My Monster in a Jar -- Drawing


Minnesota K-3 Visual Art Standards Used in This Lesson:

  • 1. Identify the elements of visual art including color, line, shape, texture and space.

  • 4. Create original two- and three- dimensional artworks to express ideas, experiences or stories.

  • 5. Share and describe a personal artwork and reflect on a presentation based on the feedback of others.

    • Additional Tie-ins

  • Reading/literature
  • Science/Animal studies
  • Texture, Pattern, Color
  • Pencil Techniques
  • Coloring Techniques

    • After reading the book, "Too Many Monsters" by Eve Bunting, in class for inspiration, the teacher draws on the board while students follow along duplicating the teacher's drawings.

    The teacher illustrates how easy it is to draw Eyes, Hands, Tentacles, Claws, cartoon faces, and bodies. Each example is made up of simple geometric shapes that are easy to draw. See example below.

    Pattern and Repetition are discussed and illustrated with images of bugs, lizzards, and other animals.

    Each student gets a hand-out with a jar already drawn on it. Their job is to come up with their own monster and draw it inside the jar. Color will be added with Crayon or colored pencil after the drawing is finished.

    * This lesson will be used in 1-4th grade and displayed in the school so students can see what others in each grade level have done

    Too Many Monsters book
    Monster Tutorial Video
    30 mb downloadable mp4 version of tutorial vid.