Winter Birch: A Watercolor Masking Technique

Using masking tape or painter's tape your child or students can create an evening winter scene of birch trees and snow.  The tape is used to mask the shapes of the birch trees and moon, while white crayon or oil pastel is used to draw snowflakes.  A blue watercolor wash is used over the picture.  After pulling off the tape (try to give the wash a few minutes to start to dry so as not to run) black or brown lines can be added as detail to the trees

Vocabulary to Introduce:

masking technique
watercolor wash

Materials:

-watercolor paper

-masking tape or painter's tape

-blue watercolor or watered down tempera paint

-scissors

-white and black crayon or oil pastel

Preparation:

Pre-tear or cut as many trunks and branches as necessary so that all you will need to do is hand them to the child or students to place on the paper.  Masking tape can rip the paper if it is pulled to quickly.  It sometimes helps to stick it to an article of clothing before handing it to the child or instructing them to do it if you can trust them not to fold the tape in on itself.  If you desire, tape off the other colors of paint so that they are not tempted to use them or place bowls  with the thinned tempera between seats placing  a paper towel beneath it to daub excess paint from the brush.

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process:

Modifications:

For older children you can allow them to cut or tear the tape themselves.

Aurora Borealis Chalk Pastel Lesson

The Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights as they are commonly called, is a natural light display that can be seen particularly in the higher latitudes of the Arctic.  These lights give the horizon a greenish or sometimes reddish glow.  The following art lesson creates a tree line and glowing lights with the use of stencils and chalk pastels.  Children preschool age to early elementary will enjoy completing this lesson to create the Northern Lights.

Vocabulary to Introduce:
Aurora Borealis

stencil

chalk pastels

Materials:

-cardstock/poster board for stencil making

-scissors

-chalk pastels or chalk in various colors

-q-tip/cotton balls/blending stumps for smearing

-black construction paper

-aerosol hairspray or fixative

Preparation:

 Create two stencils using the cardstock one for the tree line and one for the glow of the Northern Lights.  The tree line stencil is simply triangle tops of varying size.  If you wish to add detail to the trees you can snip out sections of the tree tops.  The stencil for the Northern Lights is simply a wavy line.  For younger children you may want to add tape to the stencil as they have a difficult time keeping a stencil in place on their own.  Older children may cut the stencils themselves.

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process:

Flower Field

After painting a background of yellow and blue, students will use a sponge brush and their fingers to create a field of flowers.  This lesson can be used to tie in with Impressionist painting and the portrayl of overall visual effects versus detail.

Vocabulary to Introduce:
Impressionism

Materials:

-tempera paint

-sponge brush

-brush

Preparation:

Pour a small amount of blue, yellow, and green paint on separate ends of a paper plate for the sky, ground, and stems.  Place small dots of various bright colors of tempera paint on another plate for children to dip their fingers in when making flowers.  It is okay to layer the colors on their finger.

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process:

Night Landscape

The following lesson is a chalk pastel lesson that can be used to explain the elements of a landscape.  When using a fixative or hairspray to set the picture be sure to spray in a well ventilated area if not outside.. 

Vocabulary to Introduce:
landscape
chalk pastel

Materials:

-dark textured paper

-chalk pastels

-fixative or hairspray

Preparation:

Due to the messy nature of chalk pastels you may want to have baby wipes or wet paper towels on hand to clean up hands immediately.

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process:



Construction Paper Landscape: A Tearing Lesson for Precutters

A landscape is a picture that shows elements of natural scenery whether through a beach, a lake, trees, or mountains. This lesson uses tearing to create a landscape and would be appropriate for preschool students who do not cut.  Even students who are still working at the skill or have some proficiency at it may enjoy this lesson as well as tearing is a fun process.

Vocabulary to Introduce:
landscape

Materials:

-construction paper

-glue

Preparation:

Rather than giving students glue sticks we often place glue on small paper plates and give them q-tips to brush it on. 

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process:

Rousseau Jungle Print

This lesson is inspired by the jungle paintings of Henri Rousseau.   The child can use leaves found either through a nature walk or in the backyard to use for printing.  The student can experiment adding blue or yellow to green. 

Vocabulary to Introduce:
printing

Materials:

-tempera paint (blue, green, yellow, red)
-leaves (magnolia leaves work exceptionally well)
-paint brush
-white paper

Preparation:

Place paint on paper plates in a triangle (green, blue and green, and yellow and green) but allow the child to mix the colors as this is an enjoyable part of the lesson for them.

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process:

Poppy Field Printing

Create a field of poppies using string glued to either a paper towel roll or flat water bottle and sponge cut flowers.  This lesson is an excellent practice for young three and four year olds. 

Vocabulary to Introduce:
printing

Materials:

-white paper

-string

-a paper towel cardboard roll or flat water bottle

-white school glue

-tape 

-newspaper

-tempera paint (green, red, and black)

-sponges cut in the shape of poppies (two or three different size flowers and one or two circles for the center)

Preparation:

This is a two part lesson.  Allow the students to spread glue and taping the string to one end of the paper towel roll/water bottle, let them wrap it around the object several times.  Tape the other end down and set aside to dry.  To speed the process you can use a hair dryer to dry the glue.  Place one plate of green paint on each table along with one piece of newspaper.  Set aside one plate per table of red and black paint, placing the flower shape in the red and the circle center in the black. 

Age Modification:

Older students can paint the flowers themselves rather than printing with sponges.

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process:

Chalk Pastel Cityscape

Children will use chalk pastels to draw an evening city landscape.  Discuss the different shapes that can be used and how they can be used to complete a skyscraper.  Ask them what other things might they see in their picture?  Are there birds?  Trees?  What is the weather like?

Vocabulary to Introduce:
chalk pastel
fixative

line

geometric shapes (square, rectangle, circle)

Materials:

-black paper

-chalk pastels (chalk can be substituted)
-fixative or hair spray

Preparation:

Working with chalk pastels is extremely messy!  If you don't require your children to wear a smock or an old t-shirt you should consider it for this.  Be sure to have the children wash their hands immediately afterward.  When using a fixative or hair spray bring the artwork outside to spray it and don't plan on bring it immediately back inside.

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process:

Red Fuji Crayon Resist

Katsushika Hokusai was a Japanese painter and printmaker.  He is famous for a series called "36 Views of Mt. Fuji" in which each picture depicted Fuji from a different perspective.

Vocabulary to Introduce:

printmaking
resist 
perspective

Materials:

-watercolor paper
-watercolor
-crayons (or oil pastels)
-paint brushes
-bowls for water

Preparation:

Cover the tables with a plastic table cloth or newspaper.  Lay the paper out at each seat with red, green, and white crayons (or oil pastels) laid out for each child.  Fill the bowls with a minimal amount of water but place them off to the side if possible.  Tape off the colors of watercolor you do not want the children to use.


Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process: