Oil Pastel Candle Art Lesson

Try out this oil pastel candle art lesson for illuminating and expressive results! My intermediate students have loved creating this artwork because there is something so mesmerizing about the glow of candlelight. Throughout art history, candlelight creates drama, mystery and contrast. Check out the full length tutorial: My husband is a painting professor at a small university, and he is obsessed with Caravaggio and De … Continue reading Oil Pastel Candle Art Lesson

Sierra MachadoFebruary 10, 2021January 21, 2023Leave a comment

distance learning art lessons for value and shading

art tutorials, distance learning

Distance Learning Shading Lessons

This post will describe and provide guided tutorials for five distance learning shading lessons that can also be done in a traditional classroom or at home. I have been back at work for two confusing weeks of professional development training for our “new normal” (anyone else sick of this term already?). Our student start date was pushed back and the eyes of our parents and … Continue reading Distance Learning Shading Lessons

Sierra MachadoAugust 22, 2020March 16, 2021Leave a comment

art tutorials, distance learning, long form lesson plan

Eye Self-Portrait Easy Distance Learning Lesson

This Eye Self-Portrait Easy Distance Learning Lesson has been a huge hit inside and outside of my classroom! Help your students learn how to express themselves with this guided eye drawing tutorial. Students start with drawing a basic eye with shading and then branch out with self-portrait symbols that describe who they are. You can keep this simple and stick to just pencil shading, or … Continue reading Eye Self-Portrait Easy Distance Learning Lesson

Sierra MachadoApril 6, 2020March 11, 2021Leave a comment

classroom management

Everything You Need to Know About Firing a Kiln

Firing a kiln can be an exciting and terrifying experience. The vision of fire truck sirens and billowy smoke is enough to keep you awake at night. Will I burn down the school? Will one hundred student artworks explode into smithereens? Why did they not teach me how to do this in my college ceramics class!? This post is a compilation of my advice and … Continue reading Everything You Need to Know About Firing a Kiln

Sierra MachadoFebruary 7, 2020July 11, 20201 Comment

art education, ceramics, clay, long form lesson plan, oil pastels, pottery, sculpture, teaching

Textured Tiles | Clay Lesson Plan

Clay can be the best and worst thing to happen in an art room. It can be a magical and intense experience for both the students and the art teacher. Once students get over the messy aspect of clay, they are completely mesmerized by the tactile and time consuming process. The illusive kiln, the obsessive smoothing, the endless need to score and slip…. I LOVE … Continue reading Textured Tiles | Clay Lesson Plan