Street Art-Graffiti Tour
The 8th grade class is always excited about the first field trip of the year, our graffiti walking tour in Downtown LA. We would take the metro and walk through Little Tokyo on the way to the arts district where…
Spirit Animal Masks
Introduction I visited the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City and saw these animal masks. I thought that this would be a great lesson to do with multiple age groups in order to incorporate multicultural activities and creative/personal expression in…
Primary Colors and Piet Mondrian
This project is one of the first lessons I do with my kindergarten classes. Color is an important element of art and one of the easiest for the students to feel successful with. Introduction Primary Colors A great way to…
Secondary Colors and Van Gogh
Once students have learned about primary colors, the next step is to introduce them to secondary colors. I like to do this by introducing Vincent Van Gogh and using one of his famous pieces as an inspiration for the students.…
Lego Print Robots
Introducing Kindergarten to printmaking is a fun and creative process by using legos. This project lets you give your students creative freedom while also making the process relevant to them (since many kids have been introduced to legos by this…
Picasso Scale Playing Cards
This is one of my favorite projects for many reasons. One, they come out very unique and can push the creativity of individuals. Two, it involves many different skills and subjects making it a more bang for your buck kind…
Positive/Negative Silhouettes
When teaching art, it is important to go over the elements of art early and one of my favorite is the element of space. Space in art is the area within a composition while positive space is the subject or…
Yayoi Kusama Inspired Pumpkins
One of my kids favorite books to read is Yayoi Kusama Covered Everything in Dots and Wasn’t Sorry. The book, written by Fatsu Gilberti, gives a great background on the artist with fun cartoon illustrations making this book a resource…
Hockney Inspired Photos
This project is one of my all time favorites as an art teacher. It is inspired by David Hockney’s Pearblossom Highway. This artwork is made up of hundreds of photo prints of one scene, collaged together to make one image.…
Printmaking Mandalas
Mandala, Sanskrit for circle, is a design made up of geometric symbols and can be used for spiritual meditation and focusing one’s attention. Mandalas can be found in several religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, and can be dated back to…
Pop Art Yarn Prints
Roy Lichtenstein was an American Pop Artist who grew in popularity in the 1960’s along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and others during this exciting art movement. Most famous for his comic book like paintings, Lichtenstein took inspiration from the…
Molas Multiple Ways
I have taught molas fora few years now and find it an interesting subject for my students for we discuss 2 things when making them; These two facts allow for some great discussions on gender roles, cultural artifacts, and economics.…
Picasso-esque Self Portraits
Picasso is a great artist to teach to young kids. I like introducing him to kindergarten students because he was a very skilled, technical artist, even considered a prodigy. He mastered realistic drawing early in his life and began exploring…
Chris Piascik Inspired Doodle Drawings
After a break from school, I like to get the students back in the swing of things with a fun project to jump start their creativity and get their artistic juices flowing. I have done this project before with elementary…
Printmaking with Glue
My high school printmaking class continued making printing pates with common art room materials as we introduced different print methods and techniques. Glue was an obvious choice to use for our printing plates since most classrooms have an abundance of…
Surrealist Eyes Drawings
One of my favorite art styles to teach is surrealism because it pushes a lot of students out of their comfort zones. Surrealism, an art period in the early 20th century, focuses on combining art literature, dreams, and the unconscious…
Embossing Prints
This was one of my favorite lessons I completed during my first year teaching printmaking. The process was rather easy for the students to complete and the results were overall successful. After a few difficult activities and “failures” with project…
Enhance Your Printmaking Skills: Common Mistakes and Improving Work
While on Instagram, I came across a teacher post of a lesson where students painted polaroids and thought they came out really cool. I took that idea for inspiration for my next printmaking project where students created snapshots of their…
Installation Art
Colette Miller Collaborative Inspiration Another way to incorporate the street art-graffiti tour into your curriculum is to choose an artist that the students got to see their work up close and personal to use as inspiration. One such artist that…
Watercolor Lines
Students are introduced to the elements of art early on during art class. I tend to introduce the elements in kindergarten and then revisit them every year adding to the concept and the difficulty of the lesson. After I teach…
Robot Assessments
A good way to begin the year with a Kindergarten art class is to give them an assessment disguised as a project. This allows you, as a teacher, to see their skill level, creativity, ingenuity, and level of independence your…
Symmetrical Hearts
Around second grade, I begin to introduce symmetry to my students. I begin with bilateral symmetry (mirror symmetry that is right down the middle) and as they get older, add other aspects of the topic such as radial and asymmetry.…
Bill Barminski Cardboard Sculptures and Beyond the Streets Field Trip
In 2018, my 8th grade art class was fortunate enough to visit the Beyond the Streets art exhibit of graffiti and street artists. It was a real treat for them because it showed a medium that was normally seen in…
Color Scheme Alebrijes
I have always loved alebrijes with their bright colors and patterns. It wasn’t until I wanted to teach alebrijes as an art project that I learned the history behind their creation. Back in the 1930’s, paper mache artist, Pedro Lineras…
Cave Paintings with Kindergarten
A fun lesson I do with Kindergarten is talk about cave paintings and materials they would have used. I start this lesson by reading the book The Discovery of Lascaux . This book I had on my kindle and just…
Pointillism Paintings
Pointillism is an art style from the Impressionist art movement from the late 1800’s. Created by George Seurat, the painting is created with only dots where the artist aims for the viewers eyes to mix the colors rather than mixing…
Drypoint Printmaking Tutorial: Utilizing Fruit Containers
Starting a printmaking program can be rather expensive so it is important to find creative ways to complete projects. One tip and trick I discovered was using fruit containers for these drypoint prints. When you think about it, it is…
Mary Blair Inspired Shape Lesson: Building Art Activity
Introduction I love teaching the students about Mary Blair whenever we are learning about the element of arts. Specifically when it comes to shape. Even if you have not heard her name before, you have most certainly seen her work…
Abstract Art Lesson: Motor Skills Development
This year I had the opportunity to teach special education students in my art class. At first, it was a struggle to find art lessons that were beneficial, substantial, or helped develop motor skills and creativity. Many of the resources…
Blind, Continuous Contour Drawings: Engaging Art Lessons for Middle School
At the start of the year, I like to discuss the elements of art with my classes. Some students may be very knowledgeable about this already, especially if they have already had me a past year. I believe that a…
Creative Color Mixing Inspired by Alma Thomas
Alma Woodsey Thomas was a pioneering African American artist known for her vibrant use of color and abstract forms that celebrate nature. Her work often drew inspiration from her surroundings, particularly the gardens and landscapes she loved. When introducing color,…
Color Mixing with Auguste Herbin’s Alphabet
I teach color and color theory every year to all my classes. I am teaching middle school and wanted to find a new way to introduce the concept. Last year I had a 100 color painting that did not go so…
Celebrate Día de los Muertos with Nicho Boxes
With Hispanic Heritage month starting in September, I wanted my classes to complete activities for Dia de los Muertos. I frequently travel to Mexico to visit family. I always try to do one lesson a year focusing on Hispanic heritage.…
Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing Hands
Step 1: Understanding Hand Proportions Before we draw a hand holding something, it’s important to understand the basic proportions of the hand. I found that drawing guide lines on my own hands is very helpful with proportions. When I position…
Step-by-Step Guide to DIY Warhol Art
Andy Warhol brought bold colors, repeated portraits, and commercial flair into the world of fine art. This project is part digital design, part traditional art, and a whole lot of fun. Whether you’re a teacher, student, or just looking for…
In the Art Room with Mrs. D 