Artist Reference Guide

The number of amazing artists out there is overwhelming!  How do art teachers keep track of all the artists we want to teach our students about?  That’s exactly why I created this Artist Reference Guide, with the hope that this convenient list helps to bring even just a little bit of order into our wild and crazy art teaching worlds! 


Get the 200-Artist Reference Guide

Subscribe to my All About Art newsletter to get this guide instantly delivered to your mailbox!

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.
    Built with ConvertKit


    The 8-page guide features 200 famous artists spanning 8 centuries and 6 continents.  It lists each artist’s name, years they lived, nationality, art style/period, and art medium.

    This reference tool makes it easy to browse possible artists to teach and to identify artists that fit into your lessons.  Scan the pages to find artists from a specific country or time period, artists who work in a certain medium, or artists of a certain style or movement.  


    The guide also includes a space for notes on each artist so you can jot down when you taught that artist, what classes you covered that artist in, or anything you’d like to remember about the artist.



    Subscribe to my newsletter today and receive this must-have guide to add to your art teaching toolkit!  By subscribing to my newsletter, you will also receive monthly artist spotlights and other helpful resources for art teachers.  I promise not to clutter up your inbox with weekly or daily emails, and I will never share your information with anyone.


      Built with ConvertKit
      I poured hours of research into creating this Artist Reference Guide, digging up stats on the most famous artists worldwide and throughout history.  After putting all that work into creating this resource, there was no way I was going to keep it all to myself!  I am happy to share this guide with you, and I hope you find it to be an essential resource in your art curriculum!

      Comments

      Post a Comment

      Blog Posts

      Van Gogh Swirling Skies

      Image
       5 th grade students love looking at Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night and creating their own personalized version. Students learn about emphasis, movement, silhouette, and warm/cool colors in this fun art project! *** This full lesson with the instructional materials is available on Teachers Pay Teachers , Classful , and Made By Teachers *** Discussing Artwork and Envisioning our own Landscapes Before the lesson begins, we use this PowerPoint to look at Vincent van Gogh’s artwork, with a special focus on The Starry Night .  I have yet to meet a student who had never seen The Starry Night before. Learning about an artwork that is already familiar to students helps them to feel more connected to the art world. We discuss what makes The Starry Night so well-loved, why it has become so famous, and which elements and principles of art van Gogh utilizes in the work (namely, emphasis and movement in the sky) After brainstorming some creative possibilities, students d...
      Read more

      20 Great African American Artists

      Image
      Black History Month is a fantastic time to spotlight some inspirational African American artists! These artists have all made important contributions to the art world. Some of these artists also use their art to express the social and political realities of the Black experience, giving viewers a deeper understanding of Black history. Black artists have historically been underrepresented in art museums and publications. It's important to recognize these artists and teach others about their art and achievements. Here is a list of 20 African American artists you could introduce during Black History Month and all throughout the rest of the year! Download the FREE Printable PDF here! I use PowerPoints to teach my students about several of these artists, including  Jean-Michel Basquiat , Horace Pippin ,  Romare Bearden , Edmonia Lewis , Alma Thomas , and Henry Ossawa Tanner .   Download the Henry Ossawa Tanner PowerPoint for FREE to check it out! The presentations include ...
      Read more

      Impressionist Landscapes

      Image
      These landscape watercolor paintings inspired by Claude Monet and the Impressionists are sure to bring calm to your classroom !   When going outdoors to paint "en plein air" is difficult or impossible, 6th graders use photos for inspiration for these landscapes.  They focus on mixing bright, vivid colors and create their paintings one brushstroke at a time! Step 1:  Introduction and Drawing Show Impressionism paintings, especially those by Claude Monet. I show my students this PowerPoint about Claude Monet's work , and if time allows, I show them artwork by a few other Impressionist artists as well.  The PowerPoints I use are all available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store, All About Art . We discuss what makes Impressionism unique: characteristics like the visible brushstrokes, the exaggerated bright colors, and the calm and peaceful atmosphere.  Tell students we will be making our own Impressionist Landscape paintings! Now, the Impre...
      Read more

      Kehinde Wiley Self Portraits

      Image
      Students are amazed by African American artist Kehinde Wiley's incredible talent, and they are drawn to his contemporary style.   Inspired by his work, 7th graders created these realistic self-portraits overlapped by patterned backgrounds. They were so proud of the results! *** This full lesson with all the handouts is available on Teachers Pay Teachers , Classful , and Made By Teachers *** Step 1: Introduction to Kehinde Wiley, and Drawing our Portraits I begin this lesson by showing my students a 36-slide PowerPoint about contemporary artist Kehinde Wiley and his realistic portraits. Sign up to the All About Art newsletter below if you would like me to send you the PowerPoint! Get the PowerPoint Built with ConvertKit After looking at and discussing Kehinde Wiley's work, we begin drawing our own realistic and proportional self-portraits. We use a "Drawing a Portrait" handout to help guide us.   We first draw the shape of our faces, a...
      Read more

      Romero Britto Pop Art

      Image
      Students really seem to be drawn to contemporary artist Romero Britto and his vibrant, cheerful paintings! In this easy art lesson, 3rd Grade students choose any subject matter to transform into a piece of Pop Art using patterns, bold lines, and bright colors! *** This full lesson with the student handout is available on  Teachers Pay Teachers ,  Classful , and  Made By Teachers  *** Step 1:  Introduction and Drawing Before the lesson begins, introduce your students to contemporary Brazilian artist Romero Britto.  We specifically focus our discussion on the bold black outlines, the fun patterns, and the bright colors in his work. Students choose their own subject matter to focus their work on - landscapes, objects, food items, symbols - anything that captures their interest is fair game!  This project works great as a seasonal art activity too.. you could draw pumpkins, mittens, hearts, and more! My Romero Britto Lesson includes all of...
      Read more