Easy Rainbow Bird Painting For Kids
Use our simple bird drawing tutorial to help you create fun color wheel or rainbow cartoon birds for your next elementary art project. This easy cartoon bird art project is perfect for kids in 1st and 2nd grade.
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We love using watercolor paints with kids. From glue resist painting ideas to beautiful fall paintings, watercolor paints are one of my favorites. Learn how you can make “faux” watercolor paints using washable markers in this fun lesson.
Before You Begin
This Peep video is an excellent 8-minute video to introduce color theory to young children. They will giggle and laugh the whole time while realizing that you can mix certain colors together to get new colors.
You also can share this quick color wheel video to help tie it all together.
Recommended Supplies
- Heavy Drawing Paper or Watercolor Paper
- Pencil
- Washable Markers: We always have great success with these fun markers and kids love using them.
- Watercolor Paint or Bleeding Tissue Paper
- Permanent Black Marker
- Small Paintbrush
What size paper is best for this project?
We have done this project with 12″ x 18″ heavy white drawing paper or a long strip of 9″ x 24″ watercolor paper. If using the long paper, you will draw your six birds in a row and if using rectangular paper, kids can draw 3 on top and 3 on the bottom.
Ways To Add Color
Once you have drawn 6 or 7 different birds, you will work on adding color to the background. We have done this project with 6 and 7-year-olds in a few different ways.
If you draw 7 birds, then you will have ROYGBIV with indigo included. We normally only do this project with 6 birds. Kids understand that you are making the birds the primary and secondary colors or ROYGBV (no I included).
Background Options
- Use 1-2 colors of watercolor paint for the background.
- Paint with bleeding tissue paper. Use blues and purples for a fun effect.
- Leave white
- Use tempera paint in one color for a more solid look.
Color Options Inside The Birds
- Watercolor paint
- Tempera Paint
- Color With Markers only
- Washable Marker + Water On A Small Brush: this is a fun way to “paint” without as much mess. You need to test this method first to make sure that your markers and paper will bleed. Sometimes the combo doesn’t always work the best.
Our Favorite Way To Add Color
Our favorite ways to complete our color wheel birds are with watercolor or tissue paper backgrounds and washable markers with water for inside the birds.
The marker technique is a simple way to get kids “painting” without the hassle and mess of paint.
Easy Color Wheel Bird Cartoon Tutorial
Step 1: Draw 6 Birds
Use our bird cartooning drawing step-by-step guide to draw 6 large birds across your page or in two rows. Encourage the beginning circular shapes to be drawn largely.
Art Teacher Tip: Encourage children to add their own unique characteristics and details to their simple cartoons. You can show them different ideas & details by demonstrating how to change the egg shape, but they don’t need to follow you exactly step-by-step.
Step 2: Outline Birds With Permanent Black Marker
Erase any extra pencil lines for a neat drawing before adding color. By outlining drawings, you are able to see the bird details better.
Step 3: Add Color To The Background
You can see the above options for ways to do this. Here we are painting water over bleeding tissue paper. We will let it dry before taking it off for a fun sky effect. Try not to get the color inside the birds.
Step 4: Let Dry
Once the background is complete, let them dry before moving on to the colors inside the birds.
Step 5: Add Color Inside Birds
We like to make these birds in the order of the rainbow or with primary and secondary colors like a simple color wheel. Kids can color the beak a different color of their choice.
If using the washable marker technique, trace inside the black lines with a washable red to start. Add enough marker so that when you add water with a small brush it turns into “paint”.
Important: Test this first with your supplies to see if it will work.
Step 6: Let Dry
Step 7: Color Remaining Details
Use a marker of your choice to color details such as the beak or eyes to finish the painting.
Art Lesson FAQs
Yes, on the right type of paper water can be added to washable markers to get a watercolor paint effect.
There are two main reasons you are unable to get your markers to bleed when adding water. You must use washable markers and the right type of paper. Watercolor paper will work and most heavy drawing papers. We recommend you test this technique out first before doing it with a large group or class.
This lesson can be successfully completed with 6 and 7-year-olds when each step is broken into sections. The first day introduces the color wheel and they draw the birds. On the second day you paint the background and on the third day add color inside the birds.
Follow us on Pinterest or Flipboard for more free art and craft ideas!
More Free Art Lessons
- Klimt Tree Of Life Paintings: Kids will love using process art to create the backgrounds for their silhouette paintings.
- Op Art Drawing Ideas: You need very limited supplies to create fun black-and-white drawings.
- How To Draw A Cute Cat: Instead of color wheel birds you could even complete this idea with cute cat sketches.
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Easy Cartoon Bird Art Project For Kids
Equipment
- Pencil
- Paintbrush
Supplies
- Washable Markers
- Watercolor Paint or Bleeding Tissue Paper
- Permanent Black Marker
- Heavy Drawing Paper or Watercolor Paper w
Instructions
- Draw 6 simple birds by drawing 6 oval or circular shapes.
- Add eyes, beaks, wings and any other bird details.
- Outline birds with black permanent marker.
- Erase any extra pencil lines.
- Paint the background of your project with 1 or 2 colors of watercolor paint. Leave the birds white.
- Let fully dry.
- Add color inside the birds in ROYGBV order. If using the washable marker technique, trace inside the black lines with a washable red to start.
- Use a small paintbrush dipped in water to turn the marker into paint. Try not to get the "paint" inside the beak or eye.
- Let dry.
- Color other details such as the beaks with marker to complete the painting.
Notes
- Washable Marker + Water On A Small Brush: this is a fun way to “paint” without as much mess. You need to test this method first to make sure that your markers and paper will bleed. Sometimes the combo doesn’t always work the best depending on your supplies.
- Blue and purple bleeding tissue paper can also be used to create a fun background instead of watercolor paint.
