Lesson At A Glance

Here’s a brief overview of the complete lesson. It’s also on your prep page in the Ready, Set, Go! section (below the lesson).

Colored buttons jump to each section in the full lesson plan below.

15 Minutes – Artists’ Choice. Intro Lesson

10 min – Demo drawing/shadows too

5 min – Choose photos

 5 min – Students complete lines

10 min – Marker lines

 5 min – Set up for painting

15 min – Paint the dark areas with cool colors

15 min – Paint the light areas with warm colors

7 Min -Add finishing touches

3 Min – Everyone helps

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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 well with your phone.

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.

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.

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.

Introduce the lesson idea

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Use 2 PDF prints that match

Have a giraffe reference photo and the matching starter guideline page to use for your demo. Clip the photo on a stand so it’s easy to see.

Demo Guide lines

Have students gather around so everyone can see what you’re doing. If you have an especially large class, demo in 2 groups during STEP 1 & STEP 2 together.

Guide lines are very, very light, just like the lines on the printout. Draw lightly and explain.

Demo shadow lines

Draw the line along the shadow but not on an edge of the giraffe. Point out the line going down the middle of the face.

Demo marker lines

Use a black marker and draw over a few of the outlines (edges). Explain that now you’re creating the actual artwork. Instead of just tracing, you’re drawing over the the guidelines, making the best art lines possible.

Artists can choose shadow outlines

Before you draw over any of the outlines of the shadows, explain that everyone has a choice. You can either leave them in pencil and let the paint cover the lines, or you can use the marker to outline the shadows too. Either way looks cool.

Draw a few of these lines too.

Everyone heads back to their seat

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Set out the photos & Starter pages

Place the 3 photos in stacks, and the starter card stock papers in 3 matching stacks (several copies of each one) on a table or counter.

Artists choose a photo and matching page

You can have the students all come up, or in smaller groups, and choose one of the 3 for their painting. We sometimes say, “come on up to the picture store and buy a picture!”

Make sure students get the matching starter page printed on card stock. It’s a good idea to place the matching starter pages with each photo so they don’t get the wrong one.

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Begin drawing & remind students

As they begin drawing, help your kids with these reminders:

• Draw lightly, like tickling.
• Look very carefully at the photo – a lot!
• Erase and correct when you need to
• This is not the artwork – we’ll go over these lines with marker next

Students write their name on back

This is important so they don’t get mixed up later.

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Redraw – make it better

Everyone uses a black marker to go over all of the pencil lines, making them bold. Walk around and encourage your class to do their best. Remind them to re draw the artwork instead of just tracing.

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Brushes should be nylon for springiness and durability. Round brushes are the most versatile.

Paint pigment list:

• Bright Red
• Bright Yellow
• Green
• Turquoise Blue
• Deep Blue
• Purple
• Magenta
• Brown
• Black
• White

Go through the Materials list

Once everyone has on a smock and their work area is ready, head to the next step.

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Mix cool colors to paint into the shadows, or dark areas only.

Shadows look good in cool colors, but the lighted areas will be done in warm colors in the next step.

Mix some cool colors & paint them into the different dark areas that look like shadows on the photo reference. look closely at the reference to see where the shadows really are. The crazy color can be any hue, but encourage your students to be unusual, and not use realistic colors.

Cool Colors

• Purples
• Blues
• Aquas
• Greens

Help with technique

Students may have a hard time staying inside lines and have clean edges to their colors. Show individual students how to point the tip of the brush at the lines so that the tip makes a nice edge. If the edge is underneath the brush, the paint won’t be as clean and neat.

If a student doesn’t care, then you don’t need to help them with this! Just let them have a good time.

Move around the room, asking permission to help and encouraging your students.

Clean brushes well

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Continue in light areas with warm colors

Help students mix warm colors and continue to paint them into the Light areas.

Warm Colors

• Magentas
• Reds
• Oranges
• Yellows
• Very yellow green

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Make it look great

Add anything you think will make it look better.

• Paint the background.
• Paint over areas you don’t like
• Paint over the outlines with black if they’ve been covered up.
• Write name in corner using a pencil.

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Students set 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

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.

Make sure you see the kids connect with parents and tell them about the class if you can!

Print all of your PDFs from the lesson plan and cut any references apart as needed.

Week 29: Trees & Leaves

Artists make trees by twisting pipe cleaners, and paper leaves are attached. Then everyone designs and creates a tiny tree house to go onto their tree sculptures. The whole thing is glued together and onto a base for a fun project to take home.

Week 30: Cats in Hats

Students have a lot of fun working with air-dry clay to create cat sculptures using a follow-along slide show. They’ll also make little hats for the sculptures, and take them home the following week. There is a drawing and painting done from reference as well.