I used to do a LOT more step-by-step drawing project with my younger students. Now that I teach 5th and 6th grade, I try to give them a lot more options so rarely is a whole class drawing exactly the same thing. However, I do slide in one or two Art Hub for kids drawing activities a semester. They are good because it can give some students a little confidence if they don't think they are good at drawing, usually they can draw along with a high level of success. Also, most kids can usually finish this in a day or two. See our Monster Trucks last year!

This year, with spring on the way, I decided to try out some of the bird drawings. I have done the Cardinal several times since that is our mascot, but I wanted to try some of the other ones on the channel. I had a couple of classes do the robin, and a couple of classed do the hummingbird. Those were both REALLY successful. I only had one class do the hawk, one class the peacock and one class do the Phoenix. I though they would really love the peacock and the Pheonix but the details were harder to implement and a few kids got a little frustrated in each class. 

I like the bird videos because they use GOOD colored pencils (or oil pastels in the peacock video), and it gives me a chance to show my students how much nicer Prismacolored pencils are...and I encourage them to ask for a set for Christmas/Easter/birthday if they are really into drawing, those colored pencils are so much better quality. Also, the videos demonstrate blending and it is cool to see kids really try to make their birds look realistic. 

I gave the students 8.5X11 white drawing paper so we could mount on 9X12 construction paper for the display. I also let them draw in pencil first and then trace in sharpie. 

I always like the results of step-by-step drawings, but I'm not sure if it really teaches drawing skills. I do like using this project for learning how to shade and blend colors. It is easier to demonstrate layering the color when everyone has the same subject, the layers would all be in the same places. When everyone draws a different animal, it is harder to explain without a demonstration for each one. 

I searched and searched the internet for the perfect Pete the Cat lesson. I found TONS of great ideas and put them all together for one fantastic kindergarten unit. I did this in September...and I was a little disappointed at first...but then I took a deep breath...and reminded myself: IT IS ONLY SEPTEMBER, and they turned out pretty cute. However, I know this would've been a supremely successful unit a little later in the year. 

Week 1: We watched the Pete the Cat 'I love my white shoes' video on Youtube. 

I explained that we were going to be painting Pete the Cat and the kids were very excited! They love Pete!

Step 1:
Demonstrate how to draw a 'portrait of Pete' from the 'shoulders up'. I gave everyone a yellow 9X12 paper, that was folded in half like a book. 
Students drew along with me, step-by-step, drawing the head, neck, ears, eyes, nose, etc. On the other 'half' of the fold, we drew Pete's body. I explained that this would be 2 versions, or two different poses. I had a copy of the book, and I pointed out images that showed a close-up portrait, and an 'action' shot of Pete walking in his shoes. 

Students wrote their name down the fold, and slid the drawing into the middle of the table. This yellow paper is the practice paper. Students had to choose their best version for their painting, which we would be doing next. If the action shot was hard, choose the close-up portrait.  I picked up all of the yellow practice books while students put on paint shirts. 

Step 2: On the board, I taped up two sheets of 12X18 white paper. I used a small brush dipped in black paint to paint both versions of Pete: the portrait and the whole body with his shoes. I explained as I demonstrated that students needed to paint each shape large, and if they made a mistake, try to 'make it work' and DON'T paint the whole paper solid black. We can always paint over a little black blob, but if the whole face is solid black, that is harder to fix later. 

This reminds me of a little 'mine craft' cat...teehee. 

Step 3: At the end of week 1, students could look at other Pete the Cat books or practice drawing him again on a 'free' sheet. I also let some classes watch the '4 Groovy Buttons' video if we had time. 

WEEK 2: Finish painting Pete the Cat, and make a Pete the Cat book to take home. 

Step 1 Demonstrate how to color Pete's eyes with a yellow oil pastel. I also encouraged students to add any other 'tiny' details with oil pastels BEFORE we painted. If they forgot whiskers, draw them with a black oil pastel, if they wanted flowers or a sun or rainbow, draw those things with oil pastels. If they wanted pink inside the ears or ANYTHING, do it before we paint. 

Step 2 Paint Pete with blue tempera paint. I demonstrated this whole thing in front of the class and explained thoroughly, that the blue tempera was ONLY for Pete's body, not the whole paper. Some still painted the whole paper blue. It happens. 

Step 3: Use tempera cakes (watercolor would've been better), to color the sky, ground, etc. I demonstrated how to do a wash, getting the paper wet with water before putting the color on. It worked out OK, but some of the black smeared a tiny bit...that was frustrating. Watercolor would've been a little more vibrant. 

This was a LOT of supplies on the tables for the students to manage. Two kinds of brushes, oil pastels, two kinds of paint. I could've used regular blue watercolor, or blue oil pastels...but the SAX Versatemp Ultramarine blue was just too perfect for Pete. 

Step 4: When students were finished, they had a chance to make a little Pete Collage to take home the same day. YAY!

After trying to explain how to make a collage cat head, right before painting, and failing miserably to convey that the tan 'head' shape in the supply bucket was a "TRACER", mean to trace around to make a blue 'copy'....many, many, many of my 'tracers' were covered with whiskers and eyes....

I gave up trying to 'tell' and decided to 'show'....I made a poster, that I pointed to, while I demonstrated every step of this little cat head. Students could much more easily grab the supplies and complete this on their own after we were finished painting, once I had modeled HOW to do it. 

Did I mention that I have kindergarten for 50 minutes?....and in September, it seems like I need multiple activities to keep them busy. 

Once they had started the cat heads, I went around the room, and dropped off the yellow practice 'books' from the week before...students could glue the cat head to the front, and color the pictures and even write a sentence inside: I like my blue shoes. 

This poster had to be very simple for my kinders to follow....but only after I modeled each step, could they really do it.