TIME REQUIRED: One session @ 60 minutes

BY KRISTA HILMEN

Cozy Cats Watercolor

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Looking for a quick, cute way to celebrate a

season? These cats will do the trick. An easy

lesson on line and spatial awareness, these cats

can be dressed up or down according to the

season. A cup of hot cocoa, a stack of presents,

a bright pink heart or even a stack of books

allows you to change the lesson according to

your needs. 

These happy cats can be a quick project

for the holidays. Dress him up in a cozy scarf

decorated with dots, stripes or plaid, holly,

flowers or just leave it plain.

Super simple materials and this adorable subject

makes for a wonderful addition to your winter art

unit.

COZY CATS WATERCOLOR

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

12” x 18” white sulphite

paper

Black permanent marker

Watercolor

Paintbrushes

Water & container

Optional: oil pastels

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DRAWING THE CAT

Using a black Sharpie, draw a slight curved line toward the top of the paper.

Add rounded triangles for ears and a slight curved line for chin/scarf.

Round out sides of face with curved lines.

Add curved lines for scarf. Draw lines to complete body.

Draw small circles for cheeks, a triangle nose, lines for eyes & whiskers. Create three bumps for paws and color them black.

Decorate scarf with leaves, dots, snowflakes, etc. Add a cup of hot cocoa, a heart, flowers, etc. in the cat’s paws. Add details to background.

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PAINTING THE CATUse watercolor to paint the cat and

background. Encourage children to use a

color for the background that makes the

cat stand out (CONTRAST).

You can use pan or liquid watercolor. You

could even use oil pastels for resist

details.

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4th GRADE Gallery

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E S P A R K L E R S C L U B !6

CREATING Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work — brainstorm approaches for design

problem—set goals and create purposeful and meaningful artwork

Organize and develop artistic ideas and work — explore and invent art-making

techniques-care for materials while art-making—document and describe environments

Refine and complete artistic work—revise artwork in progress through insights gained from

peers and discussion

Presenting/producing Analyze, interpret and select artistic work for presentation— Analyze how past, present

and emerging technologies have impacted preservation and presentations of artwork

Develop and refine artistic work for presentation — Analyze the various considerations for

presenting and protecting work in all settings and forms

Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work — compare and contrast

purposes of art museums, etc. and the types of personal experiences they provide

Responding Perceive and analyze artistic work- compare responses to artwork after experiencing the

medium analyze messages in visual imagery Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work — interpret art by referring to contextual info

and analyzing relevant subject matter, characteristics and media

Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work— apply one set of criteria to evaluate more than

one work of art

Connecting Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art- create works of

art that reflect community cultural traditions

Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding

NATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDS-fourth grade

X

X

X

X

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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and

information.

After students finish their art, you can have them fill out the artist statement worksheet

(located in Teacher Aids). This information leads them to reflect on the process of art making

while forming an opinion about their own work based on the processes used, materials

used, inspirations, etc.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when

writing or speaking.

You can communicate to students that using conventions of standard English grammar

when writing their answers to the artist statement worksheet should be emphasized. This is

a wonderful way to help students see cross curricular connections between subjects!

Common core standards for COZY CATS WATERCOLOR

I CAN STATEMENTS FOR COZY CATS WATERCOLOR

• Today I will learn about LINE & SHAPE, so that I CAN draw a large seasonal CAT using a

SHARPIE with PATTERN details.

• Today I will learn about WATERCOLOR, so that I CAN carefully add COLOR to my

drawing.

• Today I will learn about CONTRAST, so that I CAN paint my background a color that

makes the cat STAND OUT.

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ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST

Student Name:

Did the student draw a large seasonal cat with permanent marker?

Did the student use watercolor effectively?

Did the student use a color for their background that achieved contrast with the cat?

Main Ideas from:

COZY CATS WATERCOLOR

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T H E S P A R K L E R S C L U B

TEAM SPARKLE is thrilled to offer Sparkler, Krista

Hilmen’s Cozy Cat Watercolor lesson to fellow

Sparklers!

Star Submitter

Krista is a former high school English Teacher turned Art Teacher at her children’s charter school in Northern California. This is what she says: Creating art with kids at a small K-8 charter school in Northern

California, I live a pretty good life.  I have four kids whom I refer to as baby goats and I do not like my food to

touch. 

Fun fact: She is a guest on one of Patty’s Podcast: Art Made Easy Episode 113! (Check it out here).

Learn how Krista raises funds for her art program through a successful art auction. She shares what the most popular projects are, how her auction committee manages the tasks and how she decorates the venues. If you are considering doing an art fundraiser, this episode will leave you inspired!

Thank you, Krista, for sharing your art lesson!

Krista received compensation for providing this lesson. We would love for YOU to be a featured Star

Submitter. If you have a lesson you would like to submit for a bundle, please email

marisa@deepspacesparkle.com for guidelines.