As a homeschool mom, I am always looking for ways to be creative and hands-on with our schooling. I thought it would be fun to explore Halloween-themed artwork this year for the upcoming holiday. To prepare, I searched the web for famous pieces of art that contained things, like ghosts, spiders, and pumpkins. Each art piece was then paired with a craft or activity and my children and I had fun recreating them into famous art for kids and learning about popular artists!
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Famous Art For Kids
1. Ai Weiwei – Web of Lights
Supplies:
- Contact paper
- String/ribbon
- Tape
- Black paint (optional)
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist and activist. He is famous for his eccentric style and has created multiple forms of art including sculptures, photographs, paintings, and videos. To design his Web of Lights, tape a piece of contact paper to the wall. Give your child some ribbon or string to make their own spider web. My daughter painted spiders onto the final product, but feel free to add your own creative touch!
2. Jose Posada
Supplies:
- Black paper
- Cotton swabs
- Glue
Mexican artist, Jose Posada, is known for his depiction of calaveras which are often designed doing everyday things. His most famous artwork is La Catrina. Make your own calavera with cotton swabs and position it doing one of your favorite activities!
3. Georgia O’Keeffe – Autumn Leaves
Supplies:
- Orange paper
- Leaves
- Glue
American artist Georgia O’Keeffe is known for her paintings of things found in nature like bones, landscapes, and close-ups of flowers. Create an O’Keeffe inspired masterpiece by gluing leaves, artificial or real, onto paper!
4. Yayoi Kusama
Supplies:
- Orange paper
- Black circle stickers of different sizes
- Scissors
Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist whose artwork has a theme of pumpkins running through it. She has been inspired by pumpkins since early childhood and finds solace in their beauty. Design your own by cutting out the shape of a pumpkin with your orange paper and adding circle stickers.
5. Claude Monet – Haystacks
Supplies:
- Paper
- Paint
- Cotton swab
Haystacks is a series of more than twenty-five paintings by the French artist Claude Monet, painted throughout the year. Each one captures the colors of the season at the time. Impressionists like Monet used thin, rather than large strokes in their paintings. To recreate this technique, use a cotton swab to make dabs with your paint rather than strokes. Design your interpretation of the haystack scene.
6. Scott Cummins – Pumpkin Carving
Supplies:
- Orange soap
- Knife (please gauge the skill level of your child for this activity)
Scott Cummins aka the Pumpkin Gutter is a teacher who spends his free time carving pumpkins. Some of the things he sculpts, include famous people and movie characters. Use orange colored soap and sculpt your own design!
7. Jackson Pollock
Supplies:
- Paper
- Old toothbrush
- Black and orange paint
- Glitter (optional)
Jackson Pollock created much of his artwork by dripping paint on a horizontal canvas. He was known for this abstract style of painting. Create your own Pollock-inspired masterpiece by using an old toothbrush to flick paint on your paper. As an addition, add glitter to the paint before it dries.
8. Edvard Munch The Scream
Norwegian painter, Edvard Munch, drew on his internal emotions and feelings to paint many of his drawings. Recreate his iconic painting by making your best screaming face!
9. Gustav Klimt – Birch Forest I
Supplies:
- Brown paper
- White paper
- Chalk pastels: brown, tan, and silver
- Glue
- Scissors
Design your own birch forest like Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt! Cut out strips of white paper. Add brown lines and silver spirals to the strips with your pastels, and blend with your finger. Bend the paper slightly in half and glue to the brown paper, so it sticks out.
10. Alexander Calder – Ghost
Supplies:
- White paper
- Black marker
- String/ribbon
- Wire hanger
Alexander Calder is an American artist who created a series of 3-D “mobiles.” One of them was called, Ghost. Build your own by cutting out ghost shapes from white paper, and adding eyes and a mouth. Decorate your house by hanging them up using a wire hanger.
What is your favorite famous art for a kids’ piece? Comment below!
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