Painting with Scissors!

Henri Matisse (French Modern Artist, 1869–1954)

This program is for kids in grades 1-3 and focuses on creating art inspired by the French Modern Artist, Henri Matisse. 

When Matisse was older he was struggling with illness and reduced mobility. Because of this, Matisse was not able to paint like he used so he began experimenting with another medium: papercutting. Cutting dramatic shapes from painted paper allowed him to still create striking new works of art. Twenty of these were published in a book under the title Jazz, because of the influence of music on his work, and the spirit of jazz-like spontaneity that influenced his creative process. During this program children will listen to jazz music while creating artwork, just as Matisse once did!

Printable children's biography on Henri Matisse, Matisse coloring sheets, and more at the following link: http://makingartfun.com/htm/f-maf-art-library/henri-matisse-biography.htm

Objective: Explore the French modern artist Henri Matisse and experiment with art using gouache, scissors, and paper to recreate a work of their own after one of his cut-outs.

Books:
Henri’s Scissors by Jeanette Winter
When Pigasso Met Mootisse by Nina Laden

Supplies:
Jazz music on CD
CD player
Paintbrushes
Paint dishes
Gouache
Plain white cardstock paper
Colored construction paper
Butcher paper
MarkersScissors
Gluesticks
Images of Matisse’s artwork

Step 1:  Play jazz music in the background to set the mood for the program. You can explain to children that this type of music is what inspired Matisse to make such spontaneous works of art out of painted paper. So to begin,  first have children play with gouache by painting on a white piece of card stock paper, covering the whole piece of paper and then set aside to dry. Have paint available in bold Matisse colors like blue, orange, yellow, and green.
Step 2:  Read Henri’s Scissors by Jeanette Winter. By reading this book, children will learn that Matisse’s cut outs were created late in Matisse's life when he was confined to a wheelchair, and could not paint anymore.
Step 3: Show children images of Matisse’s cut outs to get an idea of what his art really looked like.
Step 4:  Each child will cut out one largee shape using a full 8” by 11’’ piece of colored paper. Then place the shapes onto the butcher paper. By now, the gouache papers that children painted earlier will have dried so children can create cut-outs from that paper too. Have children sketch shapes lightly on the paper prior to cutting. Remember to hang up many examples of Matisse's art around the room for inspiration.
Step 5: Glue the cut outs down to the large sheet of butcher paper. Have each child decide where they want their placements to go. Agree upon a title for the large masterpiece and add the date at the bottom right corner. For example: Library Jazz, June 26, 2015.
Step 6: If time permits, give children a blank bookmark to color freely or to make a "mini" collage on. They make take this home to complete if they’d like.
Step 7: Hang final Matisse-inspired masterpiece in the Children’s Department!

Here are some pictures of the children from the program I did:

“There are wonderful things in real jazz, the talent for improvisation, the liveliness, the being at one with the audience,” Matisse wrote. That spirit will be cultivated and celebrated during this library program. 

Picture Books for the Young Budding Artist

Is there a young budding artist in your life? Consider surprising them with one of these beautifully illustrated picture books for children in preschool through grade 3! They're all available at the Naperville Public Library!

 Art by Patrick McDonnell. Rhyming text describes how little Art makes passionate zigzags, "scribbles that squiggle," lots of dots and "the curliest cue." His creations, rendered in watercolor and crayon, become a neighborhood scene and the location of Art's dream. He awakens to find his artwork proudly displayed on the family refrigerator, "put there by Mother 'cause mother loves Art."

Danny's Drawing Book by Sue Heap. A snowy trip to the zoo with his friend Ettie prompts Danny to write an illustrated story with pencil sketches in his drawing book. Danny draws himself and Ettie into the story and suddenly the friends are on an exciting adventure with an elephant and an aardvark. This imaginative story is sure to inspire many children to write their own illustrated stories this winter!

Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty. This adorable picture book features Jeremy and his unique illustration of a monster that comes to life! Suddenly, the blue, squiggly, horned monster demands that Jeremy draw him a whole assortment of objects. "Draw me a sandwich. I’m hungry!" "Draw me a telephone. Somebody might call," the monster exclaims. How will Jeremy ever get rid of this annoying monster?

Lily Brown's Paintings by Angela Johnson, Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Lilly Brown loves spending time with her family, but when she begins painting, the stars visit sidewalk cafes, the trees wear hats and drink tea, the fruit at the market stand laughs out loud, and the wind carries stories across the ocean. Vivid watercolor illustrations celebrate children’s imaginations and depict the magic that the young girl finds in art.

A Day With No Crayons by Elizabeth Rusch. A Day With No Crayons is a delightful children's picture book celebrating creativity. When young Liza draws on the white wall with crayons, her mother takes them away. With the crayons gone, all the color drains from Liza's world. What does the budding artist do? She squirts her toothpaste angrily and stomps through mud puddles. Through these acts, Liza inadvertently creates art—and eventually discovers color in the world around her.

When Pigasso Met Mootisse by Nina Laden. In this charming tales of modern artists, a cleverly named pig, Pigasso, and a colorful bull, Mootisse and Pigasso start out as neighbors but end up fueding when they start criticizing one another’s work. The painters end up with a colorful mess by ultimately building a fence between the two. Based loosely on the real-life relationship between Picasso and Matisse, this tale is a wonderful tribute to these exceptional talents and to the concept of accepting the ideas of others. This title is sure to be perfect for any young artist’s personal library.

Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. This riveting children’s picture book encourages children to view mistakes not as failures but opportunities. As the book states, "A torn piece of paper" (the cardboard is actually torn)… is just the beginning (of an alligator’s smile). Throughout this book, various spills and paint blobs are transformed into animals, a folded sheet of paper becomes a penguin’s head, and most notably, a panel with a hole in the center telescopes outward, accordion-style, to reveal a tiny creature way at the bottom. This inspirational book is sure to inspire children to take creative risks and not condemn their mistakes.

Recent research demonstrates a correlation between the arts and higher academic performance. In the report, "Learning, Arts and the Brain", seven universities presented several studies discussing how visual arts, music, and dance training and skill positively impact learning (The Dana Foundation, 2008). To encourage artistic expression among children, rouse their creative spirit by checking out one of the above illustrated picture books!