OVERVIEW
Our extra class is all about cartoon animals. We use simple shapes to build characters and then apply some funny expressions. The last project is a one-page, 4-panel comic book they create on their own using printed templates. If time allows, they get to make a colorful cover for the comic “book”– – –
Grades K – 2
Week of May 16 – 20
1 Hour & 30 Minutes
Student Work
SCROLL & TEACH LESSON PLAN
Don’t worry about rewriting anything. Just spend a few minutes reading the lesson plan and printing out your PDFs. Then check out the READY, SET, GO! section and print your prep-page, which includes checklists and an “at a glance” outline of the lesson so you can stay on track when you’re teaching. Set out the materials from the list on your prep page and you’re ready.
That’s all you need to know. Use your smartphone to Scroll & Teach!
Lesson At A Glance
A brief overview of each step. Buttons jump to each section for detailed information.
15 Minutes – Encourage students to draw animals
10 Min – Display the Pinterest examples
12 Min – Draw a cartoon character using instructional references
8 Min – Draw 3 facial expressions
30 Min – Draw a story using Story Panel PDF
10 Min – Early Finishers get to make a cover for a comic book
5 Min – Everyone helps
Use this button to jump down to the preparation section.
SCROLL & TEACH
LESSONPLAN
Each section is a different color. Read over once and then you can SCROLL & TEACH using any device you like. It’s designed to work best with your phone.
LEARNING TARGETS
Students learn to express themselves through creating from their imagination.
M A T E R I A L S
- 11″ x 17″ Copy Paper
- 4B pencil
- Eraser
- Markers and/or oil pastels
- Blenders (stumps)
- Paper Towels
All materials are suggestions and may be modified as you see fit. We have tried many items, and these seem to allow the most versatility for the cost.
1.1 greet
Greet students as they come in and help them choose a chair.
Kneel down so that you are on their level. Bending over emphasizes the differences in your height, while kneeling makes them feel more important. Have tape and marker ready so you can stick some tape on the table by each student and write their name on it as they sit down.
1.2 choice
Encourage your students to draw animals for their warmup. They can draw from imagination and memory, or they can use the reference page from last week’s mask animals if you want to use them.
Encourage students to work with one piece of paper for a while. If someone uses the phrase, “free draw”, explain that artists’ choice is something only artists can do, while free-draw is something anyone can do. You want to use the phrase to elevate the students’ expectations of their work.
Everyone should take their time with the work and make a finished piece of art. Limiting the paper can also help kids focus on the work. If someone finishes in super-fast time, ask them what more they can do to the existing paper. Ask again several times – unless they appear overly frustrated; then you can allow them to move on to a new work.
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LEARNING TARGETS
Students know how to find inspiration by looking at references
M A T E R I A L S
- iPad or screen to display Pinboard
Pinterest Gallery – Cartoon Animals
Tap the icon to the left to open our special Pinboard showing examples of artwork to display to your class. See our Article for making Pinterest work on larger displays. You can also use a laptop or large tablet and gather everyone around like you’re using a book.
2.1 display
Display the Pinterest board examples to your students and read the captions.
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LEARNING TARGETS
Students know how to do a cartoon illustration
M A T E R I A L S
- 8.5″ x 11″ copy paper
- 4B pencil
- White Eraser
3.1 Print
Reference
Cartoons
3 animals are printed on 3 pages with instructions for drawing a cartoon. Expressions are shown too.
Hand out reference prints. Print enough so students can choose the one they want. Everyone should get one sheet.
3 Pages- Opens in new window
3.2 draw
Have students choose one of the three animals
Draw a simple cartoon character using the step-by-step instructions in each reference page.
There is a DOG, a BEAR, and a FISH cartoon. You’ll be able to help better if you have drawn each of these before-hand. Point out the 3 expressions on the side boxes as they work. Kids who finish early can try drawing one of the expression versions.
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LEARNING TARGETS
Students know how to convey expression on cartoon faces
M A T E R I A L S
- 8.5″ x 11″ copy paper
- 4B pencil
- White Eraser
4.1 draw
Have students try facial expressions.
Looking at the examples on the same PDF, everyone draws 3 facial expressions: Happy, Surprised, and a silly face.
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LEARNING TARGETS
Students know how to make sequential art
M A T E R I A L S
- 8.5″ x 11″ copy paper
- 4B pencil
- White Eraser
5.1 print
Reference
Story Panels
Print enough for each student to choose from several.
Hand out reference prints.
1 Page – Opens in new window
5.2 draw
Print the PDFs and give each student a beginning Story Panel Page to work on.
Have a few extras on hand for the possible start-overs, but encourage erasing and correcting. Try to have them finish on one page, but provide a second page if needed. There are 4 pages provided with different numbers of panels on each, ranging from 3 to 7.
Artists can use a pencil to draw their story. Alternatively, you can have everyone use a non-photo* pencil if you have some, and then have students re-draw (better than tracing) over their lines using a black fine-point marker. If you set your copier on lighten, you can make copies and the original colored lines will disappear.
Using just pencil, you can also set the copier to lighten or higher contrast to remove erased lines.
While it’s fine to simply use the original drawing page, it’s fun for students to see copies of their work, and it presents the idea that they can duplicate their artwork by printing it. It’s especially fun to use the non-photo pencils and see the lines disappear, so if you have the resources for getting these as well as some fine-point markers (sharpie makes one that is fairly sturdy and won’t break easily), it can be quite awesome.
•*Non-photo pencils are either labeled as such and are very light blue, or you can use a brilliant emerald green colored pencil that looks like a green screen. These will not show up on a copy, if you set your copier to lighten the print. The greens work best.
- Prismacolor Scholar: Permanent Green
- Prismacolor Premier: True Green, Light Green, or Non-photo Blue
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LEARNING TARGETS
Students know how to illustrate a cover for a comic book
M A T E R I A L S
- 8.5″ x 11″ copy paper
- 4B pencil
- White Eraser
- Markers
6.1 draw
Early finishers can make a colored comic book cover using markers.
Everyone should have time to at least get the black outlines done. Anyone not finished can color at home using markers or crayons. The cover should have 3 elements:
- Title
- Picture of the character
- By “student name”
You can also make up your own comic book company logo! Explain to anyone who is interested, that a logo should be small and roundish, with a simple name and shape.
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LEARNING TARGETS
Students know the importance of cleaning up
M A T E R I A L S
- Paper Towels
- Cleaning wipes
- Sink
- Waste baskets
- Well-lit spot for photos
- Camera or phone-camera
7.1 clean
Students clean up their work area.
- Wash hands
- Super-wash brushes if used
- Put art supplies away
- Wipe tables & toss trash
- Remove any smocks (last)
- Check for items on floors and tables
7.2 photos
Try to get photos of your student’s artwork. Find a good spot for quick lighting without highlights or shadows from your hands and device. Ideally in-between two strong lights on each side
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OBJECTIVES
- Practice and improvement drawing cartoons
- Understanding how to draw simple features in order
- Accomplishment in making finished cartoon artwork
- Fulfillment by writing and drawing a comic book (one page)
TROUBLESPOTS
Erasing frustration – Sometimes a young artist will know that their hand is not doing what their mind is telling it, and will erase over and over until the paper is a mess and be upset with themselves. A good method to help when this happens is to take the pressure off and allow a “learner step”. There are two ways to do it. One is to have the cartoon enlarged on a copier and allow tracing. Another is to ask if the student would like a couple of guidelines or guide points. You then make a light circle or other shape, and maybe a point or two where important things go that have been the struggle. It’s very important to change the paper, and explain how artists throw paper away all the time. It’s only paper, and you have to make tons of work you don’t like – and just throw it away, or you’ll never learn to be the artist you want to be. A story about your own struggles is perfect for this time:
“I threw away something I drew just a couple of days ago, because it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. It took me several tries to get it the way I wanted!”
ART WORDS
Cartooning – An artist must work very hard to learn how to create funny and simple characters. It looks so easy, but it can be very hard to do.
Re-Draw – Any professional cartoonist will tell you, you must re-draw over and over again to get the character to look good. Re-drawing is not tracing, but you can do it using tracing paper or guide lines.
Non- Photo Pencil – Non-photo pencils are either labeled as such and are very light blue, or you can use a brilliant emerald green colored pencil that looks like a green screen. These will not show up on a copy, if you set your copier to lighten the print. The greens work best. Cartoonists have used these pencils for special guidelines for years!
CLASSROOM
PREP
Print all of your PDFs from the lesson plan and cut any references apart as needed.
What your room needs
Here are your printable lists and room prep instructions.
Opens in new window
CLASSROOM
MATERIALS
- 11×17” Copy Paper
- 8.5” x 11” Copy paper
- 4B Pencil
- Eraser
- Markers
- Oil pastels
- Blenders
- Paper towels
- iPad or screen to display Pinboard
- Camera or phone-camera
PREVIEW
Next school year’s lessons begin with introductions to art materials and drawing basics.
Week 1: Materials Bonanza
Week 2: Drawing Intro
Use this button to view our parent’s blog. Share the link: http://parentart.org, with your student’s parents so your they can read about the lesson each week.