Picture Book Art: Eric Carle

One of the most popular programs at the children's museum where I used to work was an art program where we created pieces based on stories we read. I wanted to try a program with that idea, but make it a little more picture book- based. Hence, Picture Book Art! We started by talking about the difference between an author and an illustrator (and how sometimes they're the same person). Then we read The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle, talked about collages/how to make them, and got start making our own collage masterpieces! This program was for 2-5 year olds and took about 30 minutes.

Art in action:

We used glue and tissue paper to cover animals however we chose, although we did talk about how in the book we read, Eric Carle chose to use one color family per animal. Eric Carle's specific method of collage was a little complicated for 2-5 year olds, so we had a video playing in the background where he explains how he does his illustrations:

This program was a lot of fun! I love doing huge programs, but sometimes it feels really good to do a quiet program where families feel like they can settle in together and work however they feel. The simple collage method we did felt just right for this age group, but it would be fun to try it the exact way Eric Carle does it (but definitely with older kids since it would involve a knife and/or scissors). I can't wait to try another session with a new artist in the fall!