Lesson 1 - 3rd Grade

Lesson Topic: Starry Night

You've probably heard of Vincent van Gogh, and you're probably familiar with his painting Starry Night, one of the most famous art pieces in history. He uses cool colors for the night sky with yellow stars that stand out against the cool colors. His lines give a sense of movement, and “connect the dots” from star to star.

For this project, you will need" 12x18 White construction paper, 6x18 Black construction paper, crayons, scissors, glue, diluted black paint, and a paintbrush.

Start ny drawing stars and moons, using yellow. Then using cool colors (purple, blue and green) draw swirls, curls, and other lines that go across the paper, filling up the entire page, leaving only small spaces between the lines.These lines represent the movement of the wind as it travels through your picture. Remember to press hard with the crayon.

Use diluted black paint to paint the entire paper. Blot excess paint with a paper towel. Allow the painting the dry. While your painting is drying, draw a landscape for your picture. Since it is nighttime in the picture, there won’t be any details seen on the objects. Use the strip of black paper to create a simple landscape. Try trees, buildings, landmarks, etc. Cut out the landscape and glue it to your painting once it's dry. Then use a white crayon to sign your name.

Lesson 1 - 2nd Grade

Lesson Topic: Self-Portrait With A Pet


Fransisco Goya painted for the Spanish court. Take a look at his painting Don Manuel Osorio. Today we will be creating a self-portrait, or a picture of ourselves. You're going to need a white piece of paper (copy paper is fine,) a pencil & eraser, and crayons.

Use ovals/rectangles to make a basic figure. There should be a distinct upper arm/leg and lower arm/leg. You also need to make sure that there is a difference in scale and proportion between yourself and your pet. If you don't own a pet, choose an animal that you would like to own. It can be a dog, a bird, a cow, a dragon, whatever you want. You can be holding your pet, playing frisbee, feeding, or anything else that you might do with your pet.

It is important to draw lightly with your pencil. If you press too hard and make a mistake, you won't be able to erase your mistake completely. Once you are done drawing, color self-portrait completely, including a background.

Lesson 1 -- 1st Grade

Lesson Topic: Composition Storm

Composition means the organization and arrangement of elements to make a whole piece. Today, we are going to combine lines, color, and patterns to create a finished piece. An artist named Wassily Kandinsky created his paintings by listening to music and combining the art elements to make his finished pieces.

On a piece of white paper, trace everyday objects with crayons. Change colors with each new object. Make some objects overlap, or sit on top of, another object. Then, draw a pattern inside each object. Each object should have it's own unique pattern. Make sure you press hard with your crayon.

To finish the piece, use watercolors to completely paint the paper. When you finish, there should not by any white paper showing. You can paint each object, or just areas of color.

Don't forget to sign your work!

Lesson 1 - Kindergarten

Lesson Topic: Shape Collage


This first lesson with kindergartners was taught in the second week of school. I focused on teaching them how to properly hold scissors, and how to use just a little bit of glue ("Dot, dot, not a lot" is a common phrase in my room) I also try to start kids early to not rely on their pencil so much. Triangles can be made by cutting a corner off at an angle. Cutting one large shape up the middle will give you two shapes. An "anything" shape looks like whatever you want.


Students can either make a picture out of their shapes, or just an abstract collage.

You'll need a pastel ROYGBV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet) construction paper, scissors, glue, and scrap paper. I mat the finished artwork on a coordinating ROYGBV paper. This project is all about showing off your shapes.

Don't forget to sign your finished piece!

Completed student work -->

Peter Paintbrush

"Hi Everyone! My name is Peter Paintbrush. I have hair on my head, not on my toes. I like to keep my hair looking good, so please don't jam my head into the paint. Instead, be gentle and use a back and forth motion when using the paint. I also love to take baths, you can help me wash my hair and keep it clean, especially when you are ready to change paint colors."


I introduce Peter at the beginning of the first painting lesson with my Kindergartners and SDC students. He then sits in a basket and supervises the classes. Sometimes I move him around the room and it's fun to watch the kids try to find his new hiding spot.

Overview of my classrooms

A brief background on my job:

I teach at two elementary schools.

At school #1, I am there 2 days a week, 4 hours a day. I teach K-6, SDC and VE classes. Each class gets a one hour lesson with me. I rotate through the school every month, so each class will get about 7 art lessons.

At school #2, I am there 1 day a week for 4 hours. I teach only the 1-3rd grades. This is my first year at this school, and it is also the principal's first year at the school. I'm hoping that through my lessons and growing reputation, next year I can convince the principal to expand the program to include the 4-6th grades. There are more classes at this school, so I rotate through about every 5 weeks, each class only getting, I believe 5 lessons with me.

There is no written curriculum for my subject. I decide what to teach, how to teach, etc. I love that freedom. The downside to it, is I don't have any guidelines for the levels that students should be at. As a result, my lesson plans have been a lot of trial and errors.

Artist #1 - Walt Disney

To start off, I want to introduce you to the man who started my interest in art: Walt Disney, the man who created Mickey Mouse. I grew up during the Animation Renaissance. The Little Mermaid, Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, etc. These were the movies my parents took me to see in theatres, along with the ones that had been re-released: the Jungle Book, 101 Dalmatians. Seeing what people could do with their imagination and hands just blew my mind. That started my lifelong love of Disney, and my interest in becoming an artist (when I grow up, I want to be a background animator for Disney.)