From mess to masterpiece
Create a piece of modern art from that unruly pile of abstract watercolors your kids made. You know, that pile you can’t bear to toss, but don’t know exactly what to do with? Simply have them cut circles (supply safety scissors for the real young ones, of course) from the paintings and arrange them neatly on a piece of poster board. Suddenly those old messy watercolors take on a whole new look—as a bright piece of modern art suitable for framing. From mess to masterpiece
Little Circles (ages 3+)
Materials
- Watercolor paper
- Watercolor paint and brushes
- Scissors
- Pencil & eraser
- Glue stick
- 16x20 poster board
- 16x20 frame
Directions
- 1 Find or purchase a large frame (16x20) and a piece of white poster board the same size.
- 2 Have kids create multiple watercolor paintings on watercolor paper.
- 3 When the paintings are dry, trace circles (using a water glass or other round object) on the watercolor paintings. Then, using scissors, cut out the circles making sure you have enough to fill your poster board.
- 4 When you’re ready to assemble the final piece, trace a light border about 3” in from all sides of your poster board using a pencil that can be easily erased.
- 5 Arrange the circles within the borders loosely to see how many circles you will need for each row and each column. When you have a layout, glue each circle to the poster board using glue stick.
- 6 Allow to dry, and frame the final piece.
Creativity, within bounds
Pick a color palette for your kid’s collages, and you’ll end up with artwork that matches your decor! Choosing materials in monochromatic tones may seem limiting at first but restrictions (think haikus) are known to release even more creativity. Make an effort to provide various textures and materials, and your budding artist will have plenty of room to experiment and explore—and you’ll have an interesting one-of-a-kind piece to display!
Creativity, within boundsMonochrome Collages (ages 2+)
Materials
- Poster board for background
- Rubber cement / matte medium / glue sticks
- Tissue paper
- Ribbon, fabric, beads, etc.
Directions
- 1 Choose a color scheme and gather lots of different materials in that color scheme. It’s a good idea to collect materials over time and keep them separated by color or material and store them in separate Ziploc® brand bags. Materials can include felt, tissue paper, construction paper, beads, ribbon, fabric, stickers, markers, pens and pencils, paint, etc.
- 2 Allow kids to make their collage on a piece of poster board using only the color they selected.
- 3 Once the piece is dry, place in frame.
Wild for repetition
Introduce your little Picasso to three essential elements of design—repetition, rhythm, and pattern—with markers and animal silhouettes! Using metallic markers makes for an especially striking and sophisticated accent for any room. Wild for repetition
Metallic Patterned Animals
(ages 5+)
Materials
- Construction paper
- Metallic markers
- Printer and downloadable PDF
Directions
- 1 Print our animal shapes to trace on the paper of your choice (we used the combination of darker paper and metallic markers. With metallic markers and younger children, an adult should trace over the printed outline with the metallic marker.)
- 2 Have kids fill in the space with any pattern(s) they choose. They can use multiple different colored markers, or stick with 1 or 2.
- 3 Frame the finished piece.
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