Anyone Can Draw

I have a great resource I have to share.  I believe my elementary principal shared this with me last year through a website he saw or something.  (**He is really good about sharing things he finds on blogs and twitter, etc.)  The books/resources are entitled Anyone Can Draw by Stephan Baker.

Here is the link to the main page of the website where you can watch a video and purchase the materials: http://anyonecandraw.ca/products/

The books are like most how-to books, but break down most items into squares, circles, triangles, and lines.  There are a variety of subjects within the book, but a few of my personal favorites are the castle/prince/knight/dragon section and the pirate ship/under the sea section. 

I use this in my classroom by doing a follow the leader drawing when I need to fill in some time or for my early finishers.  I love it because most students feel confident in drawing simple shapes and this book takes it one step further by putting these shapes together.  I believe that it is a great beginning step for young drawers and those who just "see things differently". 
I purchased this books in the middle of last year and every time I have used them, I have seen success from all of my students, even those who lack confidence in their drawing skills.  I purchased both the primary and intermediate books and although both are somewhat similar, the intermediate book starts throwing in dimensions/perspective. 

A few weeks ago one of my 1st grade classes missed art, so to keep both of them in the same place with projects I used this as a filler for the class who was ahead.  I usually draw for the majority of the time left and then allow a little bit of time to color with colored pencils.  I like the drawings without color, but the students love to color them.  Plus, I rarely use colored pencils with my 1st graders so this was an added bonus :)
I was pretty pleased with the results.  Below are pictures from some of my 1st graders: