Mondrian for Kids

Mondrian art lesson

Create a cut, color, + paste, for kindergarten students, with a tie-into artist Piet Mondrian. Paper collage using only line, shape, + color are demonstrated in simple step-by-step instructions. Kindergarten students illustrate the head of a cat + learn about artist Piet Mondrian who made numerous artworks using only line, shape, + color throughout his career. This is a construction paper, glue, + crayon lesson for elementary students.

Scroll down to find:

background info on artist Piet Mondrian
photographs 4 reference
step-by-step instructions with pictures of the project
a lesson plan (including California State Visual Art Standards)

about piet mondrian

Piet Mondrian

- Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan, after 1906 Piet Mondrian
- March 7, 1872 Netherlands -February 1, 1944 New York
- Known for painting
- Education Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten 1892-1897

Composition II 1930 in Red, Blue and Yellow

"Broadawy Boogie Woogie" 1942

Mondrian dress by Yves St Laurent shown with a Mondrian painting 1966

step-by-step instructions for art project

1st PROJECT EXAMPLE: glue 3 strips - horizontally, as shown

place/cut 3 strips vertically, as shown - from a line to a line or to edge of page

from a red strip - cut squares

from a strip of blue paper - cut blue square

2nd PROJECT EXAMPLE: cut strips - cut smaller pieces from strips, as needed

glue 1 black strip horizontally, as shown

glue a 2nd black strip horizontally

glue a black strip vertically from top of white page to bottom - measure + cut paper prior to glueing

cut them glue a black strip from top black horizontal to top of white paper

cut then glue black piece from black horizontal to black horizontal

cut + glue black piece fro black to bottom of page - right side or as seen in next picture left side

cut then glue black from bottom black horizontal to page bottom - left side - or as seen in last picture on right side

cut then glue black strip vertically from top line to bottom of page

color one, small area red

color one large area blue - + color 2 large areas yellow

objective

Students will have knowledge of the artist Piet Mondrian, as well as familiarity of some of his art pieces. Students will be able to create an art piece, of there own, using colored paper in the style of said artist.

materials

1st PROJECT with RED-BLUE-YELLOW:
- strips of construction paper - or 9"x12" yellow, red, + blue construction paper
- pre-cut strips of yellow, red, + blue 9"x12"x1" construction paper or have students cut strips
- scissors
- liquid glue - liquid or glue stick
- base construction paper 9"x12" white

2nd PROJECT EXAMPLE with BLACK:
-strips of black construction paper - 9"x12"x1"
-red, yellow, blue crayon, colored pencils, or paint
-scissors
- glue - liquid or glue stick
- base paper - white construction, 9"x12"

vocabulary

Abstract - Artwork in which the subject matter is stated in a brief, simplified manner. Little or no attempt is made to represent images realistically, and objects are often simplified or distorted.
Balance - Visual equilibrium in a composition; achieved by organizing the weight and attention of all elements in an artwork. Types of balance are symmetrical, asymmetrical, radial, and crystallographic.
Collage - An artistic composition made of various materials (e.g. paper, cloth, or wood) glued on a surface.
Color - The visual sensation dependent on the reflection or absorption of light from a given surface. The three characteristics of color are hue, value. and intensity. Color Harmony; The use of compatible colors to help unify a composition.
Elements of Art - Sensory components used to create works of art ; line, color, shape, texture, value, space.
Expressive Content - Ideas that express ideas and moods.
Harmony - The principle of design that combines elements in a work of art to emphasize similarities of separate but related parts.
Media - Plural of medium, referring to materials used to make art; categories of art (e.g. painting, sculpture, film).
Proportion - The size relationships of one part to the whole and of one part to another.
Scale - The size of an object or image that is measured by its relationship to the other objects and images that are recognized for their normal or actual size.
Space - An area in which objects or images can exist.
Shape - A two-dimensional are or plane that may be open or closed, free-form or geometric. It can be found in nature or is made by humans.
Overlap - When one thing is put over another.
Primary Colors - Refers to colors red, yellow, and blue. From these all other colors are created.
Secondary Colors - Colors that are mixtures of two primaries. Red and yellow make orange, yellow and blue make green, and blue and red make violet.
Unity - Total visual effect in a composition

activity

NOTE: Paper colors + the number of colors used for project may vary.

Show students examples of Mondrian.
See examples shown above.
Review proper use os scissors to kindergarten students before starting lesson.
Demonstrate how to cut strips of construction paper from sides of full sheets of paper.
Demonstrate to students how to cut a square or smaller shape from existing strips of construction paper.
Demonstrate how to trim strips of paper PRIOR to glueing.
Demonstrate how little liquid glue to apply to strips.
Explain + demonstrate in-between, vertically, evenly spaced, over or on top, middle, + sides mean to students.
Follow simple step-by-step instructions.
Always demonstrate for students before they start a step.

variation

- use all paint for complete project
- use colored paper pieces instead of coloring on 2nd project example
- choose another artwork by Mondrian to duplicate
- let students create their own Mondrian style using only lines, red, yellow, + blue

ca state visual art standards

2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION
Skills, Processes, Materials, and Tools
2.1 Use lines, shapes/forms, and colors to make patterns.
2.2 Demonstrate beginning skills in the use of tools and processes, such as the use of scissors, glue, and paper in a three-dimensional construction.