Easy Birch Tree Painting Tutorial - Free Acrylic Painting Lesson

This is one of my most popular class projects so I thought I would share the how-to in a video.  It is perfect for kids or beginners.  Please subscribe and "like" if you enjoyed this video! Thanks for watching!

Supplies used:
10"x20" Canvas
Masking or Painters Tape (3/4", 1", 1.5", 2" widths)
Acrylic Paints (various colors, including metallic and black)
Sponge Brush
Plastic Gift Card
Circular objects in various sizes for stamping

Here is the link to the original post:  Kids Art Class Birch Trees

Mixed Media Portraits - Kids Art Class

This was one of those projects that took me longer to prepare than it took the kids to complete.  I took photos of my students and edited them using photoshop prior to class. I am still a novice with photoshop so it took longer than it probably should have!  I changed the photos to black and white, then went to greyscale, adjusted the contrast and highlights, then applied the halftone effect.  The edited photos were then printed onto transparency paper.

In class, I had my students cover their canvas panels with scrapbook paper using mod podge. Then they glued the transparency over the top of the papers. In my photos you can still see the wet mod podge through the transparency, but it will eventually dry clear.
I had originally planned on using a transfer technique with the transparencies, but when I tested it, the paper was tearing, so I improvised.  It probably saved a lot of headaches!

We had about a half hour left in class so I used our remaining time to teach them how to draw a simple face.

Here is a link to the original post where I got this idea from:  Christine Adolph Designs

Layered Vellum Leaf Rubbing - Kids Art Class

This was a super fun and easy project. The vellum layer gave it a beautiful, almost ethereal, look.

The bottom layer is plain drawing paper which was stamped with leaf-shaped stamps in dark ink colors.  The top layer is vellum which has real leaf rubbings using colored pencils.  Since they could see the leaves under the vellum they were able to carefully trace and fill in the leaves.  We also added extra leaf stamps in lighter ink colors onto the vellum.  To finish, we framed them to make the layers really show.

 

 

Cat Portrait Paintings - Kids Art Class

You don't have to be a cat person to admit that these cat portraits turned out pretty darn cute!  We did these adorable acrylic paintings this week in my kids art class. I started out by showing the students how to draw a simple cat face. Photos of various cat breeds were provided for them to use as a reference. The children (ages 7-13) learned to use stencils on the background (pouncing with very little paint) and also how to dry brush the cat fur. I gave them the option to do a cartoon style cat if they preferred and showed how to do different eyes.  It was a really fun project and they did a purrfectly great job (sorry couldn't resist). :)

Polymer Clay Pens - Kids Art Class

I got the idea to make these clay pens from YouTube video tutorials.  I used bic round stick pens (apparently they won't melt like other pens). Remove the ink cartridge from the tip of the pen before baking!  The ice cream pens baked for 40 min. and the regular cane covered pens baked for 15 min. At 275 degrees. I won't give detailed instructions here since others have already posted great videos that will be easier to follow.  The kids had so much fun with their ice cream "flavors".  We used colored glass beads for the sprinkles.  And when the ink runs out they can just replace them with another ink cartridge. 

Hot Air Balloon Mixed Media - Kids Art Class

My art class did a great job with this project. It was a little tricky (lots of cutting and careful placing) so I don't think I would attempt it with younger kids again.  My students are aged 8-13 and the youngest ones needed a lot of help.
 

I had them use rubber stamps with permanent ink on their blank canvas panels.  Then we painted over everything and added effects with bubble wrap and other textures.  Stamping before painting caused a cool washed out effect in the background. Then I had them draw and cut out templates from cardstock and use them to trace and cut patterned papers.  Mod podge was used to adhere the paper balloons and clouds. We also added real string for the basket ropes.  I wish they had been able to add outlines to their balloons but we ran out of time (class runs 1 1/2 hours).

I got the idea for this project from Pinterest.

 

Pumpkin Zentangle - Kids Art Class

My kids art class started off our fall schedule with a fun pumpkin zentangle.  I showed them how to draw a simple dimensional pumpkin and how to layer them to create a grouping.  And then they were able to fill in the spaces with different patterns.  We used sharpie markers so that the ink wouldn't bleed when we added watercolors.  I showed my students how to layer colors with watercolor pencils (darker colors in the creases and along edges, lighter colors in center) and then they added water to blend.  They did such a good job with their drawings that I had several parents ask if they really drew them!  What a compliment!  They did it all on their own (what's the point in taking a class if the teacher does all the work?).  I have found that kids can do just about any project as long as you take time to break it down into easy steps. And it doesn't hurt that I have some super talented kids too!

Here is my YouTube Tutorial for this project.

Gerbera Daisy Acrylic Painting Tutorial Video for Beginners

I hope you like my newest painting video.  In it I explain how to paint a gerbera daisy using acrylics.  The hour-long video is split into two 30 minute segments and shows the process from beginning to end. Techniques shown include color mixing, floating, washes, dry brushing and more.

If you would like to paint along, you will need a 9"x12" canvas panel, water jar, paint palette (foam plate) and the following paints and brushes...

Paint colors used in this video (Liquitex Acrylic Basics, or equivalent):
Burnt Umber, Raw Sienna, Titanium White, Titanium Buff, Naples Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Deep, Light Pink, Magenta, Quinacridone Magenta, Alizarin Crimson, Light Blue Violet, Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Orange, Light Blue Permanent, Olive Green

Brushes used: Masters Touch #8 Bright & Loew-Cornell 3/4" Deerfoot Stippler

I would love to see your projects.  If you want to send me a photo please add the link in the comments below.  And if you enjoyed it please remember to give it a thumbs up "like" on YouTube.  Thanks!

 Part 1

Part 2

Polymer Clay Covered Vases - Summer Art Camp 2013

This was probably my favorite project of the week. The kids each made two polymer clay "canes" (a bullseye and a spiral) which were then cut into slices.  Then starting at the bottom of the vase they stacked the cane slices onto the glass to cover it. We finished by pressing the canes flat with an acrylic rolling pin.

I baked them in a glass casserole dish loosely covered with foil. I started out by placing the dish in a cold oven and then set the temp for 265 degrees (we used skulpey and fimo). This way the glass would slowly heat up and would not crack from quick temperature change. I cooked them for 20 min and then shut off the oven and left them inside until cool.  The following day I varnished them to seal and give some shine.