Winter Silhouette Art Project for Kids • Kids Activities Blog


School-aged kids will learn to blend oil pastels in this winter project. We’ve included a free printable making this lesson easy for home or classroom use.

Create fun winter silhouettes using oil pastels

Blending with Oil Pastels

There are many mediums and techniques one can use to blend oil pastels. For this lesson, we will blend oil pastels with odorless mineral spirits. I like how this technique allows the pastels to flow more freely and it dries fairly quickly. Please remember to use a well ventilated area when working with mineral spirits.

Related – Practice blending by layering colors in our Ghostly Overlapping oil pastel project.

Supplies Needed to Make a winter silhouette Art Project

supplies needed for this winter silhouette project include black cardstock, oil pastels, odorless mineral spirits, paintbrush, glue and scissors - kids activities blog
Just a few supplies are needed for this project
  • Winter Silhouettes (Free Download Below) – printed on cardstock
  • Black Cardstock
  • Oil Pastels
  • Odorless Mineral Spirits – and a well ventilated area
  • Paintbrush
  • Glue
  • Scissors

Download the Winter Silhouette Printable Here

Print our free silhouettes on cardstock for an easy to cut winter scene.

Directions to Make a winter silhouette

Step 1

step 1 - using a gray oil pastel to draw a moon and mountain outline - kids activities blog
begin by drawing a moon and mountain outline

First, use a light colored oil pastel to draw a moon and mountain outline on the black cardstock.

Step 2

step 2 - using a gray oil pastel to add highlights to a mountainside sketch - kids activities blog
add highlights to the mountainside

Using the same oil pastel, add highlights to the mountainside. Highlights should be on the same side of the mountains that the moon is located.

Step 3

step 3 - using a gray oil pastel to add landscape features to the winter scene - kids activities blog
Add more landscape features to your winter scene

Use oil pastels to add more landscape features into your winter scene.

Step 4

step 4 - using mineral spirits and a paintbrush to blend oil pastels - kids activities blog
use a small amount of mineral spirits to blend oil pastels

Next, use a paintbrush with a small amount of mineral spirits to paint over the oil pastels and create a blending effect.

Step 5

step 5- using dark blue oil pastels to add shadows into the winter scene - kids activities blog
add shadows using darker oil pastels

Then, color shadows using a darker oil pastel. Blending as necessary with the mineral spirits.

Step 6

step 6  - using a white oil pastel to create stronger highlights - kids activities blog
create strong highlights by layering light colored oil pastels

Add light colored oil pastels to create more intense highlights. Continue to layer and blend as necessary.

Step 7

step 7 - using scissors to cut winter silhouette from cardstock - kids activities blog
cut out winter silhouette

Next, use scissors to cut the silhouette from cardstock and glue over winter scene.

Finished Winter Silhouette Art Project

completed winter silhouette oil pastel drawings - kids activities blog
Our completed winter silhouette masterpieces!

I love how these pastel pieces look! These winter silhouettes can easily be framed, clipped, or displayed in your preferred style along with your seasonal decorations. 

Our Experience Making this winter silhouette Art Project

I’m grateful to have explored this lesson plan using oil pastels. I will quickly admit that oil pastels are not my favorite medium, but this project reminded me of just how versatile they really are. I love being able to work with the pastels in a paint-like manner by adding the mineral spirits. The clean-up and application of pastels is much easier than actual oil paints, making them a more suitable medium for my classroom.

Prep Time
5 minutes

Active Time
30 minutes

Total Time
35 minutes

Difficulty
Medium

Estimated Cost
$1

Materials

  • Winter Silhouettes (Free Download) – printed on cardstock
  • Black Cardstock

Tools

  • Oil Pastels
  • Odorless Mineral Spirits – and a well ventilated area
  • Paintbrush
  • Glue
  • Scissors

Instructions

  1. Use a light colored oil pastel to draw a moon and mountain outline on the black cardstock.
  2. Using the same oil pastel, add highlights to the mountainside. Highlights should be on the same side of the mountains that the moon is located.
  3. Add more landscape features into your winter scene using oil pastels.
  4. Use a paintbrush with a small amount of mineral spirits to paint over the oil pastels and create a blending effect.
  5. Color shadows using a darker oil pastel. Blending as necessary with the mineral spirits.
  6. Add light colored oil pastels to create more intense highlights. Continue to layer and blend as necessary.
  7. Cut the silhouette from cardstock and glue over winter scene.

Notes

Winter Silhouette Art Variations

  • Kids can design and cut their own winter silhouettes from black cardstock.
  • Use other mediums such as chalk pastels or acrylic paints to create a winter silhouette.
  • Alter project to fit any season or holiday.

Winter Silhouette Art Variations

  • Kids can design and cut their own winter silhouettes from black cardstock.
  • Use other mediums such as chalk pastels or acrylic paints to create a winter silhouette.
  • Alter project to fit any season or holiday.

Other Fun winter Art Projects from Kids Activities Blog

More art projects from kids activities blog

Did your kids enjoy bending oil pastels with mineral spirits? What sort of winter scene did they create?

We will be happy to hear your thoughts

Leave a reply

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