I am just TOO excited TO share this cockaTOO art project with you. Okay, I’ll stop. But you have to admit, the idea of the date 2-22 has a lot of fun word and number possibilities. And since writing is one of my college majors, I couldn’t let it pass by without cracking at least one (or two) jokes.
And since so many of us feel like winter lasts a bit too long, things are still a bit too crazy, nothing seemed to suit the occasion more than a bird that looks like it’s having a bad hair day. This cockatoo art project is versatile – the background uses tempera paint sticks, but you can use anything. Switch it up with crayons, markers, oil pastels, those new fancy sparkly or smelly gel crayons, your choice.
The cockatoo itself is a black crayon or oil pastel, and tempera paint in white, black, and one other color. Scissors and glue and you’re all set.
You can also switch this one up by drawing the cockatoo directly on the paper and decorating around it. But make sure to plan time for the tempera to dry.
For a downloadable lesson plan, scroll to the bottom and click the banner.
Just keep drawing, just keep drawing…
The easiest, and most beautiful way to get a tropical background is to encourage kids to just keep drawing flowers, leaves, and rainbows. That’s it.
Kids will have their own ideas on flowers – where they should go, and what they should look like, and that’s perfect. This kind of open-ended creativity for the background of this cockatoo is what makes them have so much personality!
For students who worry about what type of flower to draw, model creating some bright yellow or orange circles around the page offers a place to start.
From there, choose a color and start adding petals to the flowers. Encourage students to think of flower colors that they may not normally see – like turquoise!
Finally, choose a color to outline the flowers with (this is an optional step but can be used to talk about unity).
Drawing our feathered friend
Cockatoos have a sharp, hooked beak, and their eye is just up and to the right of it. Once the beak and eye are drawn, it’s time for kids to have fun creating the crest of feathers. Encourage kids to create them going every which way!
Then finish the bird by drawing the chest of the bird, and then the two wings. Add feet, or leave them out completely and pretend the bird is surrounded in flowers. That’s an easier idea for younger students (and it’s easier to cut out too.)
What color is a cockatoo?
One of the most beautiful things about cockatoos, and many of their feathered cousins, is that the bird looks one color, but there’s an underlayer to their feathers – light yellow, pink, or coral.
Before painting the white feathers of the cockatoo, teaching students to create a tint of a color for their undercoat is an important art technique. It also makes kids wonder just what they are doing to their cockatoo. Isn’t a cockatoo…white? Or gray?
Don’t worry, that comes next.
While kids create little tiny brush strokes of feathers down the chest, and long ones down the wing, talk about what kinds of feathers they find on the ground. What part of the bird do they think those feathers came from?
Set it aside to dry, cut it out, and glue it on the background.
Those are two cockatoos ready for a tutu on 2-22!
Pair this project with the fun book Cockatoo, Too by Bethanie Murguia for a silly wordplay extravaganza. (Amazon afflink.)
We would love it if you’d share!
Don’t forget to tag us at @soulsparklettes on social media if you make this cockatoo art project with your kids or students – we love to see what you create!
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