Make Some Art with Shawn Harris

Hi, I’m Shawn Harris and I make picture books. I particularly like to make books with art supplies I know kids are using at school or home. This video is the first in a series I’m making for you (teachers, librarians, parents) to share with your young author/illustrators, so they can make some art like they see in my books.

Here’s the plan:

1. Read this book aloud:

Let’s Be Bees, published by Neil Porter Books

(About 10 minutes.)

2. Pass out these art supplies:

(I try to make books with supplies you might already have in your home or classroom. It’s nice when kids can use the same tools they see professional artists using, don’t you agree?)

3. Ask kids if they would like to make some art with the illustrator of the book you just read. Assuming a resounding, “yes,” play the video at the top of this post. If you prefer a Youtube link, that’s here.

(It runs about 20 minutes, and consists of a 3 minute introduction, a 14 minute draw-along segment, and an outro where we visit the work of some other crayon artists (thanks Ms. Mills’ Kindergarten class at El Granada Elementary).

4. To fill out the remainder of a 45 or hour-long period, have your kids follow my prompt to draw something (other than a bee?) using the techniques we just practiced. You might copy these steps onto your board to remind them what we were just doing:

Feel free to refer your artists to the Let’s Be Bees endpapers, where I have drawn everything on earth, for additional inspiration:

Thank you for sharing my books and art with your students! If you’d like a printable 1-page lesson plan for your files, or to share, here you go:

📄 Download a printable PDF lesson plan here.

Next episode we’ll make some art with watercolors like I use in The Future Book, by Mac Barnett, out March 3. Please subscribe so I can let you know when the new lesson is available!

See you then,

Shawn