Laurel Burch Pastel Horse Art Lesson
This page contains affiliate links and I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Everything on this page I have used and heartily recommend for teaching art.
Keep reading for more information about Laurel Burch, videos and resources to teach about her, and an easy create from home art lesson for kids!
I thought this would be a fun lesson to do while we are all working on staying positive during these uncertain times. Laurel Burch was an artist who was such a positive, joyful person. She also knew how to make the best out of a bad situation. I hope you will be encouraged by her story!
Below are some resources to help you introduce this amazing artist to your child. She was an artist who persevered through many trials to create beautiful magical art that is full of life and hope.
Resources for teaching about Laurel Burch
When I teach an art lesson, I like to first tell my students about the artist we are studying before we start the actual art part. I try to find great videos, images, and slideshows that have already been created and are easy to access to help educate my students. Here are a few resources for teaching your kids a little bit more about the artist we are studying in this lesson, Laurel Burch!
Who is Laurel Burch?
Laurel Burch was born in 1945 and died in 2007. She was an American artist, designer, and business woman. She was a self taught artist and started her art career by making jewelry. She is most famous for her paintings of cats, but also did many paintings of butterflies, horses, and dogs. My art project (below) focuses on her love of horses and the positive messages her art symbolizes.
Books
The Art of Laurel Burch Coloring Book
This is a neat coloring book on Laurel Burch designs!
Laurel Burch Dream Believers: Inspirations for Life - Love - Hope
This book has beautiful illustrations and quotes from Laurel Burch. It isn't made as a kids book but has some great info!
Photos of her Artwork
My Art Lesson
Laurel Burch Pastel Horse How To:
Now that we have learned all about Laurel Burch, lets move on to the art lesson!
- Practice drawing out the horse head on the computer paper.
- Using the white uni-ball pen draw out the head and neck onto the black paper.
- Add the mane, forelock, an eye (color in the white part), teeth, and a swirl for the nostril.
- With the soft pastels pick two or three colors to fill in the horse. (pick colors that will blend well together like blue and green, pink and orange, purple and blue etc.) Be careful to just add a little of the pastel. You can always add more after you blend if it is too light.
- Using one finger blend the pastels in small circular strokes until they fill in the space.
- Add some accent colors in the eye, under the eye, nose, and anywhere else you like. Add white and black lines in the forelock and mane.
- Cover the horse with the blank computer paper to keep from smearing.
- Fill in the background with positive, life giving words and swirls using the uni-ball pen. Go slow to make nice dark letters.
- Spray lightly with the Krylon Fixatif to set the pastels (this will keep them from smearing).
I'm writing a book!
I am excited to announce my latest project! My daughter and I are working on a big, beautiful, creatively designed book on artist related lessons (similar to the ones on this website but with more details, step by step instructions and photos). The book will be for anyone who wants concise, detailed, well laid out lessons that are ready to teach, in a format that is fun to look at as well.
Book InfoOther Lessons:
Recent Blog Posts:
The Doors of Italy
At the end of a 3 week vacation to Europe, I came away with so many pictures of things that captured my interest and the mood of the moment. I couldn’t get enough of all the time worn doors, especially those in Italy.
Making Reading Beautiful!
We painted Free Little Libraries! Does your city have a Little Free Library? These are little free standing libraries that have a “host” who looks after them and can be located in someone’s yard , out in the country, or in front of a business or in a park. You can take a book to read or leave one for someone else to find.
My Beautiful Tuscan Kitchen
This year marks the two year anniversary of our kitchen remodel! My wonderful cabinet maker husband finally got around to making this custom kitchen for our home and I couldn’t be happier!
