draw paul klee cats

Draw a cat, for kindergarten students, with a tie-into artist Paul Klee.  Cat illustrations using crayon wax-resist are demonstrated in simple step-by-step instructions.  Kindergarten students illustrate the head of a cat + learn about artist Paul Klee who made various cat drawings + sketches throughout his career. This is a paint + crayon lesson for elementary students. 

Scroll down to find:
  1. background info on artist Paul Klee
  2. photographs of chickens + chicks 4 reference
  3. step-by-step instructions with pictures of the project
  4. a lesson plan (including California State Visual Art Standards)

paul klee

Picture
  • Born in Munchenbuchsee, Switzerland
  • December 18, 1879 - June 29, 1940
  • Considered both German + Swiss
  • Natural draftsman
  • Mastered color theory + wrote about it
  • Paul Klee Notebooks are as important to modern art as Leonardo da Vinci's 'A Treatise on Painting' was to the Renaissance
  • Style influenced by expressionism, cubism, surrealism
  • Works reflect his dry humor + childlike perspective, his personal moods + beliefs, + his musicality
  • Trained at Academy of Fine Arts, Munich
Crystalgradation 1921bi Paul Klee
Death and Fire 1940 by Paul Klee

one of Klee's cats

Picture
Cat and Bird 1928
​by Paul Klee
oil on gessoed canvas
15"x21"

cat images for reference

wax-resist project for kids

Kindergarten student illustrate + color cat faces in crayon, then cover with watercolor paints to create a was-resit in this Paul Klee art lesson for children.  Here are some simple step-by-step instructions for cat face art lesson.  Start with the largest shapes first, add the details last.  What goes thru one's mind is important when drawing.   Have students think of the shapes, rather than the detail they are drawing.  (e.g triangles instead of ears, oval shape, not head)  Leave room for students’ creative ideas. (example; draw a large oval, draw triangles, etc.)
draw a large oval in center of page 4 head of cat
draw 2 diagonal lines going back down 2 the head
complete curve 4 bottom of eyes
2 diagonal lines down 2 complete triangle nose - pointing down



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color eye pupil green - pink in ear centers
color body red

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 finished work
finished work - background 1 color
draw 2 curved lines 4 cat body

draw smaller triangles 4 center of ears

vertical ovals 4 eye pupils
2 curves from triangle point - 3 dots on each cheek
color cat's head ornage
color background green + yellow

variation of background colors of finished work
finished work
draw 2 diagonal lines up + out 4 ears

draw dot in center of head with 2 curved lines out to each side of head
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short, horizontal line below center
whiskers extend off of page from each dot-3 on each side is enough - but always leave room for self expression if student wants to add more than 3
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color outside of ears yellow
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go over entire picture with black watercolor wash
variation - finished work/vertical

crayon wax-resist cat lesson plan

objective

Students will draw a simple illustration of a cat head using ovals, triangles, straight lines, + curved lines.  Illustration will be colored using crayons + pressing hard or going over color to get a strong, heavy layer of crayon on the paper.  The entire illustration will be covered with a watercolor wash after colored.

materials

  • 9”x12” white watercolor paper, or drawing paper
  • crayons
  • pencils
  • erasers
  • watercolor paints
  • watercolor brushes
  • paper towels
  • cups for water

activity

  1. Show students examples of cats created by various artists. (2 + 3 dimensional)
  2. Set up materials for art lesson.
  3. Demonstrate the application of black watercolor over the entire crayon drawing.  The watercolor will not paint on the wax crayon surface.  It will roll off + only stay on the paper.
  4. Explain to students that water + wax do not mix. 
  5. See step-by-step examples given.

clean-up

  • Class should stop approx. 15min. early for clean-up + putting supplies away.
  • Assign a designated area for project to be placed for drying.  Drying time, approx. 20 min.
  • Assign tasks for student helpers.
  • If available, use a large trash bag to help with clean-up.

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).
  • 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. 
  • Space - An area in which objects or images can exist.
  • Watercolor - Transparent pigment mixed with water.  Paintings done with this medium are called watercolors.

variation

-This lesson can be adapted for first graders.
- Illustrate other animal heads. (e.g. dogs, birds)
-Watercolor paints can be substituted for a variation.

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.