Welcome! Imagine you are an architect who has been hired to design a tiny cottage for a fairy or other little woodland creature to live in?
This blog post features a guided tutorial of how to draw a mix ‘n match fairy cottage. It’s very open ended and allows artists to be creative with their details. The possibilities are endless for how each unique fairy cottage will come to life!
Hey educators! Scroll below to purchase this ready-for-class instructional lesson with printable drawing guides.*
Materials:
This drawing can be created with a variety of art materials. Some suggestions include:
- Creating a shaded pencil drawing on white paper
- Drawing on black or brown paper and adding pastel for color (I recommend using Canson XL Series Black Drawing Paper) #sponsored
- Drawing on paper with a pencil, then trace lines with sharpie and add color with a material of your choice.
- Lightly draw with pencil then add colorful watercolor to bring it to life!
- Rendering your fairy cottage digitally! Check out this list of FREE web-based drawing programs to use.
PRIOR TO BEGINNING…
While you work on your artwork, consider the SCALE of your cottage in reference to its surrounding environment. SCALE is the size relationships of objects in an artwork. The cottage may be tiny compared to things around it. Perhaps there is a giant tree trunk or flower in the background to show the scale.
START WITH A PENCIL SKETCH…
Regardless of the art materials you choose to finalize your cottage with, it is recommended that you start with pencil and sketch lightly. *Draw it light ’til you get it right.*
STEP ONE:
Does your fairy live in a little rustic house, a giant mushroom, or inside a teapot?
Choose a house style, or mix and match to create your own creative house. Don’t worry about the lines being perfectly straight. Having some “wonky” lines adds a lot personality to your fairy cottage and gives it that whimsical mood.
STEP TWO:
Choose a door to add to your cottage. Get creative by adding your own details to the door, such as a detailed wood frame, lights, mailboxes, address numbers, windows and more!
STEP THREE:
Add some windows to your cottage. There are so many creative styles you can choose from. Explore mixing and matching, adding shutters, curtains, and/or things in the windows (like a candle or potted plants).
STEP FOUR:
This part is fun! Personalize your fairy cottage with some nature-based objects to add detail. Get creative with the spaces IN your cottage, AROUND your cottage, and in the outdoor space that your cottage exists.
STEP FIVE:
Add some texture to the surfaces in and around the cottage. Some options include wood grain, brick, cobble stone, shingles, and textures found in nature (like grass).
Once you put the final touches on the cottage, finalize it with your art material of choice. Consider adding a LIGHT SOURCE to help with determining the placement of shadows/highlights and to suggest the time of day (sunset, nighttime, etc). Get creative and have fun!
Hey teachers!* Click here for my TpT shop if you’re interested in this lesson, which features a full slideshow presentation, project specific grading rubric, key terms, and more!
Thanks for checking out this blog post. I would love to see your creations if you use these steps to create your own fairy cottage. Feel free to tag me on Instagram and possibly get featured in this site! Also, please follow Make a Mark Studios on Facebook to keep up with the latest posts! Thanks in advance!
-Stephanie Villiotis, creator of Make a Mark Studios
Like this lesson? Check out two similar lesson with architectural connections…
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