Easy Mondrian Art for Kids

If you’re looking for easy Mondrian art for kids, this is it! Kids K & up will catch on quickly. It uses simple materials, needs minimal prep, can be completed in a single class period, and clean-up is a breeze. What’s not to love?

You’ll find lots of opportunities for learning here… art history, design concepts, color theory, and vocabulary. It also offers great practice for gluing whether you use a glue stick or Elmers. Best of all, everyone can be successful. Try it and see for yourself!

Dutch painter, Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), was one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His abstract designs had a huge influence on the graphic design, architecture, and interior design of his day. He was best known for his stylized, geometric designs of black and white grids filled with bright, primary colors. Students are fascinated to see his work still influencing designs used today!

Materials:

9×12 white construction paper
9×12 black construction paper, cut into 12″x1/2″ strips
9×6 construction paper in primary colors (red, yellow, blue), cut into assorted sizes of squares and rectangles
scissors
glue (glue stick or Elmers)

Directions:

(Vocabulary words in bolds)

1. Show examples of Mondrian’s abstract paintings, pointing out his geometric shapes (squares and rectangles) and use of primary colors (red, yellow, and blue).

2. Give each student one piece of 9×12 white paper, several strips of 1/2″x12″ black paper, and some assorted sizes of red, yellow, and blue squares and rectangles.

3. Then have students create a “grid” with the black strips on the white paper.

Have them start with one vertical and one horizontal line that intersect. Explain that their designs will be more interesting if they don’t divide the paper exactly in half or make too many shapes that look the same.

4. Glue those first two strips down so they’re perpendicular to each other and to the edges of the paper. Then glue one of the primary color shapes into one of the corners where the black strips intersect.

5. Now add two more black strips along the edges of the shape you just glued down.

6. Continue adding black strips and colored squares or rectangles until your design looks balanced and complete. Here are some tips for a successful Mondrian-inspired design:

A couple of your black strips can go from one edge of the paper to the other. But your design will be more interesting if most of them do not go all the way across.
Aim for having more white sections than sections with color.
When gluing, always apply your glue to the smaller piece of paper, and then stick the smaller paper to the larger one.
If using a glue stick, apply glue with an “X” across the middle and an outline around the edge.
If using Elmers, apply sparingly in very small dots. Sometimes it helps to say to yourself, “Dot, dot, not a lot”, as a reminder!