This art activity allows children to explore color combinations while trying their hand at pop art. Pop art shows everyday items drawn in brightly colored ways reminiscent of comics. The repetition of the same item creates interest. Because children are coloring photocopied images, this is an easy-to-do art project.
Materials
- Photocopy machine
- Photocopy paper
- Colored pencils
- Black construction paper
- Glue stick
Creating Hand Colored Pictures
- Select an image from a photograph or magazine. Look for a close-up of the face of an animal or person. Don’t worry about what is in the background.
- Depending on the size of the image, you will need to shrink the size of the image in half. You want photocopies that are a bit smaller than three by four inches.
- If the photocopy machine has a “photo” setting, set the machine so it can copy the photograph with more details.
- Set the photocopy machine to the lightest print setting. This may be too light, so run a sample. You still want to see details. If most of the image looks washed out, darken the setting.
- Photocopy the image four times.
- Color each image differently. Use colored pencils and color the photocopied images brightly. It isn’t necessary to use many colors in each image. To eliminate details in the background, shade the entire area with one color.
- It may be tempting to scribble quickly some color over the picture. Instead, be careful to color each area of the photocopy, even if you are coloring over a black area.
- If possible, create a link between the images with thoughtful color schemes. If one image uses green, blue, and purple, consider using purple, red, and orange for the image next to it.
- Cut out the colored photocopies.
- Arrange on a sheet of black construction paper so each image has a thin border of black separating it from the other pictures.
- Glue in place.
Creating Pop Art Presents and Cards
This easy-to-do project creates a fun finished piece of art. For birthday or holiday presents, look for pictures of parents or grandparents to photocopy and then color by hand. Hand-color one larger picture or work with four, eight, or even twelve small images.
A 5”x7” or 8”x10” image can show the person’s entire body. When using a small image look for a picture of the person’s face.
Frame the final piece in an acrylic frame with a refrigerator magnet on the back or any other frame that is plain and simple.
Another idea is to use one picture for the front of a greeting card.
To learn more about pop art, look at Andy Warhol’s pop art portraits of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe. Experiment with different pictures and color schemes on other hand-colored photocopied images.
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