How do I go about taching kids to paint in a cubist style?

Question

Can anyone give me some hints or tips on techniques to use with kids to help them produce a painting in the style of Picasso or Braque? Preferably still lifes rather than portraits.

Apologies to ferrethol who was obviously so offended by my typo that she forgot to use an apostrophe.

Answer 1

Hey Mimette,

You will like these sites. The first is the best.

Answer 2

I tried Cubist painting with adults and will be trying it with youngsters aged 8 to 16. A still life was set up on square table with 1 chair each side of table. After a while (20mins about) of sketching that view everyone got up and moved to the next chair. It worked for three moves with the drawings overlapping - no rubbing out was allowed. The four people thought it worked quite well - not quite cubist but gave lots of ideas. I will also following the Picasso method mentioned in the other answers. It is not so simple to do but I do think children will be better at the painting than adults. PS I am not a teacher, just an amatuer artist.

Answer 3

Game 1:

Try copying different objects and scenes onto acetates (clear plastic, used for Overhead Projector slides, available from stationery or office supply shops'.

The acetates can be taped together in pairs, to make pictures that combine different images. If they are taped to a window, light shining through the images will help to blend them.

The kids can trace parts of the pictures and transfer them to a paper page, then colour them with the same idea in mind (ie. colours you like rather than those you saw); Several combined images could be used as sources for each painting.

Game 2:

Collect some objects, with contrasting properties, and pass them round.

Each child starts with an object, but only draws a part of it (perhaps time limited) before passing it on to the next. Each object circulates around the table until it gets back to where it started.

(a second or third round can be added, using different objects, according to the mood of the kids)

Again, the colours can be added in the same style (remember to have plenty of spare brushes - the kids WILL forget to circulate some with the paints).

Game 3:

The PAPER circulates, with each child adding some line, some colour, some tone or some marks, from observation of a still-life set. More pieces of paper can be used than children in the group, either by 'feeding in' new sheets at a particular point around the table , or by holding several 'rounds', with a different 'starter' for each.

After a while of this, each child can choose a piece to 'adopt', and add to until it is finished. The additions can be made from the same set, or from a second one.

Answer 4

get the kids to photograph things from different angles, then cut the pictures up and put themback together in differnt order, or different angles. then they may keep working on the photo or paint a version of the picture they have created. we did this a while ago in a school i have worked in and the sessions went well, nearly all of them wanted to paint the picture once one person chose to do that.

another way would be to have items in the middle of a table or area and pass the pictures round everyone so everyone contributes to every picture. teaches people not to be to precious about their work, and to trust other people with their pictures. that one worked well as well. hope these are helpful

Answer 5

why dont you teach them to express themselves and be original!
teachers are responsible for this awful world!
they instill in people the habit of comparison.
i suppose youre gonna give the kid with the best likeness a pat on the head, and the others a nice feeling of inferiority and inadequacy.
then again i suppose the whole of education exists to make people conform and be a cog to fit into an abominable machine...so...
just carry on as you are and narrow their minds all you desire.
after all where would your ego be if you didnt have children to uphold it.
...a boot stamping on a face forever...isnt that what orwell said...

Answer 6

Get several examples of what you want them to imitate (calendars are a cheap way to get nice art for class use). Show the children each one and talk briefly about each. Invite them to ask questions about each piece. Set up a still life similar to one in one of your examples and turn the kids loose to create their own.

Answer 7

i saw Picasso teach children's in a documatery he got them to draw a modle frist with their eyes open then with their eyes closed then to emagine what the other side of their face looked like all of this was done on the one small page with different colours hope it helps

Answer 8

taching? i dont think you should be teaching if you cant spell teaching...