draw a cow

cow + barn farm animal illustration

The following is a kindergarten crayon + marker art lesson on farm animals. Kindergarten students illustrate a cow, barn, + milk can.
Scroll down to find:

photographs of cow + barn 4 reference
step-by-step instructions with pictures of the project
a lesson plan (including California State Visual Art Standards)

cow + barn reference photos

Kindergarteners Color with Crayons

This is another directed draw project of farm animals for Kindergarteners or first graders. Watercolor paints, oil pastels, or crayons can be used. Using brown paper bags can convert this to a recycled art project also. Show students various photos of real cows prior to starting the drawing. Have fun!

using a black marker draw an oval on right side for cow head

draw eyes, lashes, + hair

draw barn, bucket, sun, + black spots

color utters + nose pink, color hair gray

finished work

horizontal oval body

vertical lines 4 legs - color a black rectangle at base of each leg - add 2 parallel lines at top/back corner of large rectangle for tail

add groups of 3 vertical lines 4 grass

finished work

draw oval ears, add a curve by 4 nose + 2 dots

draw curved shape for utter, with lines + 2 shorter legs 4 the other side of body - these also have black, rectangular shapes at their bases

color red barn, blue sky, green grass, yellow sun, + gray bucket with crayons

finished work

lesson plan

objective

Students will draw a simple illustration of a farm scene which includes a bar, cow, ground, sky, + sun. Students will color the entire farm scene using crayons.

materials

9"x12" white drawing paper
crayons
pencils
erasers
thin black markers

activity

Show students examples of barnyard animals created by various artists, in various mediums. (2 + 3 dimensional)
See step-by-step examples given.
Demonstrate the coloring process + where each color goes prior to students working on their projects.

clean-up

Class should stop approx. 10min. early for clean-up + putting supplies away.
Assign tasks for student helpers.

vocabulary words

Balance - Visual equilibrium in a composition; achieved by organizing the weight and attention of all elements in an artwork. Types of balance are symmetrical, asymmetrical, radial, and crystallographic. Color - The visual sensation dependent on the reflection or absorption of light from a given surface. The three characteristics of color are hue, value. and intensity. Color Harmony; The use of compatible colors to help unify a composition.
Elements of Art - Sensory components used to create works of art ; line, color, shape, texture, value, space.

Media - Plural of medium, referring to materials used to make art; categories of art (e.g. painting, sculpture, film).
Line - A point moving in space. Line can vary in width, length, curvature, color, or direction.
Primary Colors - Refers to colors red, yellow, and blue. From these all other colors are created.
Secondary Colors - Colors that are mixtures of two primaries. Red and yellow make orange, yellow and blue make green, and blue and red make violet.

Shape - A two-dimensional are or plane that may be open or closed, free-form or geometric. It can be found in nature or is made by humans.
Space - An area in which objects or images can exist.

Unity - Total visual effect in a composition achieved by the careful blending of the elements of art + the principles of design.

variation

This lesson can be adapted for first graders by adding more details + refined shapes.
Use other paper color, texture, or size.
Add a fence.
Add other farm animals on larger paper.
Watercolor paints or oil pastels can be substituted for crayons.

ca state visual arts content standards

1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION
Develop Perceptual Skills and Visual Arts Vocabulary
1.2 Name art materials (e.g., clay, paint, and crayons) introduced in lessons.
4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING
Make Informed Judgements
4.4 Give reasons why they like a particular work of art they made using appropriate art vocabulary.