This not-so-spooky cat is an adorable Halloween directed draw! With a free printable step-by-step guide, your kids will be creating in no time.
Not-so-spooky cat is a purrfect Halloween Directed Draw
Preschoolers and Halloween activities go together like tricks and treats.
Halloween art made by little hands is one of my FAVORITE parts of the entire season and for a good reason.
Your kids will love making our famous not-so-spooky cat (I know I can’t stop at making only one myself!).
Related: Our 10-foot Halloween GIANT coloring page banner is a spooktacular Halloween activity for your artists, too!
What is a Halloween directed draw?
Directed draws are step-by-step guides that teach children how to draw an image.
Think of it as a recipe.
When we (adults) see a delicious chocolate cake, we need a recipe to guide us through making it.
We need to know what to do first, second, etc.
Along the way, we might modify the ingredients and toppings, but the recipe gets from us from beginning to end.
Directed draws are art recipes that are also a confidence boost, fine motor practice, and open to endless creativity.
Some of our other favorite Halloween activities:
- Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Cups for Water Play – Friends Art Lab
- Sizzling Science Pumpkins with Baking Soda & Vinegar – Friends Art Lab
- Spider Ice Halloween Activity – Busy Toddler
What you’ll need
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- FREE printable guide (below)
- Drawing materials – could be crayons, markers, pencils, etc. (here I used oil pastels)
- Painting materials – optional (here, I used these watercolors)
Directions
Print off the free guide and invite your child to follow the steps from beginning to end, beginning with drawing the steps on the printable.
Once drawn, add color with your favorite drawing or painting materials.
I drew mine with oil pastels and then painted it with watercolors, but there are infinite options for what to use!
Invite your child to use any colors, materials, and combinations they love.
They might want a green not-so-spooky cat.
Or maybe a yellow one with pink polka dots.
There is no right or wrong way to make a directed draw (and this is where the magic is).
Do all finished pieces look the same?
I am so glad you asked!
All finished pieces will not look the same, which is the best part.
When introducing directed draws to preschoolers, we all do them together step-by-step, but I also always remind them that they can add/omit anything they want.
Some kids draw small in a tiny corner of the paper, and others are about to burst off the page.
Some kids might add a background, accessories, or other details.
Are directed draws product art or process art?
If done correctly, they fall in the middle.
Product art is entirely teacher-directed, and every piece is identical. When you ask a child to point to their completed piece, they cannot tell theirs apart from the others.
Process art is entirely child-directed, and no two pieces are identical. When you ask a child to point to their completed piece, it’s easy to identify.
Directed draws might have teacher-directed structure, but kids should always be allowed to add their own flair and touch.
When making not-so-spooky cats with preschoolers, I would expect them to be an assortment of colors and sizes, some with two cats on a page, some with one, maybe one or two cut out with scissors, some with embellishments, etc.
I love how different each directed draw turns out!
Related: Speaking of process art, drip paint pumpkins are the coolest Halloween art project!
FAQ
Any that can safely use the materials. We do directed draws with our 3-6 year old preschoolers often.
Crayons have a very similar effect as oil pastels with watercolors, yes!
Not at all. You can use any art materials that you love.
This Halloween directed draw is fur-ever the best
Artists of all ages will love making their not-so-spooky cats.
I cannot wait to see yours.
Have fun!
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