Eric Carle Inspired Art--Part One

Do you ever have those moments where a great idea just falls right into your lap? When the stars seem to align in your favor? When two seemingly unconnected things connect in a way that is pure magic? When, well, you know what I mean. I had one of those moments recently...

My class has been studying the work of Eric Carle. We love his stories and have been very interested in his illustrating style. 

In a seemingly unrelated event, I introduced spray painting with liquid watercolors at the art easels. I gave instructions for how to hold the spray bottle away from the paper so the paint wouldn't bleed all over the paper and waste the paint. As is typical in kindergarten, those instructions served as an invitation. Soon, the drying rack was filled with papers soaked with colors. So much for my warning. As I sat at my guided reading table looking at the "mess" the students had created, something clicked. Suddenly, I went from lamenting the loss of my expensive liquid water color paint to realizing that the art the students had created looked very much like the painted papers Eric Carle uses to create his collages in his books. Alas, a project was born!

The next day, the students and I poured through Eric Carle's books once again. This time, we looked closely at the way he used collage to create his illustrations, especially noting the way he used different colors to make certain details stand out. We also watched a video of Eric Carle working on an illustration for one of his books so we could see the process in action. We were ready!

I matched each student  with a partner and they brainstormed ideas of what they might create. When they had agreed on an idea, they worked together to sketch their plan. The next day, I laid out all the liquid watercolor spray paintings and the students got to work creating their projects. As usual, I was excited to see the dynamics in play when students work with a partner or a small group, and I was reminded why it is so important to create opportunities for the development of these highly important social skills.

The collages are still a work in progress, as you can see from the pictures below. Next week, I will post pictures of the completed projects. I can't wait to see how they turn out!