Color and paint warm and cool colors on paper. Then turn into colorful collage art for kids inspired by Alma Thomas.
I’ve enjoyed the work of Alma Thomas for some time now. The vivid colors and patterns in her work instantly draw you in and are a great way to introduce concepts such as color theory and shape. It’s also a valuable opportunity to explore female artists and black history.
Alma Thomas used different types of art materials, like paints and crayons in her artwork (just like us!). She used bold colors and dabbed marks of paint over the canvas to create abstract pictures and radial designs.
This project is a great opportunity to try a collage art as it is accessible to a wide age range. And you likely have all the needed materials at home!
Collage Art for Kids
MATERIALS
Time needed: 2 days.
INSTRUCTIONS
Note: This is a two part project.
- Treasure hunt for colors
Start your time by taking a look at photos of Alma Thomas’ work to get inspired! We discuss the patterns and colors seen in the images.
Then I ask the children to go on a treasure hunt to find colorful objects from around the house, we identify the colors and group into warm colors (red, orange and yellow) or cold colors (blue, some purple and some green). This is a great way for kids to get up and move around a little! - Identify warm colors
Next, kids can look through their art materials and identify the pencils, crayons, markers and paints that have warm color tones.
- Color paper with warm & cool colors
Start to cover a sheet of paper in warm colors. Begin to color first with lines and patterns, then fill in the negative spaces with paint. Discuss different types of marks that different art materials make. You can use any art materials that you have at home, and it’s also a great opportunity to explore new materials to see what they can do.
It’s fun to stop once in a while and point out interesting things in each other’s artwork. This helps to build community and confidence among children, siblings, etc.
Once the paper is covered in warm colors, it’s time to do the same with cool colors on a separate piece of paper. You will end up with one paper filled with warm tones and a second with cool tones. This is a good stopping point if you’d like to come back to this project later. - Assemble collage
Start to cut paper first into strips and then into smaller shapes. Use a combination of the warm and cold papers to create a collage inspired by Alma Thomas. It’s useful to take another look at Alma’s work at this point for extra inspiration!
I love how every child’s artwork turns out so differently, but with common themes of color, nature and pattern shining through.
Read About Alma Thomas
For additional reading about Alma Thomas, I recommend Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History and Women in Art.
More Collage Art for Kids
- Paul Klee Art for Kids – Colorful City Collages
- How to Make Marble Paper Art Landscape Collages for Kids
- Collage Art Ideas for Kids
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