DEEP SPACE

SPARKLE

FREE GUIDE to help you…

• Select Lessons for your Students

• Choose the Best Art Supplies to Fit

your Classroom Needs

• Plan your Curriculum

• Organize your Time as an Educator

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SELECTING YOUR LESSONS

START HERE
Knowing what to teach on the first day of school or the second week and even the last month can
leave most teachers in a state of panic. We spend so much time developing schedules and
classroom management strategies that the thing we love most—planning the art lessons—often is
left to the last minute.

You may be wondering:

• What lessons are best for each grade levels?
• What supplies are best?
• What techniques should the kids do first?
• Is there a sequence of skills that should be followed?

I spent a lot of time thinking about these questions and built this blog around helping other
teachers make sense of what to teach to kids in elementary school. This PDF will help you get
started with a list of my favorite art supplies, what supplies to use at the different grade levels and
some handy links to resources that will help you get organized this year.

Here are some tips to help you get started…

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1. DETERMINE WHAT SUPPLIES YOU HAVE & KNOW HOW THEY WORK
Most of us do not inherit a classroom full of fabulous art supplies and many of us have
budgets the size of a coffee run at Starbucks. Don’t let this break your spirit. Supplies for art
can be found anywhere. Will it take more work? Yes, but the students won’t know the
difference. Ask parents to save cereal boxes: they make a great canvas for tempera paints and
a great backing for paper collages. Use wrapping paper, newspaper and magazines for
collages, use food coloring for liquid watercolor, etc.

If you don’t have fancy watercolor paper, don’t worry. Watercolors still work on regular
drawing paper but mixing won’t be as great. Markers, crayons and pastels look amazing on
card stock.

Figure out what you have and ROCK

the lessons you are able to do.

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2. BALANCE ART TECHNIQUES WITH A VARIETY OF SUBJECTS

One of the problems creative folks like us have is the desire to try every new art project we
see on Pinterest. This is fine but be careful that you offer your students the chance to create
using a wide variety of art techniques, supplies and subjects. There have been times when I
looked in one of my student’s portfolios and realized that I did three flower-themed projects in
a row. Not good.

3. KNOW THE SKILL SET OF YOUR CHILDREN

Knowing what projects work for a certain skill set (often categorized by grade level) is one
of the KEY components of my success as an art teacher. Introducing an art concept that is
too hard, or with too many steps, or not enough creative opportunities can leave a child
feeling defeated. This can be avoided by
experimenting, taking notes and using lessons
designed for a specific age.

Barbara Rose’s Student Artwork

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4. SOURCE PROJECTS WITH KID-APPEAL

Nothing–and I mean nothing–will stop creativity in its tracks more than offering lessons
that are boring. Try using subject matter that is inspiring, relevant and fun for kids. The art
techniques don’t change, just the engagement. This is the BEST way to keep your class full
of happy, focused kids.

Natalie Llanos’ Student Artwork

5. DO WHAT YOU CAN AND ALWAYS IMPROVE

Give yourself lots of time and opportunity to improve as your teaching career evolves. I started
teaching knowing absolutely nothing about kid’s art. I remembered what it felt like creating art
as a child and I experimented with ideas and supplies until I found what worked for me. Keep
learning, keep asking, go to conferences and workshops. Your collection of fool-proof lessons
will build and build.

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6. ELEMENTS OF ART CAN BE

TAUGHT IN A VARIETY OF WAYS
For a number of years I felt bad about not offering my
students a form-based art project. I thought form meant
creating something out of clay or papiér maché. It wasn’t
until an art teacher friend said that so many of my projects
already include form through shading and space. I was so
relieved! So do what you can and know that a single art
Use the Art
lesson has the potential to cover all seven Elements of Art. Project Checklist on
pages 7 & 8.

FORM EXAMPLES

Clay/Papier-Mâché Paper Sculpture

Jar with a Face Lesson 3D Habitat Collage

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Art Project Checklist

Use this handy project worksheet to keep track of all your grade level art projects.

Photocopy two sheets for each class per each grade. For each lesson, record the date, the
project name, artist’s name and what medium used.

With just a glance, you’ll be able to see how many times you studied an artist, if you
introduced a book and how many times you used a particular art medium.

TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL ART CURRICULUM:

• Offer a variety of art mediums throughout the year (watercolor, acrylic, chalk, printmaking,
oil pastels, clay, paper, etc)

• Use a combination of fiction and nonfiction literature tie-ins

• Use a 5:1 ratio of flat, 2D projects per form-based projects

• For an engaging art curriculum, balance literature based projects (i.e Eric Carle), artist
study/art movement (ie, Picasso/Cubism) and contemporary subjects (ie. cars)

CHECKLIST EXAMPLE
Date Art Project Artist/Period Literature Medium

9/11 Henri Rousseau’s Henri Rousseau The Fantastic Draw with oil
Jungle Art Part 1 Jungles of HR pastel

09/18 Henri Rousseau’s Henri Rousseau The Fantastic Color Chalk

Jungle Art Part 2 Jungles of HR Pastel

09/25 Building Line None The Buildings Sharpie

Drawings Part 1 of NYC

10/2 Building None The Buildings Sharpie

Line Drawings Part 2 of NYC

10/9 Building Line None The Buildings Colored Pencil

Drawings Part 3 of NYC

10/16 Kimmy Cantrell Masks Cantrell None Paper

Part 1 Drawing

10/23 Kimmy Cantrell Cantrell None Cardboard &

Masks Part 2-3 Acrylic

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Art Project Checklist Grade:
Room:
Teacher/Class:

Date Art Project Artist/Period Literature Medium

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WHAT SUPPLIES TO USE

FOR EACH GRADE LEVEL
Art Supply Checklist
White Tru-Ray Sulphite Paper (Pacon Tru-Ray)

Colored & Black Tru-Ray Sulphite Paper (Pacon Tru-Ray)

90 lb Watercolor Paper (Canson)

Oil Pastels including Extra Black & White (Faber-Castell, Cray-Pas)

Soft Chalk Pastels

Liquid Tempera Paint (Crayola Premium, Faber-Castell)

Cake Tempera Paint (Faber-Castell, Richesons, Alpha Biggies)

16-Color Watercolor Paints (Prang or Crayola)

Liquid Watercolor Paints (Saxs, Blick)

Metallic Liquid Tempera Paints

Small, Medium and Large All-Purpose Brushes (Royal Langnickle)

Colored Pencils (Prisma Color, Faber-Castell)

Crayola Markers

School Grade Acrylic Paints (Crayola Acrylics)

Printed Scrapbook/Craft Papers

Elmers White School Glue & Glue Sticks

Glossy Mod-Podge
Listen to Art Made Easy
#020- The Best Art
Pencils (2b-4b) Products to Use with Kids

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What Supplies to Use for Each Grade Level

ALL
LIQUID TEMPERA PAINT
A great all-purpose paint for school art.
With all paints, its very important to test
the brand of paint yourself to see what
properties it has. I look for a thick, opaque
coverage that enables mixing.
K-3
CAKE TEMPERA
Is perfect when for you don't have much
time between classes. Prep is as simple as
setting the trays on and off the table. The
drawback to cake tempera is its harder to
mix or blend colors.

3-6 ALL
WATERCOLOR PAINTS
By 3rd grade, kids become skilled at painting with pan watercolors but still need to be coached
on how to apply paint so the trays don’t end up a sticky mess. That’s why liquid watercolors are
so great: no mess with bright, intense colors. All grade levels love liquid watercolors.

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What Supplies to Use for Each Grade Level

ALL
OIL PASTELS
These are my favorite drawing tool because they
promote large drawings and large drawings are
easier to paint. If using oil pastels for coloring,
introduce them in second grade and above.
Younger children will struggle with how much time
it takes to color with oil pastels.

By fifth grade, children will prefer using pencils

and markers to begin their drawings.

Two types of oil pastels: Water soluble oil pastels

will turn into paint when mixed with water. Color
as you normally would then dip a paint brush in
water and smooth onto pastels. Instant paint!

Non-water soluble oil pastels will resist water. This

is the secret ingredient to the popular water color
resist technique.

3-6
CHALK PASTELS
These can be a bit messy but don't shy away
from them. Unlike, paints, they are super easy
to prep and result in rich, easy-to-apply colors. I
like to introduce chalk to children in grades 2
and higher. For younger grades, chalk is a great
medium to use in conjunction with other
mediums, like tempera paint.

Simply paint with liquid tempera paint and then

when dry, apply chalk for details.

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PLANNING YOUR CURRICULUM

Consider purchasing the Art Teacher’s Digital Planner located in the Deep Space
Sparkle SHOP ($39.99). Or, access for free as a Sparklers’ Club Member. You can
download to use it digitally, or print this resource to plan your curriculum.

Begin filling out your planner with pencil

Plan your curriculum using the Elements of Art, Techniques and Standards. Download
the free Techniques checklist on the next page.

Learn More!
Listen to Art Made Easy #006 - Tips to Help
Gauge if an Art Project is Right for Your Class

Listen to Art Made Easy #032 - The Best Art

Products to Use with Kids

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 Technique Checklist
Pencils, Mixed
Grade Tempera Oil Chalk Fiber Paper Art Clay or
Markers, Watercolor Media Printmaking
Level or Acrylic Pastels Pastels Arts Collage 3D Art
& Crayons Collage

K
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
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GET ORGANIZED
Set up folders on your computer for your favorite
art lessons.

Make a binder for those art teacher resources that

you might download from an Art Made Easy Podcast
episode or from the SHOP so they are ready to be
copied as needed.

Listen to Art Made Easy #037 - The Organized Art

Teacher and download the free PDF.

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