Overlapping Bird Drawing

Here is a lesson that I taught to my second graders a few years ago. It was a great "intro-to-drawing" lesson but after teaching the lesson, I felt it would be more age appropriate for third grade and up. The skills are slightly complex and while most kids did very well, I remember a few frustrated souls and that's something I hope to avoid in the art room!

Supplies:
1 piece of 12" x 18" white drawing paper
I pencil and eraser
I black fine tip marker
Colored pencils, oil pastels, markers or crayons (whatever your preference!)

Step One: Drawing the First Bird
The idea here is to draw three birds of varying sizes and even shapes. I show the kids how to draw a simple bird and then lead them through a directed line drawing . I ask them to place their first bird near the bottom of the page. For young kids, this is hard. Demonstrate visually by placing an actual size paper on the white board and point to where the beak starts. A surprising number of kids will draw the beak towards the middle of the page (especially if they are left handed). This leads to some problems (no room for the body) so take your time at the beginning. You can speed up later.

Here is a step-by-step drawing guide for you...


Step Two: Drawing the Second Bird
Now, draw another bird, either in the same direction or facing the opposite way, just above the first bird. Okay, now here is the trick: tell the kids to "jump" over any lines they come in contact with. For example: if they are drawing the belly of the second bird and they are about to "run" into the head of the first bird, lift up the pencil to "jump" over the line and then begin drawing again. Of course, if this is challenging, here's another plan of action....

Alternative (better for younger kids)
Just above the first bird, have the kids draw a second bird, but this time, completely ignore the first bird. If lines get in the way...forget 'em! Just go straight through them.

You can see from the illustration above, that the birds all intersect one another. You can also see how confusing albeit fun, this can be!

Next, take a black marker and trace the first bird completely: beak, head, body and tail. Then, and this can be tricky so make sure the kids watch first...trace over the second biord's pencil lines but make sure to "jump" over any lines that intersect the first bird. The second bird is now behind the first bird.

Do this step again for the third bird.
Finally, ERASE all pencil lines.

Step Three: Coloring
Once all the birds are outlined, the kids will have three birds of varying distances. Now it's time to have some fun. If they want, add polka dots, stripes or feathers. Use any color they wish!





Second Grade samples...

Terrific Toucans: Drawing and Painting Toucans for Fourth Grade

Aren't these fantastic? I absolutely love how each toucan has it's own personality. This is the yardstick I use to measure how successful a project is. If the artwork is unique to the artist, then I'm happy.

To begin, I show my students a few images of toucans and talk about the beak. I demonstrate a few drawing techniques and then, using a black oil pastel, the kids draw their own toucan. I suggest they begin with the eye and then draw the beak. If the beak is large enough, then it almost doesn't matter what the body looks like; everyone will know it's a toucan!
I really think not using pencils in this project is beneficial. Using an oil pastel loosens the kids up, encourages them to draw large and if they make a mistake, I tell them that the tempera paints will cover it.
After the drawing is done, the picture should look like a coloring book page; black and white and ready to color.
We use tempera paints and once the painting is dry, the kids go over all the oil pastel lines with a small brush dipped in black paint.








This artwork is created by the artists in Mrs. Kornahren's 4th grade class at Brandon School

Bird Drawing and Painting Lesson for Kindergarteners

What could be more fun than paint and feathers? For Kinders, nothing...except maybe spatter painting!
This lesson involves three steps: A directed line drawing for the bird, painting and then adding the feathers.

Start with an oil pastel in a light color if using black paper or a dark color if using a light paper. The choice is yours and the combinations are endless.

Directed Line Drawing of the Bird

Everyone has their own method for drawing birds. I find this shape easy and recognizable enough for all kids to master. Start with a circle for the eye.
Tip: To ensure proper placement of the eye, I explain where the eye should go, then I have each child point to that place on their paper. After receiving a thumbs-up from me, we are ready to proceed. This is an important step as most children will put the eye anywhere on the page, resulting in frustration with the later steps.
On the right side of the page, directly in front of the eye, draw an arrow pointing to the eye. This is the beginning of the beak. From here, the illustrations should be enough to get you going.

Now that the children have drawn a bird, it's time to paint. I use tempera paint on the construction paper, but here is a tip. Add white tempera paint to your regular colors of blue, yellow, red and green. The added tint will help make the paint more vibrant on the black paper. If using white paper, there's no need to add the tint, unless you want a pastel look.

For the final flourish, add feathers! You can pick up a large pack at any craft stores. I usually set a limit of 3-4 feathers per student. This way, you eliminate the threat of covering up the entire painting!
Have fun.