Medieval Art Bundle: Art Lessons for Grades 4-7

Introduce your students to the art of medieval times, which has inspired traditional and modern fairy tales, Harry Potter, and so much fantasy literature. Watercolor castles and rose windows, medieval fashions for queens and kings, illuminated letters, unicorns and magic potions, shields with dragons and mythical animals—these beautiful artworks draw on the rich art history of the Middle Ages. Included in each lesson is a spotlight on the art history that served as inspiration.

Each project features a detailed photo tutorial on the art techniques to help students build their skills in drawing, painting in watercolor, printmaking with craft foam, creating mixed media artworks with oil pastels and tempera, and working with aluminum tooling foil. How to draw sheets and reference drawing handouts are provided to help with the drawing piece of each project. This bundle will save you so much time!

The 163-page bundle includes:

-Medieval Castles: So many children love medieval castles and the stories that go with them. This project’s a natural tie in with Harry Potter, as the children can create their version of the Hogwarts castle if they like.

Students are free to design their own castle or use one of the 16 line drawings of castles for inspiration. Most of my students do a variation of one of the castles provided in the lesson. I love giving children the opportunity to experiment with the watercolors, exploring a variety of techniques.

-Illuminated Letters Inspired by Medieval Texts: This lesson combines art history with printmaking in such a beautiful way! There’s lots of room for individuality with dragons, castles, kings and queens, etc., inspired from medieval times. Included in the lesson is a detailed photo tutorial on the steps involved in creating prints with craft foam. The project includes line drawings of 12 mythical beings as well as drawings of other medieval-inspired objects and designs. Lots of options!

Don’t have the resources or time for printmaking? This lesson's also stunning in colored pencil on black paper. Full instructions for this option are also provided!

-Medieval Fashions for Queens + Kings: High crowns with sparkling jewels, gowns embroidered in gold, and velvet-lined capes—these are some of the medieval fashions we explore in this project. My students loved learning to draw a figure with the correct proportions and then add the crowns and veils, capes, gowns, etc. These are inspired by playing cards from the Middle Ages at The Met Cloisters.

Included in the project are guides for drawing the figures, step-by-step instructions for drawing the king and the queen, eight reference drawings of different fashions, jewelry, crowns, capes, etc. There’s also a handout of medieval patterns the kids can use for inspiration in adding decorations. These work well in watercolor or tempera cakes.

-Rose Windows Inspired by Medieval Stained Glass: Introduce your students to the beauty and art history of stained glass windows from medieval castles and cathedrals such as Notre Dame. What’s so cool about these artworks is designing a quarter of the window, and then seeing the pattern come together as a whole. This lesson teaches kids about radial symmetry in the best way—by doing!

Included are 12 different patterns for inspiration, which results in a lot of variety in the kids’ artwork. The children also learn how to create the look of milky stained glass as well as other techniques for working with watercolors. My students really loved the process of creating these as well as the end result.

-Medieval Unicorns Inspired by Medieval Tapestries: Are your kids as into unicorns as mine? My students LOVE these!

This project involves creating rich, layered paintings, and the children love adding some bling with gems and sequins at the end. We take inspiration from the medieval unicorn tapestries, which is a great tie in with art history. Included are line drawings and step-by-step instructions for how to draw a unicorn four different ways, along with handouts for background ideas.

-Medieval Shields with Dragons + Mythical Animals: Exploring the magical dragons and fantastic beasts of medieval times is so fun and engaging for kids. This project’s a great way to tie in all kinds of fantasy literature, including Harry Potter. Many of J. K. Rowling’s fantastic beasts were inspired by medieval creatures.

This lesson includes 10 drawings of dragons and mythical animals with step-by-step instructions, and a handout of medieval patterns for inspiration. Lots of room for creativity! Students learn to emboss on aluminum tooling foil, which becomes the shield. We use permanent markers to add color.

-Magic Potions Inspired by Medieval Times + Harry Potter: Fire Power Potion, Beetle Juice, and Tell the Truth Syrup—all some of the magic potions my students created. Taking inspiration from the medieval apothecary, Harry Potter, and other fantasy stories, this project offers so many creative possibilities!

We create these paintings with permanent marker, watercolor (or tempera cakes), and optional highlights in tempera paint. The children can really use their imaginations to dream up their own potions. Included are two handouts with 23 different bottles to spur their creativity.

Each lesson includes:

· Art History Spotlight

· Recommended Resources

· Supplies

· Detailed Photo Tutorial

· Art Gallery

· Drawing Handouts

Thanks for checking out this bundle! I teach art to children in Westchester, NY. My passion is creating art projects my students love and sharing them with you.

You can follow me here on TpT, on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ruthchapman.art/

and on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/ruthchapman/

My personal art is at https://www.ruthchapmanart.com