Long before kids, as a teacher I fell in love with the simplicity of Eric Carle’s words and art. He creates beautiful stories filled with vivid and unique prints. The stories could engage the youngest of reader, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, with colors, shapes, and textures or help guide a child to find the moral and be contented with who they are, The Mixed-Up Chameleon.
All his works are created by making paper and creating collages with the prints. He houses a large collection of paper to create his illustrations. It is the perfect art project for the novice artist, whether big or small. You could start your own collection of printed papers to create your very own Eric Carle inspired art.
It’s quite simple and the best part is there is no right or wrong way to do it; use what tools you have on hand. The best medium is thin paper that can easily be cut or ripped to create your collage, Eric uses tissue paper. We headed to Walmart to pick up our color for making paper. We’ve been experimenting with different applications and the focus this time was simple patterns, repetition for our #ColorfulCreations.
Supplies:
Crayola crayons
Crayola sidewalk chalk
Crayola washable paint
Crayola paper
paintbrushes, foam brushes, forks, sponges
Directions:
Remember there is no right or wrong way to do this. I found it easiest to use a wide foam brush or bristle brush to lay down the first layer of color.
Next layer paint or use the tools you have on hand to add texture. Here are a few of our favorite techniques and how we accomplished them.
Hang or lay your papers to dry. The beauty of kids paint is it dries quickly. For the outdoor chalk prints spray with hairspray to set.
Once your prints have dried you are ready to begin making your collages. Most of Eric Carle’s art is inspired by nature. We read a couple of books before crating our papers and collages as a starting point. Then we looked to the world outside our window to inspire our creative endeavors indoors.
You may choose to lay down the simple pattern of your collage using crayon. For younger children have them rip the paper into shapes. This is a great activity for building fine motor skills. For children 4 and over try blunt tipped scissors.
Select one of your papers or a plain piece to layer your print on. Use glue sticks or school glue to adhere your shapes/images to your background. Add details to your collage using crayon.
#CollectiveBias
