Owl Marker Paintings

As the end of the year approaches, I am having supply troubles. As in, I don't have many. This is my first year at this district, and when I was doing my order I didn't realize how junky some of the supplies I inherited were. My Temperas are transparent, my watercolors are disgusting, and my markers are wearing out. So I had to get a little creative, and that's a good thing! These Owl Marker Paintings came out of necessity. I started this lesson with my kindergarten students by looking at three varieties of owls and comparing their features. We looked at their eyes, colors, and general shape and then we got to work.

Students got to choose between a Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, or Barn Owl. I found that the Barn Owls turned out the best, so far. Although, to be fair, only one class is finished and they are my most challenging kindergarteners. Within my Smart Notebook file, I created a step-by-step of how to make each of the three owls. First students used permanent markers to create the eyes, beak, and feet for their bird.

Next, they used Crayola markers in brown, red, and/or yellow to create the bird's head and body. Finally, they used paintbrushes and water over all of the Crayola marker to make it bleed and look like watercolors. We were able to finish the whole process in one 45 minute class.