How to draw a compass rose

Here's how to draw a compass rose for your treasure map!

How to draw a treasure map (Pirate Birthday party art project)

This map looks so cool with a compass rose.  Find out how to draw one in my next post.

In-Home Art Therapy lessons and classes for the elderly in Tucson (or Alzheimer's or Parkinson's)

Some moments in this job seem nothing less than miraculous.  I've always been drawn to working with children, but in the last few years I've also been given the opportunity to work with elderly adults.  I'm amazed by how much joy it brings!  My clients are often depressed.  They are frustrated by forgetfulness and loss of freedom.  In art class there's nothing to worry about.  It adds greatly to quality of life in the moment and remains as something beautiful as a reminder and inspiration.  One student set aside a whole room of her house as a gallery for her paintings.  It was beautiful!  The projects we make are also great gifts.  Last year we made Christmas cards out of the images.   I offer sessions in polymer clay and chalk pastel painting.  Many of the projects are similar to what you see on this blog, but I'll try to post more.  For my chalk pastel classes, I bring in a photograph and an example of how that image can be interpreted through chalk pastels.  Then we each make our own picture while I give step-by-step instruction.  This works even when my students can't hear what I'm saying.  My favorite part is when my student gets into the flow, stops paying attention, and continues with the painting, making all the choices on her own!

To try out a session or set one up for someone you love, call me at 235-8877.  Sessions are $30 per hour.  Feel free to invite a friend or two and split the cost.

Design Your Own Snowflake: Printable Template

For a simpler printout, go to my post about intricate snowflakes.

I've spent the day designing snowflakes for a papercraft project that I have in mind.  These circles were a great starting point.  I printed off the template at a very low density, and then drew my snowflake designs with darker lines over the top.  Eventually I will trace these lines with a thin sharpie, and erase the lines I don't want.  If you don't want to deal with the extra lines, just place this print out under the paper on a light box or window.  I'm sure there's a much easier way to do this on the computer.  I'm certainly open to ideas, but for now, this has worked really well for me.  I could spend hours making up new intricate patterns!  For inspiration, I've been looking at photographs of real snowflakes!  For a simpler print out and ideas, see my earlier post about drawing intricate snowflakes.

This lesson goes very well with one of my favorite seasonal crafts. Snowflake ornaments!

Classical Drawing Lesson - Still Life

I was so proud of the students this time!  Their drawings looked beautiful.  I picked up these glasses at the goodwill, and bought some straws and lemons.  Each student had this arrangement to look at.  I started them of with this basic lesson on 3-D objects, and then we made lots and lots of observations about details and light.  Trust me, the students will be so proud!

Sunflower Still Life Drawing Lesson

Pick up a sunflower at the local market and you have an instant art lesson!   Sunflowers are great a subject mater for art projects!  Grab any medium, even just pencil and paper, and the students will soon realize how well they can draw from life!

  I explained to students that most people draw flowers from the front, but that it is important to see them from all angles.  I had the students sketch the sunflower from the front, the side, and the back.  After the student's are done sketching, we share what we observed and I compliment students who catch extra details.  It doesn't matter if the drawings look realistic.  The drawing accomplishes the goal if the students have demonstrated that they have made specific observations.

Lesson on How to Draw or Paint a Water Drop

First see my previous post about observing light and shadow!

This is crazy!  They can also be made with clay

Lesson on Seeing Light and Shadow

I'm currently teaching a classical drawing class to a group of home-school students ages 6 - 13!  It's been said that learning to draw is really learning to see.  We spent the first half of the first day looking at water drops.  Each student had a styrofoam plate with water drops on it.  I brought in a lamp from home so that there would be one direct source of light.

"Water is clear so how is it that we are able to see these drops?  Should they be invisible?  Do you see any thing except the white of the plate?  Which half is light?  Which half is dark?  Did you know that water can cast a shadow?  Do you see the slight glow hitting the plate in the middle of the shadow?  Is the shadow next to the dark part or the light part?  Do you see that tiny bright spot on the darker part of the drop?  Look very closely and you will actually see the shape of the light bulb reflected there (these photos were taken in the sunlight, so you won't see the lamp's shape!).  Do you think you could draw and water drop?  What colors might you use?"

How to Draw or Paint Marbles

Lesson Plan for Texture Art Project

This is a fun way to teach the concept of texture in art.  The texture on the castle walls, the ocean, the cliffs, and the clouds are all created by crayon rubbings.

Road Trip Art Project

Ever since I was little, I've wanted my own VW bus to drive around the country.  I probably wouldn't paint it like this, but it would be colorful!

For this project, I walk the students through the basic outline.  With reference materials, students often make their drawings even more detailed and accurate.  I tell the students that this is their chance to design their van any way they want.  I wish I'd taken pictures to show you!  I encourage them to be as creative as possible.  At the end of class we share our pictures and maybe even talk about where we might travel.

Monsoon Storm Drawing Project

I'm back in Tucson!  I flew in right after one of our world famous thunderstorms.  In honor of monsoon season, I thought I'd share this project.  This isn't a complete lesson, but maybe you can be inspired and improve upon it.  The mountains are drawn with prismacolor markers and the rest is done in chalk pastel.  I like the idea of using different shades of marker to teach atmospheric perspective (kinda like the ocean floor project).  This could be used for any landscape project.  The fun part is letting students look at pictures of clouds and lightning.   I love the pictures in my SKY Cube Book!

Campfire Drawing Project

This week I've driven hundreds of miles here in the northwest. Scenes like this greet me and take my breath away.  Since so many families go camping in the summer, I decided that this would be a good time to share this project.
Skills:
-Seeing and drawing the effect of light
-Creating foreground, middle ground, and back ground
-Creating 3D perspective (tent)

Materials:
-Dark blue card stock
-Nice colored pencils
-Example project and optional reference photos (feel free to print my example)

Procedure:
-discuss the light sources (fire light, moonlight, stars)
-brainstorm ideas for details that will be unique to each child's drawing
-explain that the trees in in front are much larger that the trees farther back
-show step by step how to draw the tent, lake and mountains

 (These "scribble trees" are a hard concept for students sometimes.  I have students come up to the board to share how they like to make evergreens)

Puffin Drawing Project

Puffins are such adorable birds!  My students loved this project.
Materials: 
-colored pencils
-drawing paper
-photographs of puffins or a book about puffins

Procedure:
1) Read a book or look at pictures and make a list of observations about puffins.
2) Find the simple shapes and sketch them lightly. (Refer to my post about how to draw quail).
3) Color the puffins according to their unique and beautiful coloration.
4) Choose an appropriate habitat as a background.

An absolutely wonderful book to read with this project is Nights of the Pufflings.

Kites at the Coast drawing idea

I love kites!  When we would go to Cannon beach, we would always stop in at the kite shops.  

It is so often gray and cloudy at the coast that the bright rainbow colors provide such a beautiful contrast.
Here is a very easy project that gives students the chance to fill the sky with kites of their own design as well as creating a story about a the people flying the kites.

Materials:

-blue card stock

-chalk pastels (though other media will work if you don't like the mess)

-paper towel or something for blending

-kite catalog 

-sometimes you might want colored pencil, acrylic paint, or paper for the kites if the pastels can't provide enough detail

Look at the kites or order a free catalog at Into the Wind or another supplier.  This adds so much inspiration that you'll probably think of five better projects by the time your done looking!

1) The students blend clouds, ocean and sand.

2) The students practice "scribble people" or gesture drawings of classmates on a separate piece of paper.

3) I explain that the people on the beach are just scribble people with colors for clothes.  The people are much too far away to worry about details.  The people are layered right on top of the background landscape.

4) Add the kites!

Watercolor Seashells Project

I'm up in the magical Pacific Northwest visiting my grandma.  She and my grandpa used to take us to the beach when we were little.  I loved the beautiful shells we would find while combing the beach and exploring the shops!  When I teach this lesson I like to bring in my own shells for the students to look at!  What amazing natural examples of design, pattern, and variety!

Materials:
Watercolor paper
Watercolor PENCILS (or traditional watercolor paint)
Water cups
Nice brushes
Sharpies

First I explain that this projects is supposed to be a design with shells rather than a picture of the beach.  The shells should be large and should be the focus of the project.
1) Draw black outlines with sharpie (the markers need to be permanent so that the lines don't blend)
2) Color in the project with watercolor pencils
3) Paint over the color with water!

Ice Cream Sundae Drawing Project

Teach vanishing point, symmetry, use of light, and contour lines all in one very popular project (though not all in one lesson)!  This is one of my all-time favorites!

Materials:

card stock for making stencils

scissors

drawing pencils or erasable white colored pencils 

prismacolor colored pencils (one white pencil for each student)

dark colored card stock
rulers
ice cream dish to hold up to the light (pick some up at Goodwill)
optional double sided tape

Step 1    Symmetry
Have the students cut out a stencil.
The students fold a sheet of card stock in half in a "hamburger fold"(as opposed to a hot dog fold).
As long as the student have a base, a stem and a cup, they always end up looking great.   I would encourage them to draw a wavy rim at some point.  One parent commented on the martini glass her child had drawn in art class!

Step 2
Cut out the stencil and trace it on the card stock.
Some children will need it held in place with small pieces of double stick tape.  Pat it between you fingers a few times so that it's not too sticky!

Step 3  Vanishing point and perspective
Draw the far edge of the table and the vanishing point.
Draw points along the bottom about 1.5 inches apart.

Draw lines dot-to-dot with a ruler or the edge of a paper.  The students have a very hard time trusting the vanishing point.  Especially as they need to stop as soon as they hit the dish.

After the lines that touch the bottom are complete the students have to judge where to put the lines along the sides.  They can usually get it right after I demonstrate the trial and error of adding lines too close and then too far apart.

Add vertical lines to finish up the checkerboard effect.  As the lines get farther away they get closer together.  Don't make too big a deal of this as it might frustrate the students.  Instead of getting technical, I demonstrate with the same trial and error approach.  The students can always tell me what looks right.
HAVE THEM BE CAREFUL WHEN COLORING THE CHECKERBOARD PATTERN.  IT'S SOOO EASY TO MESS UP THE PATTERN.  IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO COLOR IN THE SQUARES SYSTEMATICALLY.

Round out the top and add a double line for the thickness of the glass.  I explain that the ice cream doesn't drain all the way into the base, because the stem and base are solid glass.

Step 4 Contour Lines

(This part might be a good way to start a new class)

In order for students to add the glass shine correctly, they must have an intuitive understanding of contour lines.  There are a lot of good lessons out there for this.  Check out my hot air balloon lesson.

Have the students trace their stencils on a separate piece of paper and practice adding lines that define it's 3D shape.

Step 5   Observation of Light
Hold up a glass ice cream dish and help them see the way the light shines.
The students add random highlights.  I tell them i need to see thick and thin, long and short, bright, medium, and soft.
Sometimes I have the students do the same with a dark blue or gray colored pencil for contrast.

Now for the fun part!  Let the students create an amazing sundae.  Don't forget to show and tell!