Learn to make 3D cardboard portraits from Barbara Rucci of Art Bar Blog. An easy portrait-making art activity for kids from a beautiful new book that is full of process art activities for kids.
Updated June 2025
We tried the cardboard collage faces project from Bar Rucci’s book Art Workshop for Children—and it completely took over our studio in the best way.
What started as a simple invitation to create turned into an ongoing art exploration that lasted over a week. We kept the materials out, and the kids returned to them again and again, adding to their big cardboard faces and inventing all kinds of new creations—through three playdates and plenty of independent studio time.
The project, like so many in the book, is open-ended, engaging, and easy to adapt for different ages and group sizes. It’s a perfect example of how process art can spark deep, lasting creative play.
Here’s how to make these fun cardboard portraits!
Cardboard Portraits for Kids
MATERIALS
- Cardboard (feel free to raid the recycling bin!)
- Glue
- Scissors or X-acto knife
- Black Sharpies
- Paint
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut and glue cardboard
Cut a variety of big and small shapes out of cardboard for the project. You can set these up on your workspace, along with glue.
Then, glue the necks and heads together. Add cardboard shapes for eyes and noses, ears and mouths, and even necklaces.
- Add details
After you’ve glued all parts of the head, use black Sharpies to add details to the cardboard portraits such as eyelashes, teeth, etc. to your faces.
Then paint your portraits to add some color!
In subsequent days and rounds, we drew and painted more, added extra embellishments and got even more 3D with egg carton eyes and more!
We found this activity so inspiring and could keep going and going. Our windowsill is lined with our cardboard faces and I have more ideas for variations.
More Portrait Activities for Kids
- Explore Texture With Mixed Media Collage Portraits for Kids
- How to Make Frida Kahlo Portraits for Kids
- Recycled Self Portrait Collage for Kids
- How to Draw Abstract Self Portraits
- How to Draw Superhero Self-Portraits (+ Printable!)
- Self Portrait Art for Toddlers
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