This bat chalk pastel art is so fun and easy and great for kids of all ages! The bright chalk pastels on black paper make the whole image look like it’s glowing. Kids will learn a simple chalk pastel technique that gives wow results every time!
Pastels are so fun for kids to explore! Take a look at my collection of chalk pastel art for more creative ideas kids will love.
This would make a great Halloween art activity or a great project idea to connect to a bat unit in the classroom or at home. We love making bat art projects, take a look at our Halloween Art Project with 3D Paper Bats for another great idea!
Create your own bat chalk pastel art
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Supplies
- Printable bat template available here in my shop
- White cardstock
- Black pastel paper, black drawing paper, cardstock or construction paper
- Chalk pastels
- Scissors
- Painters tape
- Paper towels
- Blending stick or q-tip (optional)
- Workable fixative (optional)
Instructions to make your bat art project
1. Print out your bat template onto white cardstock. Printing it out on thicker paper makes it easier for kids to work with.
Cut out your template and tape it down onto black paper. We used black pastel paper for this project, but use black drawing paper for chalk pastels all the time. Both work great.
You can even use black scrapbook paper or construction paper if you are doing this project in the classroom.
2. Have kids decide on the pastel colors they want to use. You don’t have to stick to Halloween colors here, bright colors or even rainbow colors would look great!
Start by drawing thick lines around your bat template. You want the lines to be fairly thick so there is enough chalk to smudge with.
3. Once you are done drawing around the template, it’s time to smudge! I like to use my fingers for this step, I find it gets the best results. Some kids don’t like to get chalk on their fingers so they can try using a q-tip or blending stick to smudge.
Smudge around the bat in an outward direction. Remind kids not to smudge back and forth, this will only make the colors look muddy.
For more easy chalk pastel techniques, check out these 5 essential chalk pastel techniques for beginners.
Have lots of paper towels on hand for kids to wipe their fingers with. If I am smudging from a light color to a dark color, I will wipe my hands in between so the colors don’t mix together.
This is a good time to take your pastel art outside and blow off the excess dust!
4. Carefully lift off the template to reveal your amazing bat art!
If you find that a lot of pastel dust has gotten underneath your template, you can use a q-tip to carefully wipe it away.
5. As an optional last step, you can spray your artwork with a workable fixative to help prevent smudging, but it’s not necessary.
This bat chalk pastel art was such a cool Halloween project! Super easy and fun and a great way for kids to explore chalk pastels.
Tips for working with chalk pastels
Chalk pastels can be messy (but so fun!). There are a few things you can do to help keep some of the mess contained:
- Put newspaper down on desks or tables
- Put your project on a tray or a shallow cardboard box which will keep most of the mess inside the tray
- You can try doing your project outside
- Have lots of paper towels handy
- Once you are done with your project (or even halfway through if it gets really dusty), take it outside to gently blow or shake off the excess dust
- If you are using chalk pastels in the classroom and the kids are ready to take their artwork home, simply place the art between some newspaper to keep it from smudging and for easy transport.
We love creating and exploring with different art supplies. If you are looking for more art projects to try, take a look at our ultimate collection of amazing art projects for kids!
>> Click here to get the printable template and PDF version of this bat chalk pastel art project.
A PDF that is perfect for printing out or projecting onto a whiteboard in the classroom for kids to follow along! PDF includes a lesson plan overview, materials needed, step-by-step instructions and photos, and a printable template.
More chalk pastel art kids will love
Gorgeous Fall Leaf Chalk Pastel Art Kids can Make
Awesome Galaxy Chalk Pastel Art Project for Kids
Follow me on Pinterest for more amazing project ideas.
Pin this bat craft for later
Spooky Bat Chalk Pastel Art Project for Kids
This bat chalk pastel art is a fun and easy Halloween project idea that kids will love! Use just a few simple supplies and an easy chalk pastel technique that kids of all ages can do.
Materials
- Black pastel paper, drawing paper, cardstock or construction paper
- White cardstock
- Bat printable template
- Chalk pastels
- Painters tape
- Q-tip (optional)
Tools
- Blending stick (optional)
- Scissors
Instructions
- Print out your bat template onto white cardstock.
- Tape the template down onto black paper. We used black pastel paper for this project but use black drawing paper for chalk pastels all the time. You could also try using cardstock or construction paper.
- Have kids choose the chalk pastel colors they would like to use. Start drawing thick lines around your template with chalk pastels.
- Once you have drawn thick lines around the whole bat printable, you can start to smudge! Use your fingers to smudge the colors in an outward direction.
Remind kids not to smudge back and forth, this will mix the pastels too much and create muddy colors.
Some kids do not like using their fingers to blend chalk pastels, they can try using a q-tip or blending stick instead. - If there is a lot of dust on the paper at this point, take your paper outside and blow off the excess pastel dust.
- Gently lift off the template to reveal your bat art! If there is a lot of dust underneath the printable, try using a q-tip to clean it up.
