white; the moon. Paint with highly diluted indian ink or liquid watercolor (also dilute it with water) and a large brush in one direction. Make sure the dish does not move. Paint with big strokes and leave the edges a little white. Let this dry.

Part two:
Divide the class into two groups. Group 1 paints the branch, group 2 is going to print owls.

Branch painting:
Paint with indian ink a branch with side branches on the painted sheet. Remember that a branch becoming thinner towards the end. Do not paint around the moon, but through it. If the branch stands out too little against the gray background, outline the branches later with white chalk for a better contrast.

Printing the owls:
Group 2 will start with the owls. Give each student two pieces of styrofoam. Students have to press two different owls in the foam. Put some blockprint paint on a glass plate. Roll the paint on the piece of foam. Then place a sheet (remember to write names on each sheet!) and rub with flat hand over it. Pull off the paper. Create several prints in different colors and on different kinds of paper. In this lesson we used white paper and brown wrapping paper.

A student who has finished printing, takes place on the painting table and paints his branch. Students who have completed the branch, follow up with printing.

Next day:
When the owls are dry (with block print this takes at least a day), they have to be cut leaving one millimeter space around. Use yellow chalk to draw a circle around the moon. Paste the owls on the branches.

Background of dilluted indian ink, branches outlined with white chalk pastel 

All artworks are made by students of grade 4

Lollipop trees like Hundertwasser

Made by a student of grade 2

 

Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000) was an Austrian artist and architect who is best known for the colourful buildings he designed, built with attention to the environment and nature. The buildings of Hundertwasser are very recognizable: straight lines are missing, there is use of bright colours and many of his buildings have typical turrets. The influence of architect Gaudi is very obvious.

The paintings of Hundertwasser have exuberant colours too and mainly undulating lines.

 

Show buildings of Hundertwasser on the digital board. Discuss the salient features: bright colours, undulating lines. Then show some paintings and discuss the things that stand out:

 

• the use of small areas outlined with black

• no straight lines, usually parallel lines
• recurring spiral shapes
• bright colours

 

Ask students what they think of by seeing those spirals.  Probably they see real lollipops in them!  Lollipop trees, that's what we're going to draw today! Demonstrate the drawing of a spiral, starting in the middle.

You need:

1. white drawing sheet 35 by 35 cm
2. black construction sheet
3. white drawing paper 35 by 35 cm
4. black construction paper
5. pieces of sponge
6. tempera paint
7. gold and silver markers, wide and small
8. round shapes to trace
9. scissors and glue
10. black oil pastel

Stamp the white sheet with sponge prints in colours you like and put the work out to dry. Trace on black paper round shapes in different sizes. Draw spirals in them with gold or silver markers. Fill the space between the lines with patterns in gold or silver and cut the circles.
Create a composition of lollipops on the stamped sheet and paste them. Pull lines from the lollipops to the bottom of the sheet with black oil pastel, the trunks. Draw the trunks through the circles if necessary (overlap), to show depth in the lollipop woods.

Thanks to Maureen Kaal.

Owls in the tree

Made by a student of grade 5

You need:

1. grey construction paper
2. white drawing paper A1 size and A4 size
3. tempera paint
4. brushes
5. scissors
6. glue
7. linoleum 10 by10 cm
8. lino knives
9. flat piece of glass
10. block printing ink
11. lino press
12. linoleum roller

I found this great lesson on Artsonia!

Before the lesson: ask two students to paint an A1 size sheet with brown tempera and a few yellow and red. This painted paper will be used for tearing branches and tree stumps by all students. 
Another A1 sheet should be painted in warm autumn colours; this sheet is used for cutting out leaves.

Each students draws an owl on linoleum. Cut the outlines, the wings, eyes and beak. Decorate with small patterns. Print the owl several times in two colours and leave them to dry.

Take a second lesson to finish the artwork. Tear stumps and branches from the brown painted paper and paste them on the grey sheet. Cut leaves from the autumn sheet. Cut the owls with a little edge (1 mm). Look for a great composition and paste everything.

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.

Frogs in the pond

1. white drawing sheet A4 size
2. blue liquid water colour
3. water
4. brushes
5. water colour paint
6. tempera paint
7. stencil brush

Make the sheet wet with a large brush. Drip a few drops of ink on the sheet and spread it by moving the sheet or by painting with the brush. Let dry.
Paint some frogs with watercolour paint. Use a pear as the basic form. Painter parts of frogs on the edges of the sheet. Stamp with a stencil brush and some green and yellow tempara aquatic plants in the water.
Staple the art work on a coloured background.

Artworks made by students of grade 4

Turning around with Keith Haring

You need:

1. drawing sheets 20 by 20 cm
2. pencil
3. markers
4. coloured contruction paper 
5. glue

I found this lesson on Pinterest, it's originally from DaVinci's Wings.

Show artwork of Keith Haring (1958-1990) and talk about the characteristics of his work:

 
people are drawn as in cartoons

• fewdetails

• thick black lines and contours

• bright colors

• dashes indicate movement

Students draw figures in Keith Haring style. The sheet must be filled completely and also rotatably: the figures are not all the same way, but are crisscrossing the drawing. Furthermore, also figures on the edge of the sheet, to make the drawing more exciting (what happens beyond the edges?)
All figures have to be coloured with marker; choose just one colour. Outline with a black fineliner and then add motion dashes.
Paste work on construction paper that is the same color as the marker colour.

See also my other lessons about Keith Haring:

In the style of Keith Haring group work

In the style of Keith Hraring

 

Artworks made by students of grade 4