Chalk Art
Make sidewalk chalk art reproductions
AGES: Seven to 13
- Masking tape (optional)
- Colored chalk
- White chalk
- Illustrations from books or comic books, or reproductions of master paintings (postcards work great)
- A sidewalk or paved driveway
Be advised that some kids, especially younger ones, may rather make their own art as opposed to reproducing someone else’s. If that’s the case with your kids, let them follow their own inspirations, decorating their names or drawing an original chalk masterpiece.
Gather any art books, comics or any other book with lots of good illustrations. If you don’t have a good variety at home, make a trip to the library with the kids. Another wonderful source is an art museum gift shop–in addition to stocking art books, they often carry hundreds of art postcards. Let the children pick the piece of art they’re most attracted to, but try to steer them gently away from pictures with lots of intricate details. We worked with some Impressionist paintings which, with their pastel colors and interpretive lines, were perfect. On a clear day, mark out a rectangle in chalk or masking tape on your sidewalk or other paved surface. Make it larger than the original but be sure to keep the same shape. Place the picture of art beside the “frame” and begin. Give the kids their chalk and encourage them to draw the major elements in white. If the original has a complex perspective, explain that they can begin by drawing the objects in the foreground and work their way back. Remind them that none of the lines have to be perfect! Fill in the colors and detail, layering colors on top of each other and blending with fingers to get different effects. When the painting is finished, be sure to have the “artists” sign their work!
