By Kate Halfey
If you give a child a blank piece of paper and some crayons, they might have a difficult time filling the page. Perhaps they will create something, but often it's the typical pictures of houses and animals, subjects close to mind for most children. Sometimes the easiest way to expand your child's creativity is to expose them to the works of famous artist. This provides inspiration and showcases the idea that art comes in many forms and styles.
For most children, realism is what they produce. These are pictures in which the art resembles an object or scene much as it does in real life. To move beyond realism, it is fun to step slightly out of these bounds into the works of impressionists and post-impressionists, such as Van Gogh and Seurat. For instance, you can download and print a PDF mural from a site such as ArtProjectsForKids.org and have your children create their own unique copy of a work such as Starry Night or Sunday in the Park. In this way, children learn about a famous artist as well as a new style of art, which showcases the idea that a specific scene doesn't have to look completely realistic in order to be a wonderful work of art.
Some painters wanted to encourage people to look at the world a little differently and painted dream-like works that fall under the art style of surrealism. Among the notable names in this category are Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte and Joan Miro. Miro provides a fun and easy opportunity for children's art. Take a look at some of his seemingly simple works that contain just straight lines and circles. Have children draw a stick figure with circles on a paper and color the circles and intersecting areas all different colors. For Magritte, recreate his famous his famous work "Son of Man," and have children create a person with a body and no face. Instead of a face, ask them to replace the body part with a food item or another significant object. This could even be the basis of a cool self portrait and kids can explain why they chose to replace the face with a certain food or item.
The style of art known as abstract is a wonderful option for children as it allows them to create with color but not have to worry about any real structure or form. To begin an abstract project, show them the pictures of Sonia Delauney or Jackson Pollack. For Delauney, consider creating a project based around colorful circles. For Pollack, dive in and get messy, splashing or dripping paint onto a blank canvas or even using your fingers for part of the painting. You can even paint the paper first in one solid color and then splash on a variety of colors.
Pop Art is yet another fun medium to explore, and the artists of this style are inspired by all of the products and topics that are current and modern. For Andy Warhol, this meant painting a can of soup. For David Hockney it means painting something realistic but making it look slightly skewed. For Roy Lichtenstein, inspiration came from the pages of comic books. Any of these artists can serve as the basis for a project. Children can create their own comic strip or paint a picture featuring their favorite food product, such as a box of cereal. For a Hockney-esque work, consider tearing a picture out of a magazine, cutting it into strips or squares and then gluing the pieces back down onto paper. Have the pieces tilt slightly or overlap slightly to create an unusual image.
Art truly lies within the eye of the beholder, and experiencing the styles of various painters can really open up the child's mind and provide them with an opportunity to expand their imagination. So consider showcasing a variety of art styles for your children, and giving them the freedom to explore the world of art.
For most children, realism is what they produce. These are pictures in which the art resembles an object or scene much as it does in real life. To move beyond realism, it is fun to step slightly out of these bounds into the works of impressionists and post-impressionists, such as Van Gogh and Seurat. For instance, you can download and print a PDF mural from a site such as ArtProjectsForKids.org and have your children create their own unique copy of a work such as Starry Night or Sunday in the Park. In this way, children learn about a famous artist as well as a new style of art, which showcases the idea that a specific scene doesn't have to look completely realistic in order to be a wonderful work of art.
Some painters wanted to encourage people to look at the world a little differently and painted dream-like works that fall under the art style of surrealism. Among the notable names in this category are Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte and Joan Miro. Miro provides a fun and easy opportunity for children's art. Take a look at some of his seemingly simple works that contain just straight lines and circles. Have children draw a stick figure with circles on a paper and color the circles and intersecting areas all different colors. For Magritte, recreate his famous his famous work "Son of Man," and have children create a person with a body and no face. Instead of a face, ask them to replace the body part with a food item or another significant object. This could even be the basis of a cool self portrait and kids can explain why they chose to replace the face with a certain food or item.
The style of art known as abstract is a wonderful option for children as it allows them to create with color but not have to worry about any real structure or form. To begin an abstract project, show them the pictures of Sonia Delauney or Jackson Pollack. For Delauney, consider creating a project based around colorful circles. For Pollack, dive in and get messy, splashing or dripping paint onto a blank canvas or even using your fingers for part of the painting. You can even paint the paper first in one solid color and then splash on a variety of colors.
Pop Art is yet another fun medium to explore, and the artists of this style are inspired by all of the products and topics that are current and modern. For Andy Warhol, this meant painting a can of soup. For David Hockney it means painting something realistic but making it look slightly skewed. For Roy Lichtenstein, inspiration came from the pages of comic books. Any of these artists can serve as the basis for a project. Children can create their own comic strip or paint a picture featuring their favorite food product, such as a box of cereal. For a Hockney-esque work, consider tearing a picture out of a magazine, cutting it into strips or squares and then gluing the pieces back down onto paper. Have the pieces tilt slightly or overlap slightly to create an unusual image.
Art truly lies within the eye of the beholder, and experiencing the styles of various painters can really open up the child's mind and provide them with an opportunity to expand their imagination. So consider showcasing a variety of art styles for your children, and giving them the freedom to explore the world of art.
About the Author:
Kate Halfey likes writing about art projects for kids. For additional information about different styles of arts such as Joan Miro for kids art projects or to find Kandinsky circle painting projects, please check out the ArtProjectsForKids.org site now.