Cool dudes and more

Posted on May 19, 2012 by mizzmac

I had a fifth grader tell me once that he couldn’t draw people. I thought he could but his complaint inspired me to start emphasizing the need to draw not only faces but also full figures. I decided to begin with my third graders. I sometimes choose one child from each table to stand and pose for each other in a variety of ways. The lesson results in many giggles and laughter. We sketch each other during one lesson, using drawing boards, drawing pencils, and newsprint. I point out the face is about as big as a hand and the feet are about as big as a forearm. We look at my small skeleton and notice the elbows and knees bend at angles, no banana arms or legs please! During our second lesson we turn our sketches into drawings on white construction paper, adding details and coloring with colored pencils. To reinforce the drawing lesson we paint full figures and make Cool Dudes from clay. Since implementing these lessons into my curriculum I haven’t heard a child say they can’t draw people!! If you would like  to try any of my projects on people or faces, check out my Easy, Artsy Ebooks! I am certain you will have as much fun as my students!  My Ebooks are sold as single lessons/or projects  or as a group of 4 or 5 projects. You can find a nice selection of examples of the single projects and the books on the Easy Artsy Ebooks! page.

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Painting animals with watercolors

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Admin1

I have used forest animals as the subject for our wet-on-wet (wet paint on wet watercolor paper) for several years. Birds are easy to paint with this technique. We use 140 lb.coldpress watercolor paper. I know that paper is expensive and we only use 1/4 sheet but paper this weight or heavier is worth the price when I can show the children they can erase paint. I wet the paint and use a damp sponge or wet paper towel.

The supplies I use are 140 lb.cold press watercolor paper, 1/4 sheet per child, Prang watercolor box of 8 colors with a watercolor brush. I like to use the short handled kid’s brushed for my students because they have better control.

If you would like one of my lessons, please buy an ebook!

animal blob painting
animal blob painting

       Watercolor Bears and Birds Paintings $5.00

 

Click on my advertisers for any supplies you may need. Art for Kids Online is an affiliate of the advertisers and will earn a small commission from any new orders placed. 

 
 
 
 
 
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Easy, Artsy Faces

Posted on March 26, 2012 by mizzmac

 

 

When I first started teaching art, I began teaching how to draw faces using the academic method of teaching portraiture. One day I bought a wonderful book  “Painting and Children”. In it there is a great description for teaching children to begin to paint faces by looking at the shape of the eyes first. The book inspired me to tranform it into my own lesson which I am going to share with you. By the way the book can be bought on Amazon. There are examples of each step at the end of this lesson.

Supplies needed:

a hand held mirror

white paper

pencil, eraser

something to color with like crayons, markers, or colored pencils

#1. Look in the mirror at the eyes. The dark circle is the pupil, the colored part is the iris. Look at the shape of the eye. It’s a football or almond shape. Draw a football shape in the middle of the paper.

#2.Draw a circle for the iris and the inner circle for the pupil. Color the pupil black. Draw the second eye/football shape, iris, and pupil. Draw curved lines for the top and lower eyelids, overlapping the top and bottom of the irises. Draw straight or curved lines for the eyelashes attached to the eyelids. Draw curved lines over the eyes for eyebrows.

#3. Draw a nose in between the eyes and a little below the eyes. See below for examples of noses.

#4.Draw a mouth by first drawing the shadow line of the closed lips. Then draw curvy lines for the top lip and one curve line for the bottom lip. See below for examples of mouths. Manly man lips are sometimes thin. Girly girl lips are sometimes curvy.

#5.Draw the jawline beginning at the bottom of one ear, curve around and below the mouth and back up to the bottom of the next ear. See below for examples of jawlines.

#6. Finish the drawing by adding straight and curvy lines for the hair at the top of the head. Draw curvy lines for the neck. Manly man necks are thicker and straighter than girly girl ones. Add shoulders and shirt lines.

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Introduction

Posted on January 20, 2012 by mizzmac

Welcome to Mizz Mac’s Art for Kids Online website with fun-tastic art projects. Being a veteran art teacher for more than 25 years, I have accumulated many tried and true art projects for kids. I am still teaching art in a private school with 3 divisions ranging from preschool to middle school and have the flexibility to organize my curriculum by subject matter and design elements (line, color, shape, etc.) or design principle ( patternmaking, symmetry, variety, etc.).  As a result of this organization I have many lessons and projects for multiple grades, multiple media, and many techniques. I have labeled the categories for the different subjects and will suggest on the subject page which design element or principle is being emphasized in case you need to know that. If you don’t, it’s ok. I have found that children are more interested in creating art than copying art. Please let the lessons/projects guide your child or student to create an art project of his/her own!

A good beginning to teaching art with your children or class is to demonstrate the five kinds of lines (horizontal, vertical, diagonal, zigzag, and curly) either on paper or the board. You can also show photographs of the same five lines that can also be found in nature and examples of how artists use these five lines in their artwork. I like to draw the five lines on the board, and show both photographs and examples of the art work to the children in my classes and even have the children find the lines. The children who have had unsuccessful art experiences in the past understand this beginning lesson and get excited. They CAN draw after all!!

         Enough said… Let’s go to the first project….

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A good beginning drawing lesson

Posted on January 20, 2012 by mizzmac

 

Drawing with Beginners

Supply list

Pencil/markers for drawing

white copy paper

markers for coloring

 

I like to begin my drawing classes with my drawing what the children tell me to draw as I ask questions.

The following is an example:

When we draw something, we only use five types of lines or a combination of the five lines. The lines are horizontal, vertical, diagonal, zigzag, and curvy. Connect the lines to make shapes. There are only two kinds of shapes: geometric (squares, circles, etc.) and natural (flowers, clouds, etc.).

With that in mind, let’s draw a cat.

I will ask the questions and you will answer, telling me what to draw.

1. What shape is a cat’s head? A circle. (Draw a circle.)

step 1

2. What shape is the body? An oval or a circle. (Draw the oval or circle connected to the head.)

 

 

3. What shapes are the legs? Either 4 lines or 4 rectangles. (Draw whatever is said.)

4. What shape are the paws? Circles. (Draw that.)

 

5. What shape are the ears? Triangles-draw 2 triangles near the top of the head.

 

6. Now for the face- What shapes are the eyes, nose, and cheeks? Circles. Draw those in the middle of the head.

7. Whiskers? Draw straight and diagonal lines from cheeks.

8. The mouth? A curved line. Draw a curvy line under the cheeks.

9. The tail? A curvy line or long skinny oval- Draw the line or shape attached to the body.

10. Color and add a background like a room or outside scenery.

Now we have drawn a cute kitty!!

 

 
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