Winter Cardinal Art Lesson Winter Art Project for Kids Winter Art Activity
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Selected reviews from TPT
★★★★★Great project. My students were amazed that they could draw beautiful cardinals. They add the perfect winter decor to our room!
Celia C. · January 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Considering my students completed this with a supply teacher, it came out pretty good! They also enjoyed it.
brooke W. · August 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Directions and examples are easy to follow. It helps build confidence in the students. Thanks!
Lindsie W. · March 2018 · TPT review
Rated by 47 teachers on TPT (see every rating on TPT). These are selected 4- and 5-star written reviews by teachers on TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers), shown word for word. TPT's newer 4-point scale ("Extremely satisfied" = 4) is converted to stars.
The bright red of a cardinal stands out beautifully against a snowy background. In this Winter Cardinal Art Project, students use oil pastels and paint to create a bold cardinal perched in a winter scene. It works as a Christmas art project or a seasonal winter lesson.
With step-by-step instructions, students layer color, blend oil pastels and add texture with paint to bring their cardinal to life. The lesson is low prep and suits elementary and middle school students, and the finished pieces make an eye-catching bulletin board display or classroom decoration.
WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE)
- 2-Page Detailed Lesson Plan with materials, learning objectives and step-by-step teacher guidance
- Grading Rubric
- Winter Cardinal Step-by-Step Drawing Handout to help students draw their bird
- Art Piece Demonstration with step-by-step descriptions and images (25 slides)
- Poster Example of a completed Winter Cardinal art piece for display and inspiration
HOW TO USE IT
Look over the lesson plan and gather your materials in advance: pencil, eraser, black marker, card stock or watercolor paper, gray paint (any kind, watered down) and oil pastels, plus a class set of the step-by-step drawing handout and rubric. You may want to make a sample yourself first so you can help students later.
Print the poster sample in color and show it before the lesson as your hook. Then project the step-by-step pages from the PDF, show them under a document camera, or use them as your own guide while you demonstrate. Every step has a visual and a text description, so students can follow along clearly.
FAQ
What grades is this for?
Elementary and middle school students.
What materials do I need?
Pencil, eraser, black marker, card stock or watercolor paper, watered-down gray paint and oil pastels.
Is it editable?
No. It is non-editable.
Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist who has been featured on NBC LX News and designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.
TERMS OF USE
Images and lessons are copyright products.
YOU MAY: use this in creative ways and have as much fun with it as you like. Clip art may be used as clip art, website graphics, binder covers or bulletin board decorations. Additional licenses are available for school use.
YOU MAY NOT: share it with other teachers, administration or districts (admin can buy additional licenses), sell it, give it out for free or photocopy it for others.
Sincerely,
Ms Artastic
ALL TEACHER REVIEWS
★★★★★ “Great Lesson and step by step drawing directions! Thanks!” Jamie E.
★★★★★ “These came out great!” Debbie L.
★★★★★ “Great project. My students were amazed that they could draw beautiful cardinals. They add the perfect winter decor to our room!” Celia C.
★★★★★ “Easy to use, great final product!” Rebecca M.
★★★★★ “My students were so excited about how nice these turned out. Thank you!” Caitlyn L Wilkinson
★★★★★ “I love all of your art lessons! I’ll be using this project this year.” melissa C.
★★★★★ “Considering my students completed this with a supply teacher, it came out pretty good! They also enjoyed it.” brooke W.
★★★★★ “These turned out amazing!” Lisa G.
★★★★★ “The instructions are really great. My classes artwork came out great!” Amanda M.
★★★★★ “Directions and examples are easy to follow. It helps build confidence in the students. Thanks!” Lindsie W.
★★★★★ “i loved this, and so did my kids. They were amazed at what they could do” Lada k.
★★★★★ “There is a lot of detail in this art lesson. Students really appreciated it.” Darlene M.
Pairs Well With
More selected reviews from TPT
★★★★★This always makes for a fun assignment!
whitney C. · October 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★This art lesson is very easy to follow and my students really enjoyed it. they made some beautiful artwork.
Devon C. · January 2026 · TPT review
★★★★★I love this resource. It is a step-by-step process, and the students can follow it easily.
Carolyn D. · August 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★Great art activity for older students! I enjoyed the varying levels of detail i recieved.
Taylor C. · May 2025 · TPT review
★★★★★These turned out so so cute! My 5th graders loved making these cardinals and they really turned out so well. The lesson is detailed and well organized. Thank you!
Alexandra G. · October 2024 · TPT review
★★★★★Thank you for the great resource to use with my class.
Debbie B. · June 2024 · TPT review
★★★★★This lesson was very easy for the students to follow and to create a beautiful piece or art. Even my students that struggle with art projects ended up with pictures they were proud of and wanted to display in the hall. We received so many compliments. It was definitely a favorite!
Lisa S. · April 2024 · TPT review
★★★★★I wasn't sure if this guided drawing lesson would be a little too difficult for third graders, but it turned out to be a challenge they enjoyed. Their cardinals turned out lovely.
Cathy P. · February 2024 · TPT review
★★★★★Students don't get enough Art in the middle school grades. Thank you so much! The students really enjoyed it!
Jean M. · February 2024 · TPT review
★★★★★This resource is awesome! The final projects looked like the kids had been drawing and water coloring for ever! Ms. Artastic always has awesome step by step directions that are easy for the students to follow.
Frances G. · February 2024 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource. Thank you so much for your hard work!
All Things Creative · December 2023 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource - easy to use and the product is beautiful!
Honey M. · November 2023 · TPT review
★★★★★I love this art lesson! The step by step instructions are perfect and we got a ton of compliments!
Amy R. · October 2023 · TPT review
★★★★★I used this lesson with my own Grade 6's and a Grade 5 class I give Visual Art prep to. Both classes were so engaged and made the most beautiful pieces of art. Seriously one of my favourite lessons I've done with my classes. We modified it to fit our needs (some changed the cardinal into a Blue Jay, and other birds) but made it work for us. Great to do during the winter months.
KA B. · August 2023 · TPT review
★★★★★This was such a great quick art lesson for my kids! We don't have Art at our school, and it is difficult to find the time to squeeze it in. We used oil pastels and it went great, my students were able to take this home to share with their adults! They were very proud of their work. Highly recommend.
Reanna R. · February 2023 · TPT review
★★★★★This is an excellent resource. It is so easy to use. I love how it outlines each step of the art activity and each step is very easy. At first students see the finished product and say "I can't draw that." Yet as they go through each step their mindset changes and they say "wow, this is actually pretty easy to draw." I will certainly purchase more art lessons from this seller.
Melissa PF · February 2023 · TPT review
★★★★★This is a beautiful lesson! The students really enjoyed creating their Cardinal's, and we hung them in the hallway for everyone to see!
Kimberley R. · January 2023 · TPT review
★★★★★Fantastic resource. Thank you!
Allison J. · September 2022 · TPT review
★★★★★Thank you for a great resource!
Madame Moana's Classroom · August 2022 · TPT review
★★★★★Thank you!
French Teacher and A Dog · January 2022 · TPT review
★★★★★Easy to follow instructions enable the students to produce art pieces they were very proud of!
terry H. · December 2021 · TPT review
★★★★★Great resource!
Pamela Lane · June 2021 · TPT review
★★★★★Great project!
DONNA H. · May 2021 · TPT review
★★★★★Students were engaged but had difficulties
Jeff K. · January 2021 · TPT review
★★★★★My students and I enjoyed this very much!
Ariana E. · May 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★Great Resource!
Jessica Molloy · February 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★These came out great!
Debbie L. · January 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★Great Lesson and step by step drawing directions! Thanks!
Jamie E. · January 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★Very helpful!
Kicking Around with Kortney · January 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★Excellent projet!
sabah B. · January 2020 · TPT review
★★★★★Looks fun!
Jami M. · July 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Love this!!
Lisa A. · April 2019 · TPT review
★★★★★Easy to use, great final product!
Rebecca M. · December 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Love the outcome
Rocio C. · December 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Thank you for the resource!
Stefanie K. · December 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★My students were so excited about how nice these turned out. Thank you!
Caitlyn L Wilkinson · November 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★I love all of your art lessons! I’ll be using this project this year.
melissa C. · August 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★Very cool!
Kim K. · August 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★These turned out amazing!
Lisa G. · May 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★The instructions are really great. My classes artwork came out great!
Amanda M. · April 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★i loved this, and so did my kids. They were amazed at what they could do
Lada karpova · March 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★My students are looking forward to beginning this project soon.
William A. · January 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★There is a lot of detail in this art lesson. Students really appreciated it.
Darlene M. · January 2018 · TPT review
★★★★★great resource
Alyssa Shea · December 2017 · TPT review
Rated by 47 teachers on TPT (see every rating on TPT). These are selected 4- and 5-star written reviews by teachers on TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers), shown word for word. TPT's newer 4-point scale ("Extremely satisfied" = 4) is converted to stars.
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