Cassie Stephens

Mixed Media Exploration and Elements of Art Review!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 13:48:26 +0000

Recently, when I was working on THIS line design lesson...

Where I shared how to make black glue without actually making black glue...quick video here:

It got me thinking. If you can make black glue that way, then couldn't you do the same with any water-based marker on white paper?

The answer, YEP! You can! And that's how this lesson came to be!

For this project, which I envision would be perfect for 5th grade and up, I started with a 12" square of paper, water-based markers and Elmer's Glue All. Check out the full lesson here:

Once the glue is dry, I used my paper cutter to cut the papers into 4 6" squares. Then I decided to do a mixed media exploration on each!

To alter this lesson, you could always NOT cut the paper and just pick one of the mixed meda methods to do on the entire paper. Just a thought. I did find exploring all of these really fun but I know that would take a several art class days...so I'll leave that up to you!

For the first one, I just used a permanent marker, a cup of water and a paintbrush. I used my Line Design sheet and a permanent marker for the first step. Then I added water to the marker lines to create a blurred line effect with a little bit of a tint of color.

For the next square, I used chalk. Whenever I use chalk in my art room, I always use a color wheel. I created this free color wheel download for you to use, you can access it here!

If you have hesistated to use chalk pastels in your art room in the past, don't sweat it! I created a whole video and blog post of all of my chalk Tips and Tricks and you can see it here!

I also just recently posted a lesson for 2nd grade and up using chalk and line...and you can check that out here!

Okay, back to the lesson at hand! I LOVE chalk and my students do too. I really enjoyed creating this little chalk square study.

BUT THIS ONE...

Was even more fun! For this, students will use bright and light color oil pastel and saturate their paper in color. THEN...

Using a combination of black paint (I used acrylic but tempera would work) and a squirt of dish soap (I only had Dr. Bronner's on hand but Dawn or any other would work!) blended together well, paint over the areas you wish to do scratch art on.

Allow that to dry COMPLETELY before using a skewer to remove the paint and create line designs.

I really recommend adding the dish soap. What it does is help the paint scrap off evenly and not in chips. I've tried it without dish soap before and...it just didn't work as well (chips. We had chips).

So fun, right?

And for the final method, we explore wet-on-wet with watercolor.

Now, when it comes to display, I laid my pieces back out like a puzzle. But these could be displayed individually, on in a vertical or horizontal manner...so many options! I'm so stoked about this lesson. I don't often do lessons for upper grades because I never taught beyond 4th. I do think this could be done with fourth (maybe after Christmas, when they are officially fourth graders) and definitely beyond.

By the way, if you are looking for books, downloads and resources for all things art teacherin', I have a library of them! You can see them all here!

Line Designs with Chalk and Glue!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 02:19:04 +0000

At this point, I feel like I'm spamming my own blog with LINE lessons! Just for a recap, I'll add links to them all right here:

* Line Sculptures

* Line and Shape Paintings

* All About Me Line Portraits

I'll be sure and do a Best Line Lessons post soon but if you are looking for more ideas now, see THIS review of my fave line lessons here!

And if you are looking for all of my Larry the Line lessons, see the end of this post!

Before we dive into the lesson at hand, let me just share my LOOOOVE of lessons with black glue! Now for some of these, I didn't know about this epic time-saving hack and I MADE my own black glue with ink and Elmer's Glue All. It's a REAL DRAG, lemme tell you: the bottles clog, the ink spills, the glue leaves a permanent mess because of the ink...it's all such a pain. I will say...the end result of the black glue versus this hack is better but not so much that it's worth the hassle.

Here's some of my very favorite black glue lessons:

* Abstract Faces Inspired by Sandra Silberzweig

* Black Glue Tigers with Chalk

* Black Glue Abstract Fish

* Stained Glass Trees

When we use chalk, this is our set up: a divided tray with warm and cool colors and black, gray and brown removed. These divider trays were donated to the art room from a hospital...so I can't tell you exactly where they are from. BUT I do love that they keep the colors separate.

We also use a tissue for cleaning our finger AND a laminated color wheel.

I always get so many questions on where I got the color wheel...I found it online YEARS ago and I couldn't tell you where. So...I made one for you! You can download it here.

And now for the lesson! Here you go:

I know art teachers tend to have a love/hate with chalk pastel (I just call it chalk)...it's messy and often the artwork smears. BUT I love the stuff. The colors are bold and bright. And if you use a color wheel and really teach the kids about analogous colors, I think you'll find it fun to teach. I use that same color wheel method you saw in the video for every chalk lesson.

For my VERY favorite chalk lessons and more of my tips and tricks, visit here!

When studenst are done with their chalk lessons, I will often spray their work with an aerosol hairspray like Aqua Net from the dollar store. It will dull the work a pinch and can leave little speckles of spray but...it works pretty good. As long as the artwork is not man-handled much once complete, the spray works fine.

And, OF COURSE, if you don't have my book on LINE and SHAPE already, now's the time to get 'em!

You can find Larry the Line here.

And Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes here!

How to Make a Paper Chain Larry the Line

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 18:41:31 +0000

Hey there, y'all! I'm coming to you today with a new Larry the Line lesson (I had a brain explosion recently and came up with so many lessons to go with my book Larry the Line! And I have one more to come...so stay tuned for that!).

For the other Larry the Line lessons, just tap the link:

* Larry the Line Spiral Printout

* Larry the Line How to Draw

* Larry the Line Watercolor Lesson

This lesson serves as a perfect introduction to lines or a line review! It also can be used for sub plans too. My students LOVE making paper chains. And this one is interactive! Now they can make their own paper snake and create lines with that. Video lesson here:

This lesson does come with a free download. I used both the download and paper strips to make Larry a little longer...and to add more color to him. I decided to keep those strips of paper blank. I think it works because you really only see the strips of paper with the lines on it!

Free download here!

I love colorful copy paper so of course I had to print this on that! BUT if students love to color, you could always print on white paper! And then they could add color that way.

This project is an easy one that I think would work for kindergarten up to second grade! Again, that download is here.

Now, if you are new to the Larry the Line lore then you might not know that after reading my book to my students, I use a stuffed carnival snake. It's a lot of fun...actually a little too much fun ;) The kids LOVE Larry and I thought this would be a fun way for them to take home their very own!

Once created, students can quiz each other by forming their snake into lines and naming the lines!

And all ya need for this lesson: markers, scissors and a glue stick. I love low mess at the start of the school year!

Have fun, friends!

The Perfect Back-to-School Art Project: Getting to Know You Sculptures!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 15:17:28 +0000

Every single year I do a paper sculpture lesson with kindergarten to kick off the school year. In fact, we do it on the very first day of art! You can see me teach that lesson to kindergarten on their first day of art right here.

Because that lesson is always a hit, one year, I decided to level up the lesson and share it with my other grade levels, first through fourth. BUT I put a spin on it and we called it our Getting to Know You Sculptures!

Now, we start this lesson AFTER our First Days of Art Rules/Routines, which you can learn all about here:

The above post comes with several free First Day of Art downloads so you'll definitely want to check it out.

If you are new to teaching elementary art or if you are looking to level up your classroom management game, I dive into all that AND SO MUCH MORE in my book Art Teacherin' 101!

Okay, back to the lesson at hand...

For supplies, you'll need base paper (I used 12" black or white paper) and cut strips of paper. I sprinkled in some unclaimed artwork as well as strips of neon copy paper for the sculptures. You'll also need glue as well as these two totally free downloads!

Find one here!

And the other one here!

I like to keep them in sheet protectors to keep them from getting too crusty with glue.

Now, if you have never done a paper sculpture with students, don't you worry! I've got a couple videos that will walk you through the process. Start here:

And here's a video I created of this very lesson when I was going to be out for a couple of days:

The artists had a blast creating these! The only problem...storage! We had these piled EVERYWHERE. BUT they only had to make it to Open House...and then we hung them all up for display!

OF COURSE these als make for the perfect LINE review! Which is where you can use my book Larry the Line!

What I loved most was that when we displayed these at Open House, they were interactive. Meaning family and friends used a decoder sheet to "read" about the artist! That was so fun to see!

Just wanted to share this low-mess/low-stress back to school lesson that is always a hit. Happy BTS season!

Let's Draw and Make Larry the Line!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 19:01:38 +0000

(Adding this here before I forget...Larry the Line downloads can be found here!)

Hi, friends!

The other day, I shared a spiral Larry the Line download (check it out here) and it got me thinking. I've had a lot of requests of How to Draw Larry the Line tutorials in the past and I thought I would combine that idea with a follow up to the spiral snake download. So...here we go!

A How to Draw and Make Larry the Line!

I'm here for scale to show ya just how big you can make these!

In the video, I'll walk you and your artists through how to draw their very own Larry the Line, how to create their snake as well as do a line review. To check out the full video, it's here:

In this video, I share how you can make your Larry the size of a messy mat or 18" X 24", 12" X 18" OR 9" X 12". It's up to you and the supplies you have available!

For supplies:

* Large Larry: tagboard (aka Messy Mats), new or used! Not sure what a Messy Mat is? Here's a short clip! And here's a link to those mats as well as my very favorite art supplies.

* For tagboard, I'd recommend using an ink-filled bingo dauber!

* Tempera paint! Need some tips and tricks on working with kids and tempera paint? Here ya go!

Planning to create a smaller Larry? Then you can simply use markers to draw!

Of course, this TOTALLY FREE download may be a fun warmup for artists!

And if you don't have a copy of my book, Larry the Line, you can find it here!

And stay tuned, I've got another couple of Larry-themed lessons coming your way this week, yay!

Line and Shape Paintings!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 18:57:17 +0000

Y'all, I don't know if you have noticed but...I'm on a bit of a lesson-sharing roll lately and I hope you all are here for it! Because...I have much more to come. The best way to stay tuned is to check back here often, join my email list or subscribe to my YouTube channel. My lessons are always FREE and usually come with free downloads too.

I'm so excited about this lesson!

This video lesson has THREE lessons in it...and you can decide what works best for you and your artists. Before we dive in, here are the supplies I used:

* Oil Pastels (I like neon ones, you can find them here)

* Square paper (I only use 80lbs paper)

* Ink-filled bingo daubers

* Watercolor Paint

This first portion of the lesson goes perfectly with my book Larry the Line...if you don't have it and would like to take a look, you can find it here.

This video is broken down into three different lessons. It's perfect for a wide range of learners! Here's what I would recommend: K-6th Grade: Everyone can do the first portion of this lesson! It's a wonderful line introduction and review. Students will also learn how to use their watercolor paint to add color. 3rd-6th Grade: The second portion of this lesson is great for these learners as it will introduce them to geometric and organic shapes as well as positive and negative space. 4th - 6th Grade: The final portion is perfect for these learners but does require paint pens (I am using the POSCA brand) or metallic Sharpies. I know these supplies can be pricey so you may wish to limit this portion of the project based on the supplies you have available.

The second half of this lesson focuses on SHAPE. I dive into all things shape in my book Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes!

I dive in deep in this book...I wrote it when I noticed that most books on shape just focus on learning the names of shapes and seem to cater to very young children. I used the second grade curriculum to guide me in writing this rhyming book and it covers ALL things shape!

For this final portion, students can use paint pens or metallic sharpies. Both can be pricey...which is why I recommend this for your older students who may take better care of supplies.

Regardless of which portion of this lesson you use, I know you and your artists will love it! I especially know they will love the first portion of creating lines from sounds!

If you have not used ink-filled bingo daubers, I have lots of info about it here. It's one of my very favorite art supplies!

Thanks for letting me share, y'all! Have a great weekend!

Larry the Line Printable Snake!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 19:31:33 +0000

Hey there! If you happened to see my last post, I said that I had a whole lot of LINE art lessons coming your way...and I wasn't kidding! Here's another one! This one is perfect for our younger students and it's a great project if you are short on time or just looking to do a review.

From what you have told me, your students LOVE Larry the Line so it got me thinking: how fun would it be if they got to have their very own Larry?!

With that in mind, I created this totally free download for you to use in your art makin' world!

I thought of a couple different ways you could use this free download: students could create the lines and add color with the medium of your choice, as I did here. By the way, you can find the line sheets here.

Another idea would be to print a bunch of Larrys on some brightly colored copy paper and let students pick the one they want to add lines to. This would make the lesson shorter and allow more time to focus on lines. Again, the handout above is here.

OR! Use this sheet as an early finisher activity! Slide the sheet into a sheet protector and allow students to follow the steps and practice their line drawing on the sheet protector. At the end of class, they just erase! This would eliminate the cutting portion...which I know is a separate skill that needs to be taught thoroughly! (Which I can help you with here!)

No matter how you use this sheet, I hope you and your artists have fun with Larry the Line! Stay tuned, more to come!

All-About-Me Line Portrait Painting Lesson!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:43:49 +0000

Hi, friends!

If you are like me, you like to kick off the school year with a couple of things: a getting-to-know-you style project and...a return to the elements of art with an intro to LINE. Which got me thinking...what if there was a lesson that could combine BOTH?!

And...so here I present to you...the All-About-Me LINE Portrait! (complete with two totally free downloads!)

So now...I wanted to share with you some ways for you to adapt this lesson to other grade levels. Let's start with the younger students like first grade. For them, I would consider using this lesson with just the emphasis being on learning and drawing lines. So after creating the border and the grid, have students draw a line inside of each box.

In the video, you might have seen me reference one of my Larry the Line downloads. You can find those here. For my book, Larry the Line, visit here!

For students in second and third grade, you may want to consider using this (totally free) download!

With this, students can draw lines that tell a little about them. When displaying their work, consider creating a large version of this sheet to hang with the artwork! It's perfect for Open House as the students can share it with their families and really spend time talking about their artwork.

This lesson was inspired by another lesson of mine...one called Getting to Know You paper sculptures. This is a perfect tie-in! If you have other grade levels that you are looking for a lesson for, you might wanna check it out!

Teaching paper sculptures the first weeks of school is MY FAVORITE THING EVER...so I'm a big fan of this lesson, with or without the idea sheet!

I also did a version of this for when my students create sketchbook covers! For this, we used tempera sticks. You can check out those details here.

PERSONALLY...I think THIS would make an amazing sketchbook cover! I plan to share more details on that idea soon but...imagine this folded in half and filled with paper and amazing artwork. So fun!

Now, for older students, you might want to allow them to fill out their own sheet! So I created a blank version and you can download it here.

Print these on colorful copy paper and display them next to the paintings for a real pop of color!

Now let's chat supplies I used:

* Ink filled bingo dauber

* Tempera Paint

* Ice cube trays for the paint

* 12" X 18" 80 lbs paper

* No-Spill water cups

* Paintbrushes

If you are looking for some pointers when using tempera paint, check out this blog post with my top tips and tricks!

As an alternative to tempera paint, I also demonstrate how to use watercolor paint! This works well as does tempera cakes. So...if busting out the tempera paint isn't something you are in the mood to do the first couple weeks of school, you could always try watercolor for less of a mess!

Enjoy and STAY TUNED! I have a ton of LINE lessons (and more!) coming your way! The best way to stay up to date is to join my email list! You can do it here.

Let's Create...Puppets! An Interview with Furry Puppet Studio!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:05:00 +0000

Zack Buchman and a friend at a Barnes and Noble event, Union Square.

Photo: Dmitri Slepovitch

Hey, y'all! I have a fun treat for you today...

I recently had the chance to chat with Zack Buchman, the Founder and Creative Director at Furry Puppet Studio in Soho. I'm a huge fan of puppets myself, having grown up in the 80's with the likes of Sesame Street, the Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock. So I was excited to hear from Zack, see the creations of Furry Puppet Studio and share it with you!

I think he and his time would be a wonderful source of inspiration for the art room, don't you? I've included some puppet art lessons at the end of this post, if interested.

Now, let's hear from Zack at Furry Puppet Studio!

What is a puppet design studio?

We're Furry Puppet Studio, a custom-puppet design studio in SoHo, New York. I'm the founder and Creative Director. We design and build custom puppets, creatures, mascots, and marionettes for television, advertising, music videos, and almost everything happens in-house, the foam carving, the mechanisms, the costumes. A lot of people assume this kind of work is mostly digital these days. It isn't. Every puppet we make starts as a block of foam that somebody carves by hand.

How did you get into puppetry?

I've been obsessed with puppets since I was a little kid watching Sesame Street. I actually tried animation first, but it didn't stick. I wanted to be able to touch the character, not just draw it frame by frame. I never went to college. That wasn't really a choice so much as a circumstance, and I do think I missed out on some things. But it also gave me an outsider's perspective, and it pushed me to find people who were generous enough to teach me what I didn't know.

Could you share some of the artists who inspire you and your coworkers at Furry Puppet Studio?

Jim Henson is the obvious one, but I mean that honestly. Early LucasArts games really shaped how I think about a face, Sam & Max Hit the Road especially, where the graphics were so limited that a single pixel had to decide whether it read as an eye or a nose. Beyond that, our team pulls from all over: comics, film, fashion, whatever's caught someone's eye that week.

What was one of the more challenging projects you have tackled at Furry Puppet Studio?

Building marionettes of Missy Elliott and Pharrell Williams for their "WTF" music video. Marionettes are hard. They don't move the way you'd expect, and every string has to be reverse-engineered into a personality. We had street performers with very distinct movement styles operating them, so the puppets basically had to be built around how those specific artists already moved. It was completely outside my comfort zone, and I'm still proud of how it came together.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what is the one art supply you'd need to keep creating puppets?

A Blackwing 602 pencil. This is the only pencil I've been using since 2010 and I pretty much always have one on me. For no practical reason. It's my comfort object.

What's the best way for a young artist to get started on their journey into puppetry?

Start now, and start cheap. You don't need special materials. Whatever you've already got around the house can be your first puppet. Let the early ones be bad and fun. That's part of learning how the material behaves. And find people around you who know things you don't, and are generous about teaching you. Be generous back once you're the one who knows something.

Thank you so much, Zack!

I love everything that Zack had to say and I really think his thoughts on creating will resonate with our creatives!

I've done a couple puppet lessons with my students over the years and they have always loved them. I thought I'd share them today as they are tried and true...and a great jumping point for introducing your students to puppetry!

One year, we created Crocodile puppets with first grade!

The back of the crocodile was a weaving. The tail was printed and the rest was a lot of collage! You can find the directions and details here.

For a kid-friendly video to walk you through the process, visit here!

The base of the crocodile puppet is this folded contraption right here...and it's how we created these "Baby Dragon" puppets! Video here!

And we even created these little pop-up puppets! You can check out the video here.

And big thanks to Zack and Furry Puppet Studio for inspiring us with your puppets and creativity!

New Book Alert: My Art Teacherin' Coloring Book IS HERE!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 16:35:58 +0000

NEW BOOK ALERT!

I'm SO excited to share my new book: The Art Teacherin' Coloring (And Activity!) Book!

I never realized just how much I loved drawing and doodling until I wrote my book Art Teacherin' 101. That book is sprinkled with drawings that helped me share my ideas about teaching art with you in a way that felt natural to me.

I have also created numerous doodle banners for my students to color and paint in and you can check them out here.

I even created doodle rolls for YOUR students to color and paint on and you can buy them here (they are a steal for four HUGE banners!).

So when someone suggested I create a coloring book for art teachers...I thought it was such a great idea!

I printed the book on 70 lbs paper which means you can use markers, color pencils, crayons...and I've even been using my watercolor pencils!

Some of the pages can be used to color and hang in your art room as either decor or...not so gentle reminders that the art room is not a supply closet (ahem...see below!)...

While other pages are meant for you to jot down funny things the kids say, ways for you to reconnect with your creativity, gratitude doodles and even jotting down your favorite art teacherin' songs.

I wanted this book to be like a warm hug from a fellow art teacherin' friend. I do hope you love it as much as I did creating it!

For the record, I do think you are much more than OKAY...but this is your reminder that okay is fine too! I know I struggled a lot with having the perfect art room or amazing lessons...it's fine to let that go. Your creativity and rest is just as important! So...it's okay to be okay!

Ahem...said reminder!

Thanks for letting me share, friends! Have a happy summer!

Art Supply Order Must-Haves for the New Art Teacherin' School Year!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:58:10 +0000

Hello, friends!

Well, it's that time of year...as soon as we are on the other side of the fourth of July, it starts to happen: the stores start stocking their shelves with back-to-school items, your school email inbox starts to come alive again and that "oh crap, what am I going to teach this year?!" sensation just won't go away.

If it's one thing that I ALWAYS dreaded...it was that Back to School Art Supply Order! Every year, I procrastinated and every year...I learned to regret it.

BUT NOT THIS YEAR! Just for you and your amazing artist I created a MASSIVE Back to School Art Supply order video. It's a long one so grab a snack and c'mon back...and don't worry, I've got Amazon links and a printable PDF for you too:

For a printable PDF with links, my friends at Prang (who I do work with, full disclosure) created one here!

AND for my full Amazon list, you can go here!

By the way...if you feel like you need a read to get you back into the mindset of all things art teacherin', might I recommend my book Art Teacherin' 101?!

I know I've chatted about it just a little over on social media...but I've not officially announced it here so...I wrote a coloring book for art teachers! MORE details to come (I'm so excited!) but for now, you can check it out here. I sign all books before shipping them your way!

Okay...now, time to go supply shopping! Have fun, y'all!

Let's Create a Symmetrical Butterfly!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Tue, 19 May 2026 21:47:50 +0000

Hey, y'all!

Not sure how things are going in your art teacherin' world but here in middle Tennessee, many art teachers are on their last week of school. BUT this lesson here is for my teacher buddies who are going strong for another MONTH. I'm coming to you this week with a beautiful butterfly lesson...and some variations. So, got more art teacherin?! I got you!

Now, this is a TRIED AND TRUE lesson that I've done for many years with students of all ages. My favorite group to do this with is...kindergarten! They always rock this lesson!

To finish the butterflies, we often used chalk in my art room...but today I thought I'd do a different spin and share this lesson with paint sticks. So here's a break down of the supplies used:

* 12" X 18" paper

* Black tempera paint (I'm using Prang's tempera)

* Paint sticks

Short on time? Then you can do this on colorful construction paper! Stort on paper? Use a paper bag or a even a newspaper! I'm telling you, these look stunning any way you make them. Here's the video:

You could also do these on smaller paper, like 9" X 12" but I find it works better on larger paper, especially for younger students.

Now let's talk art supply alternatives. You could do this same method of warm and cool but with chalk! You can see how I did that in this second grade lesson here.

We left the backgrounds blank on these...which I kinda loved because they reminded me of Andy Warhol.

I was doing a little on-my-blog searching and found a couple other butterfly projects...like this clay one!

This kindergarten clay project was always a hit...we did it many years in a row!

Speaking of kindergarten...

Look at these marvelous monarchs!

I love how they look even like this! Did I mention that this is KINDERGARTEN?!

By the way....last summer, my book Art Teacherin' 101 sold out! And it was the worst time for that to happen as it seems many folks buy it for summer reading/getting ready for the new school year. I'm happy to say that I now have plenty in stock (in boxes all over my house...yes, seriously) and I'm ready to send 'em your way!

And let me throw this out there:

I can't tell you how many book clubs I've had the honor to join in on! If you do decide to form a book club and would like me to join y'all for one of your meetings, just let me know. We can make it happen. You can always reach out to me at cassieart75@gmail.com.

Okay, have a great week, friends!

16 of My Favorite Watercolor Lessons!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Wed, 06 May 2026 21:12:00 +0000

Hi, friends!

Since I recently shared a tips and tricks video on all things watercolor paint, I thought I'd dive in with my very favorite watercolor lessons of all time. I have 16 of 'em just for you but before we get to those...I thought I'd share some of my all things watercolor.

Let's start with PAPER! If you'd like to check out the blog post on paper, visit here.

Now let's talk supplies! You can find my list of supplies right here.

For ALL of my watercolorin' tips and tricks, check out this video here!

And here's a short video of me introducing my kindergarten students to watercolor!

If one of the things your students struggle with is BRUSH CONTROL (or just not abusing those poor paintbrushes!), might I recommend my Paintbrush Ballerina method? You can kick things off with my book The Paintbrush Ballerina and then dive into my free downloads!

First, I recommend using these (totally free) downloads. Slide them into sheet protectors and allow students to practice their brush control with just water. I'll show you what I mean and share the downloads here.

Once complete, students can 'graduate' to painting with watercolor paint in these fancy frames...and even earn a Paintbrush Pro certificate! Those downloads are here.

Now let's get to those lessons!

In my Tips and Tricks video, I share that one of my favorite things to do is create customized watercolor trays. I like to have a warm and a cool tray on hand as that allows my students to explore with watercolor paint without the messy/muddy paintings. Warm and cool colors are analogous which means that they not only sit next to each other on the color wheel but...they also look great when mixed!

For this second grade lesson, students had to decide which they wanted to use: warm or cool. Then we traced a circle and created this sunset or sunrise scene.

Once dry, we created these silhouettes with India ink. You can find the lesson details here!

And see how we wrapped up the lesson here. Aren't they so pretty?!

Here's an oldie from over 10 years ago but LOOOOK how pretty! This is a similar process to painting the background with an exploration of Ming vases. Details here.

This one might be my favorite!

Another example of my students using the customized watercolor trays is this kindergarten rainbow lesson!

If you'd like to see my introducing watercolor paint to my kindergarten friends, visit here!

Now this lesson is usually one I do with tempera cakes BUT you could also do it with watercolor paint. It's the perfect rainbow follow up lesson for kindergarten (or any grade!). Lesson here!

So precious, I would frame it!

For another rainbow lesson, check this one out!

Now I never did a blog post on what we did with those rainbows but...I do have the evidence! I did this lesson EVERY YEAR (which is wild I never blogged about it) and they always made me so happy. We created the sun and cloud images and added them later. We used blue chalk to add color to the sky before we added the cloud and the sun.

Exploring abstract painting is always fun...especially when you can tie it in with the combo of crayons or oil pastels and watercolor. They always look so fab together! This could also be a super fun LINE review. Which seems like the perfect time to reread my book Larry the Line! Find this lesson here.

What do you do with the abstract paintings? Well, you could just admire their beauty OR...use them for weaving! Details on first grade paper weaving here!

Now I don't think I ever created a lesson on this one (my googling turned up empty handed) but what we did with the weavings was create these fun houses! To do this, we painted with tempera on a large sheet of paper a sky and the ground. Once dry, we cut out a house silhouette and glued it over our weavings. Early finishers had fun learning how to do a little bit of stitching!

Here's a spin on pattern making and resist! My first graders created these and you can find out how here.

I love this lesson for learning how to do a fun wet-on-wet technique. In the video, I'll walk your artists through the process and they will love the magic!

Once dry, students can use permanent markers to create floral designs on the watercolor paint. Find the lesson and the free download right here!

One of my VERY favorite things to do is create these texture cards for use with oil pastels and watercolor. I've created several vidoes on how to create these but...it's so easy! Just use tag board and glue to draw some line designs. I used the line ideas I created in Larry the Line.

To create them quickly, I cut a ton of those little cards and laid them all on a table before attacking them with lines drawn by my glue gun. Then my kindergarten friends used oil pastels to create texture rubbings!

From there, they painted over the texture rubbings with watercolor before using ink filled bingo daubers to add an alphabet. This lesson is always a hit! Also...those texture cards will last FOREVER. I made one set and used it for over 10 years! Lesson details here.

This lesson was created for a sub to use and the kids LOVED it! This one comes with a video and a free download. You can find it here!

The download is actually here! I just love this lesson so much!

Check out this fun one! This could be the next step in the house lesson where your artists create little pop up houses. The most fun was in created the patterned background. Lesson details here.

Okay, so I didn't realize I had a thing for house lessons! The little road was my favorite part of this project. Find the lesson details and video here.

I love a lesson that ties in a couple of concepts. This one explores LINE (featuring Larry!) as well as the wet-on-wet watercolor technique. You can find the full lesson here.

I love a fun and funky art project and this one, which is also a shape review, is just that. You can find the video lesson here.

Another shape lesson is this one! Both of these lessons are based on my book Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes!

All Things Watercolor in the Elementary Art Room

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Mon, 04 May 2026 17:26:00 +0000

Hey, friends!

I don't know about you...but when The Countdown to Summer begins, I often start thinking about my life choices...aka How I Wanna Do this Art Teacherin' Thing Differently Next Year. Anyone else? So it's with that in mind that I thought I'd share with you my FAVORITE watercolor tips and tricks for the elementary art room. Here ya go:

These tips and tricks come straight from me having MANY moments in my art room where I saw something that made my left eye twitch and I paused to think:

What the heck did I just see?

AND who are these kids' art teacher cuz she needs to do SOMETHING.

And that's when I realize...oh yeah. It me.

Now I've chatted MANY times about watercolor before. Having seen so much in my 25 years in the art room, I was always trying something new. So I can assure you, these are my sure-fire wins.

As far as supplies goes, I have my list of favorite things right here, just for you! Now, like I mention in the video, I do work with Prang so that's why my supply list is Prang heavy. HOWEVER...they are also the only brand on the market that sells refills! And sells those empty trays (which I pushed hard for! So I hope you love 'em!) so...there's that.

Now I will be coming at you later this week with my very favorite watercolor art lessons. Watercolor is the perfect thing this time of year: it's low mess/low stress and everyone loves it! That is...if you give these tips and tricks a try.

And if you're still in the mood to fine tune your art teacherin' world, might I recommend this book? Last summer, I sold out! Which I think is because...summer is when everyone starts thinking about ways to improve their upcoming school year.

ALSO...did you know that if you and your friends do a book study of my book, you can reach out to me for a zoom chat? Yep! I've done many with school districts and it's always a blast! I'm at cassieart75@gmail.com.

Happy May, friends!

Let's Create a Ladybug Print and Collage!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:54:00 +0000

Hey, friends!

A couple of years ago, I shared a kindergarten lesson on creating symmetrical butterflies. It was always such a hit with the kids and each looked stunning!

Right?! Did I mention this was kindergarten?! AND first grade, because sometimes, for my sanity, I do the same lesson with multiple grades. Here's the lesson video:

I decided to take the same process and create a couple of lessons with different bugs. Today, I'm sharing a ladybug collage print:

Now...recently I was attending the art teacherin' conference in Missouri and was chatting with some teachers. They were commiserating on just how hard it is to share with students how to use scissors and glue bottles properly. With that in mind, I decided to extend this lesson from just printing a ladybug but to also using our scissors and glue. AND...I included portions of my book in the video!

Everything that I wanted to teach children about using scissors and glue...IS IN THIS BOOK! Check out the book, take a look at the inside and even watch videos about using this book in your art room right here!

In the ladybug video, I read portions of the book, sharing these illustrations to better help young artists understand how to correctly use their scissors and...

Apply their glue! Kids really love this book because...it features Larry the Line and Alfred the Ape (who knows his shapes!).

There's also a line review included in the video...you may notice me using a spinner. You can find that spinner (one for each couple of students or maybe one-two per table works great) and my other fave supplies for this lesson here.

OR...you could just keep it simple and do bug prints!

I keep thinking that a huge display of bug prints would be perfect for "We're Buggin' Out for Spring" or...state testing...or...the end of the school year?! Who knows! Regardless, I hope y'all have fun!

Clay Projects for Middle and High School: A Ceramic My Favorite Things Box!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:39:00 +0000

Hey, friends!

A while back, I created this ceramic box in my clay class at the Clay Lady Campus. I have since adapted the making of the box to include the use of a template to make the whole process much easier. I thought I'd share the process and the template with you in case this a project you might like to do with your middle and/or high school students!

Before diving into clay with your students, you may want to offer them a bit of a crash course in clay. I created this video a couple of years ago...and I have heard from so many art teachers that it is a staple in their clay unit (which makes me so happy to hear!). Not only that...but this clay video buys you time! You'll have time to prep clay, refill those water cups or just take a sip of coffee while it's actually still warm. Cheers!

If you are new to clay and are looking for some supply recommendations, I got you. What I primarily used in my art room were clay mats (purchased from The Clay Lady; I had a set of 20 that I used for the 25 years of my teaching career...BUT you can only use them on the white side, NOT the blue), toothbrushes, cups for water and wooden skewers. For my supply list, visit here!

For the first version of this box, I made a rectangle which is totally doable. But, in the video, I decided to go with a square. The smaller size made it easier to flatten the clay in the method that I used.

To make your life a little easier, I thought I'd create a template for you. You may need to print this on thicker paper or trace it to tagboard so it can withstand the damp clay and multiple uses.

Tap here for the free download!

Now, when I created my piece, I added these kiln fire safe 'hangers' to the back. I placed two into my clay piece before firing. They are made to withstand the heat of the kiln and will anchor themselves into the clay when fired. Then, after the firing, I have added wire to the back to hang the piece. However, they could totally be made to sit on a shelf as well!

Here is the piece that I created in the video. I know I mention it in the clip but...it is VERY important that these pieces dry slowly and on foam. For the first few days, I would dry keep these in a plastic grocery bag that is a little open to allow a small amount of air to circulate. Then, I would dry them for a few days on a foam block (or sheet rock, found at the hardware store) with plastic draped on top. Finally, I would remove the plastic and allow to dry on the foam. You'll know it's ready to go in the kiln when...you hold the piece to your cheek and it is not longer cool but room temp. Then you can fire away!

No kiln? No problem! Here's a piece I created with DAS clay, a fabulous air dry clay!

As for painting these, I truly think it's so much easier to dip them into a base color like I did with the brown paint. Glaze is expensive, it involves multiple firings...and it's hard to get into all of the knooks and crannies. So...why not try this method? I did it a lot with the projects in my art room. Especially our clay tacos!

Here's my finished piece! Have SO MANY ideas for this project so stay tuned! For now...I just wanted to share this super fun lesson with you and your artists!

Still want some clay help? I got you! I have TONS of my clay tips and tricks here!

Have fun!

Favorite Art Lessons Featuring Vincent van Gogh!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:19:00 +0000

Hello, friends!

I'm not sure where you are in your school year...but I hope it's going fabulously! I know here, teachers just wrapped up their spring break and are quite possibly starting the countdown to summer. Is it too soon? I say NEVER!

I know some of y'all are like "spring break?! It's still snowing here!" and, yeah. Same. Well, it was 80 over the weekend and then we did get sleet and 30 degree temps here in Tennessee. But...this is just how we do spring in TN; we like to keep everyone dressing for all seasons!

Regardless, I put together a blog post today featuring art lessons based on Vincent van Gogh. Did you know that March is his birthday month?! Yep! And, in honor, I am also doing readings from my book Find Your Way! I'm posting it to my YouTube in case you wish to share it with your students. Have them vote and then be sure and visit daily (or as close to daily as I can get) for the adventure to continue!

In my art room, I would read this book while my 2nd through 4th graders worked and...it worked WONDERS. I always seemed to struggle with my older students after spring break...the sun is out, the summer vibes are approaching and the kids (and me!) are itching for a break. BUT it's the stretch to the end! We are usually doing weaving and clay at that time so I still need 'em to focus and create. Reading while they worked helped with that TREMENDOUSLY. While I was at NAEA a couple of weeks ago, I meant so many art teachers who said they were skeptical at first and now...they can't imagine their class without Find Your Way. Trust me, I think you and your artists will love it.

And now, let's talk lessons! Kicking things off first with my latest discovery: you can fill those bingo daubers with tempera paint for a variety of paint markers! I'll walk you through how as well as where to get your empty bingo daubers here.

Are you in the mood for clay? We used Vincent's sunflowers as our inspiration for these clay florals. You can use kiln fire clay OR...these were made with salt dough clay! I'll share with you how I create that clay and more lesson details here.

For details on how to make them out of kiln fire clay, visit here!

For even more sunflowers, check out this lesson! This project was created with Payons...have y'all ever used those? They draw on the paper like a crayon but react like watercolor when water is added. The colors are super vibrant. However, in a pinch, markers could also be used in this same way. For details and product info, visit this lesson!

If you are looking for a lesson that is ALWAYS a kid-favorite, then you gotta check out this James Rizzi meets van Gogh lesson! I have a lesson video here as well as some totally free downloads!

Find the free downloads here! I keep mine in plastic sleeves, one visual on each side, so that students don't get em too dirty when creating. They LOVE creating the funny faces on the buildings. Can you blame them?!

My second graders had a fun time looking at van Gogh's cherry blossom trees before creating their own. We used huge sheets of tag board for this one...but even construction paper would work. I know...this time of year, it's 'we use what we have left' time! Lesson details here.

Ready for another artist mashup?! Then check out this Charly Harper meets van Gogh lesson!

Looking for an art show-show stopper?! Here's a HUGE collaborative lesson I did with my second graders one year!

One lesson I ALWAYS did, year after year, was this van Gogh sky/super hero lesson! My students loved drawing themselves as superheroes!

Of course, the kids can't have all the fun! Why not create some earrings or buttons to wear as you teach about van Gogh?! Here's how!

Looking for even more van Gogh lessons?! I have some here!

Not sure how to go about reading a book like this while students are working?! No worries, I have my tips and tricks for making it happen right here!

AND if you want to keep the art adventure going, check out my book here...and stay tuned to my YouTube channel!

Let's Paint with Watercolor: Folk Art Flowers!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 15:54:00 +0000

Hey there, friends! I'm excited to share a new lesson with ya! I partnered with my friends at Prang to create a project using their new line of watercolor: The Color Wheel Watercolor set!

Prang has been working for a long time to perfect this set and you can try it out now! Especially if you happen to be at NAEA next week...Prang will be hosting a "Build Your Own Palette" Party where you can craft your very own watercolor paint tray to take home.

And I'll be there too!

I'll have my books with me that I'll be signing and selling BUT you don't have to buy a book to drop by! I'd love to see you, snap photos and chat! So be sure and visit if you are attending. I can't wait to see you!

And if you need a lesson while you are at NAEA then this one just might work! If you are up for letting your students use watercolor while you are away. I don't know if I would be that brave UNLESS I knew my sub and my students REALLY knew my expectations. OR...

You could start the painting portion this week before you leave and have the kids create the flowers while you are away. Regardless, here's the video:

And here's a free download just for you and your artists!

I don't know if you can tell based on the last two lessons I've shared here but I'm currently ADDICTED to doing this wet on wet technique!

Check out my lesson on organic shapes here.

And my lesson on geometric shapes here!

Also!! This lesson could be used to create planets for a fun space themed project!

Or a marble still life (check out one of my lessons on that here!)

Regardless, I hope you have fun! And if you can't make it to NAEA but still want to check out my books...I sign ALL of them before popping them in the mail! You can see them here.

Let's Learn Shapes: Funny Face Geometric Shapes!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:14:00 +0000

Recently, I shared a lesson on organic shapes. Today I thought I'd share one on geometric shapes!

Both lessons are inspired by my book Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes. You can check it out here!

And before I forget...I did create a BIG post of my top 12 favorite lessons on shape! You can check out all of those lessons here.

Back to the lesson at hand! In this one, students will use watercolor paint and a wet-on-wet technique to create their jumble of geometric shapes! For my favorite watercolor supplies, you can visit here. Here's the video lesson:

This lesson pairs perfectly with my previous one on organic shapes so they are fun to do together. And they are quick lessons, so no need for a lotta days set aside for this!

Transparency film is totally not necessary BUT...I have found that kids love to draw on the slick surface of a dry erase board. With that in mind, I thought of my stash of transparency film when it came to these projects. If you ask around at school, there is usually a ton under a pile of dust somewhere in the librarian's closet! Or you can pick it up here.

OR students could simply draw directly onto their paintings!

This shape sheet can be found in the back of my book!

OR you could just totally leave 'em like this! I love the look of these with the watercolor dots!

Regardless, I do hope you and your amazing artists have fun!

Let's Learn Shapes: Organic Shape Exploration

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 19:34:00 +0000

Hey, y'all! I'm coming to you this week with two new fun lessons with a focus on SHAPE! I'm super stoked about these and how they tie in with my book Alfred the Ape Knows His Shapes. Now, you don't need my book for the lesson as I share some images from the book in the video but...it would really suppliment the lesson for sure!

For this project, you'll need the following supplies:

* Paper cut to 8.5" X 11"; I like to use 80 lbs mixed media paper

* Watercolor paint; I'm using Prang's new Color Wheel Palette!

* Cup of water (I love these no-spill cups!)

* Paintbrushes

* Transparency Film (not necessary but fun to draw on!)

* Permanent markers

The focus of this lesson (and the one I'll be sharing in the next couple of days) is SHAPE. In particular, the difference between ORGANIC and GEOMETRIC shapes. In this lesson, the artists will be creating an organic shape painting while learning a fun watercolor technique called Wet-On-Wet.

By the way, my book explores ALL things shape! I wrote it because...while there are a lot of books on shapes they seem to focus namely on teaching the names of shapes. Often, they seem geared to ward a very young audience. I wrote this book with the second grade curriculum in mind and all of the knowlege that children that age should know. To take a look inside my book, watch the video or...visit here!

I was recently sharing with some art teachers during a virtual PD (did you know that I host those? Yep! You can always contact me at cassieart75@gmail.com to learn more!) and we were talking about 'early finishers'. For this lesson, students who finish painting early can always...create another painting! I like to offer smaller papers for my early finishers. This saves paper and, if students are given a smaller brush, they are also forced to WORK smaller!

Often, I'll ask my early finishers to be 'art helpers' and ask their friends "do you want some help?" before assisting them on their work. Some students love the help of their friends while others prefer to work independently. It's important that students have that choice.

Just a couple of thoughts on those early finisher friends!

Going on a SHAPE walk, especially outside, can be fun when introducing organic and geometric shapes. Or! Just press pause on my video and let the students see if they can identify the difference between the two.

Personally, I think the paintings without the lines are a lot of fun! My students LOVE the wet on wet watercolor technique. It's also great for teaching paintbrush control.

Of course, a great book for that would be....The Paintbrush Ballerina!

Don't forget I have a TON of free downloads that go perfectly with this book!

Not sure about using watercolor paint with your students or looking for some tips on how to improve your watercolor game? Then...check out this blog post! I cover it ALL!

Now no matter what the thickness of paper, unless you are using watercolor paper (and who has the budget for that?!), it's gonna wrinkle. This is why I keep a thrift store iron in my art room to stack and flatten the artwork. Just a hot tip of ya, in case you too are a little wrinkly (I blame the children for each of my wrinkles).

Now, once the paintings are complete and dry, the kids could draw directly on their artwork OR...they could use transparency film.

I like the transparency film because the slick surface is super fun to draw on AND....if the kids draw something they don't like, you can 'erase' the lines with a dry erase marker! Just trace over the lines with the dry erase and wipe off with a tissue. Boom! It's gone!

WARNING! I made the error of not making my paper the same size as the transparency film...so don't make that mistake! Be sure and cut the paper to a 8.5" X 11" before letting the kids paint. Trust me! It will make things a whole lot easier.

Have fun and stay tuned for the GEOMETRIC shape lesson.

Oh! And!

Just a reminder that I'll be at NAEA next month, signing and selling my books. Hope to see you there!

25 of My Favorite Sub Plans for the Art Room!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 22:50:00 +0000

Hey, friends!

I'm so excited to be heading to Chicago in a couple of weeks for the National Art Educator's Association conference. Will you be there? It's March 4th - 8th and I'm stoked. Mostly I'm excited because I get to see YOU (hopefully!). I'll be with my friends at Prang in their booth on Thursday, March 5th and Friday, March 6th from 11am-2pm. I'll have a limited number of my books with me to sell and sign...but you don't have to buy a book to drop by. Prang is hosting a Build Your Own Palette party where you can create your own watercolor tray. So be sure and stop by...say hi and grab some swag!

While I LOVE going to NAEA, I hate the preparation for the event. Cleaning my art room, prepping supplies and...coming up with sub plans that I know will be a success for my sub and my students.

For that reason...I put together a HUGE blog post with all of my favorite sub plan lessons! All of these are totally free, many come with free downloads and videos for your sub to play. So! Just click on the link and visit the post for each of these plans. I've used them all in my art room with success so I know you will too!

First up, we have this Colorful Village sub plan that can be done any number of ways...so feel free to customize to what suits you, your supplies, your sub and your students! In this lesson, my students used neon oil pastels and watercolor paint.

Now, watercolor is NOT something I would have my sub use (unless I knew the sub and trusted they would have success) so...for the few days that you are gone, the students could work on this portion of the project: drawing 3-D houses and adding color. When you return, you'll have a project ready to jump right into...with watercolor!

An updated version of this lesson is one I did with markers! Instead of using oil pastels or watercolor paint, this lesson, which comes with a free download, makes for fewer supplies. This means less prep for you and your sub!

This lesson was always a wild hit with my students as they loved learning about the artist James Rizzi as well as created their own fun face buildings. This lesson calls for permanent markers and regular coloring markers...and that's it!

For this lesson, you can check out the video as well as the two free downloads here!

To see my students' creations, visit this post!

This fun lesson gets your artists creating drawings of their favorite art supplies! This lesson has two versions: one of the supplies with funny faces and personalities and another one a little more 'realistic'. Find the video lesson as well as free drawing downloads here.

Tis the season for selfies! Here's a fun self-portrait drawing lesson that is inspired by the artist Romero Britto. You can find the lesson video here!

My students love creating castles! This lesson also involves limited supplies which is perfect for a sub!

This lesson not only comes with a video lesson BUT...tons of free downloads! This lesson is perfect for 2nd grade and up! Check it out here.

My first graders drew themselves as scientists for years and they are ALWAYS the cutest drawings ever! You can check out the full lesson here.

To go along with that lesson, why not have your artists create these exploding beaker bottles?! I love these pop-up style drawing that transform...and so do the kids. Find the lesson here.

One year, I had a pirate themed art show and had my students draw themselves as pirates. It was easily one of their favorite activities! You can check out the drawing video here.

For some coloring sheets to go along with this lesson, check this post out!

To go along with the pirate selfies, here's a fun collage project you and your artists will enjoy!

How about drawing a pirate map?! I've got a video where I'll show your artists how to create their own. Find it here.

How about a superhero selfie?! Another art show theme that I did was a superhero one. To kick things off, why not have your artists create a superhero selfie?! Find the video lesson here.

This lesson can be tied with a book like The Dot (I always love having books for my sub to read that tie in with the lesson) and is a fun way to get students to really thing outside the box. I have a free download for this as well as a drawing video. Check all that out here.

How about having students create little selfies that can later be used to create a school-wide selfie collab! Check out the video lesson here.

Feeling a little more ambitious? These collages are so much fun for kids of all ages! Check out the video lesson here.

These collages inspired by contemporary artist Greg Mike always give me so much joy as they are so much fun for the kids to create and funny to put on display. Lesson video here!

A CLASSIC that I did year after year with my students is this pop-up star lesson. It's a great line review. It also involves a writing activity that is precious: the students write about what makes them a star. This is the perfect art show piece so if you are looking forward to that and need a sub plan...here ya go!

This is a lesson that I created for as a sub plan years ago...you can find the details here!

How about a little origami? Man...if you want kids to go bonkers, just teach them how to create these cute cats and dogs with a little drinking dish! All the video lesson details here.

How about this sweet origami lesson?! It's precious and the kids will love creating it. Video lesson here.

Let's create some positive word posters to bring cheer to the hallways? Check out this lesson to do just that!

Are these not the cutest little wizards ever?! Let me show your artists how to create them here!

Aren't these Wayne Thiebaud-inspired cakes just the coolest? Wanna have your artists create them while you are away at NAEA? Then just click here!

Alright, friends! There's 25 sub plans for ya, hopefully you'll find something here AND...I do hope to see you at the Prang booth at NAEA on Thursday and Friday 11-2pm! We'll chat, take selfies and create!

Line, Color, Shape Review: A Colorful Village Collage!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 17:30:00 +0000

Hey, friends! I'm coming to you from a snowed and iced in middle Tennessee! I hope you are staying warm and cozy where you are. We lost power for several hours on Sunday but thankfully (due to the hard work of those linemen and county workers) we are back, baby! Just in time to share this new lesson with you: A Line and Shape City Collage Review!

For this lesson, I'm using the latest product I created with my friends over at Prang: The Dry Erase Spinner! A couple of years ago, I created my own spinners for my students to do a line review. I used cardboard and they worked fine...but what I really wanted was one that was long-lasting and I could change the theme of. So I chatted with my friends at Prang and they made it happen! You can check out how I used the original spinner in this LINE lesson here.

Now if this lesson looks familiar that's because it's an extention of one that I shared recently! It was a simple drawing lesson but I decided to elevate it. You can check out the orginal lesson here.

I always find that after the holidays is a fun time to do an Elements of Art review. That's why I incoorporated lines, shapes and color into the lesson. Here's a peak into my book on SHAPES!

And now...for the lesson video:

Did you know that I always post my videos to YouTube first? If you'd like to be alerted to when new videos are shared, you might want to subscribe!

Did I mention that this lesson comes with a free download? You can access it here!

If you prefer a typed up version of this lesson plan, Prang always shares 'em! You can find it here.

AND if you'd like to take a closer look at my book on SHAPES, check it out here!

For my book on LINES, you can check it out here!

20 Valentine's Day Themed Lessons!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 23:06:00 +0000

Howdy, friends! I put together a blog post full of my very favorite Valentine's-y lessons just for you. These are perfect project for any time of the year but with Valentine's Day quickly approaching, I thought they'd be perfect.

However, if you are looking for winter-themed lessons, I packed a ton of them into this post here!

First up, printmaking! This is a lesson that the kids love...and I think one year I may have gotten a wild hair and done this printmaking project with first grade. They can do it...but it's a little easier with second graders.

Complete lesson details here!

Okay, now this project, believe it or not, I did with KINDERGARTEN! Yes, I swear! BUT then all of my classes saw these giant hearts and they asked to do it too. I'm a sucker for doing lessons with all of my classes if they work. The problem with that is...then the lesson has to be shelved for a couple of years to cycle through the students. Oh well! This one is wildly fun and, tap this link, a video lesson is provided.

My firsties LOVED creating these critters! I got a wild idea to have each class create a different animal and I made a how-to video for each. You can check out the videos and details here!

Aren't they so cute!?

Looking for a fun sculpture project? My fourth graders created these with tagboard and plaster strips.

You can check out the details here, video tutorial included. For a follow up, check out this blog post.

I created this lesson for my fourth graders who happened to be early finishers for the sculpture lesson. However, it also would work as a sketch for the sculpture too! Details here.

A project that my third graders loved was this one! We used our tempera sticks, tempera paint and...PUFFY PAINT. This is the one time the kids could go nutty with the puffy paint and the results were so fun! Lesson and video here.

This lesson, inspired by the artist Chris Uphues, has long been a favorite with art teachers and artists alike! I have this lesson and a free download that can be found here.

Want to make it into game?! Free download lesson here!

The lesson for this optical illusion can be found here. Doing these is always a hit with my third grade and up!

Need a fast one day lesson? Then I think you'll love this one!

Looking for a clay alternative? My second graders created these with aluminum foil and celluclay! Celluclay is an air dry clay that I love. You can check out how I prepared it for my students and lesson details here.

If you are looking to elevate the lesson a little with some plaster to add wings, which is surprisingly easy to do!, then check out this post!

I had always wanted to do this lesson but struggled with it until I figured out a solution! I have all the details on how to create these sweet beauties with your students here.

If you are looking for a fun clay project then look no further than here!

Every year, I do a paper weaving lesson with my first graders. This one is perfect as it ties in with positive and negative shapes! We use the negative shape to act as a frame for our weavings. Lesson details here.

Another first grade lesson is this one...we made these on HUGE pieces of tagboard and they were a show stopper in the the hallways. Check out how we created these with bleeding tissue paper here.

Looking for a lesson that introduces students to artists who also love LOVE?! In this one, my fourth graders learned about four different artists who use the theme of love in their artwork and then they created their own! Details here.

By the way, start saving those boxes of candy hearts! Turns out the plastic packaging that holds the chocolate makes for great molds! My third graders used the molds to create their own plaster chocolate. Details here.

Thinking now would be a good time to do a school wide collaborative project? I couldn't agree more! I have the details on how we created this big beautiful beast here.

Or how about this collaborative? My students created this one WITH A SUB while I was on jury duty. It helps to have videos, I tell ya! Find the lesson here.

It's that time of the year when the messy mats are looking more like art than anything else...so why not put them to use!? You can see how my first graders did that here!

Thinking of introducing kindergarten to printmaking?! WHY NOT? I'll show ya how we did it here.

And look what we created with their printing plates!

And if you are looking for the perfect book to teach about shapes, since we are focused on hearts around here, might I recommend this one! I packed in to much from organic to geometric shapes, the names of shapes, what defines a shape and how to count sides and verticies and SO MUCH MORE! You and your artists will love it!

Have fun, friends! I'll be back with more brand new lessons super soon!

20 Winter Themed Art Lessons!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 15:20:00 +0000

Hey there, friends! It's that time of year where the days might be cold and a little gloomy but the art room can be a bright and colorful place...especially with these projects!

I thought I'd round up some of my very favorite winter art lessons that are (totally free!) kid tested and approved and share them with you. You are welcome to use them in your art making world (although I do not grant my permission for any of these lessons to be repackaged and sold on Teachers Pay Teachers). Nearly all of these lessons come with a video for you and your artists and some come with free downloadable drawing sheets. So be sure and follow the link to the blog post.

Without any further chattin', let's dive in!

Kicking things off with this lesson of wintery penguins from my first grade artists!

This is the perfect Back to School after winter break lesson as it focuses on a review of LINE and PAINTBRUSH CONTROL. Of course, to kick things off for that, you might find my books Larry the Line and The Paintbrush Ballerina very handy!

Both books are rhyming books which make them super fun to read. Larry the Line will introduce your artists to the names of lines and ways to remember them and there is a free line guide to be shared with students in the back. The Paintbrush Ballerina has a strong focus on how to use, handle and care for a paintbrush. I created a ton of free downloads to accompany that book and you can find them here and here!

Once line and brush practice is complete, early finishers practice their penguin drawing on dry erase boards. The following glass, we dive into large paper and draw with our beloved bingo dauber! If you have not used them yet in your art room, here's more details!

Chalk was used (sparingly!) to add a little shadow and color to these cuties! From there, we cut them out and added them to the spiral line painted backgrounds.

Now this kindergarten snowman lesson was very similar in the lesson format! We reviewed lines and painting and created the background. We practiced drawing snowmen and then created our own with an ink filled bingo dauber. Then we cut then out and attached to the background!

If you are short on time or are uncertain if your kindergarteners won't accidently decapitate their snowman in the cutting out process (it happens) then you could...simply have students decorate the background! This early finisher made a second snowman and just added spots of color for snow. So do what works! Save your sanity!

If you do have some early finishers who are looking to practice their snowman drawing skills then I might have a fun game for y'all! This one is FREE WITH DOWNLOADS and I promise your students will love it. This works for all early finishers so be sure and have it on hand for your artists as they work.

Looking for a little something that would serve as an in-between project? Maybe a short lesson that is sure to yield big results? This winter pup and kitten lesson was a kid favorite! Each one was so cute and the artists just follow along drawing with me in the video! Check it out here.

After winter break is usually when I start hyping myself up for upcoming clay projects! I definitely don't do those right after a break...I like to ease back into a routine. So to get the kids excited about clay and the annual Clay Mug Lesson, we create these big ole hot chocolate paintings! Of course, we use our ink-filled dauber. For color, I love to use neon oil pastels and liquid watercolor.

Looking for a quick collage lesson? This one is perfect! And we created them in a smaller format (I think it was 6-8" squares?) so we were able to use up paper from the scrap bin. This is a great lesson to remind students on how to use their scissors and glue too! Need a book about that? I might be able to help...

I wrote Scissors, Glue and YOU! to help all artists learn to use this supplies without waste or, worse, injury! It's another fun rhyming book that features Larry (from Larry the Line) and Alfred! Kids love to see these two in art class. You can check it out here.

Speaking of collage...here's one I do with kindergarten every year!

If you do decide to venture into the clay mug lesson, I've got ALL of my tips and tricks for you! I did this with my whole school for several years and they LOVED it. It was an outrageous hit and I think I figured out the best way to go about teaching it. You can check out all the details here!

A lesson that I love to do each year with my third grade artists is this one! We used to create these pieces on cardboard pizza rounds until I convinced my friends over at Prang to create ROUND PAPER! You can now buy it here.

Speaking of round paper...that brings me to all of the snow globe lessons I've created! Turns out...I've made a lot! This lesson was designed for my fourth grade students. They loved getting detailed with all of the buildings for their snow gloves! Lesson here.

Because we explored MANY concepts in this lesson, it was a long one! So for some shorter snow globe projects...

Let's start here! This one is also great for a sub because I have a free video as well as two free downloads to go with this lesson!

With these two free downloads, your students can also create the following snow globe lessons:

This marker print snow globe project!

And this floating chalk print snow globe!

Okay, question: are Gingerbread or Candy Houses JUST for the holidays?! If your answer is no then add THIS fun lesson to the mix!

Did I mention that there's a free download?!

I don't know about you, but I love to sneak in a short lesson after a long one! So...if your students have just wrapped up a big project, they may enjoy this two day art project for kids of all ages!

Learning to draw 3-D is always a hit with the kids!

Just when you thought this blog post was done...I have more! Here's a rapid fire of all the other winter themed lessons I have for you for free!

This selfie with printmaking thrown into the mix. My second graders loved this one!

I know chalk can be a bit of a mess and that's a big reason so many of us steer clear but...would you look at these beauties by my fourth grade? Lesson details here!

Looking to get those kids out of their seats and work on a large scale project together? Then you might want to check out the details of these big and beautiful beast!

Making snowflakes is always fun but have you ever tried EMBOSSED snowflakes?! You can check out how we did these here!

AND for those of you that are feeling ambitious, why not try tree weaving on for size?! You can see the details here!

Still want more?! Then...visit this blog post and this one! Have a great week, friends!

Let's Draw Wonky Winter Houses!

noreply@blogger.com (cassie stephens) — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 19:11:00 +0000

Happy New Year, friends!

If you are heading back next week and looking for a lesson that the kids will love, have I got one for you! I did a variation of this lesson years ago and my students, first through fourth, LOVED it! You can see the different spin I put on that lesson here. There's a video for that particular lesson and you can find it on that blog post.

If you are like me, when I come back from a break, I feel completely out of sorts. Supplies are scattered, nothing is where I remember it to be...and I'm just trying to get used to getting up at a 'normal' hour. So! For this updated spin, I decided to ONLY use permanent markers and markers, water and a paint brush. Not only that but...I shrunk the paper! That way, this is an abreviated lesson that will help you regain your sea legs so you are ready to dive into the new year...but maybe in a week or two ;)

By the way, in this lesson, I'm using my Prang markers which ARE MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. Seriously. I've not turned back since I started using them. The colors are SO juicy and perfect for this kind of spin on painting with markers. You can check them out here.

Did I mention that I have a free download for you and your artists?! Yep! My students loved this download! I never made it available before...but had many requests so...ask and you shall receive! Here it is!

I hope y'all have fun and have a wonderful start to your new year!

AND...if you are looking for some new methods for starting your new school year, my book Art Teacherin' 101 is full of them!

Have a great rest of your break, friends!