Mix 'n Match Faces • TeachKidsArt

Each month brings a new challenge with the Children’s Museum of the Arts (CMA) CIVIC KIDS campaign! Their theme for November is “Equity”…. perfect for election month, don’t you think?!

equity

noun

1 the equity of society: fairness, justness, impartiality, egalitarianism; objectivity, balance, open-mindedness.”

The challenge is open to kids everywhere… you don’t need to live in NYC to participate! Simply create a project inspired by the theme of the month and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #CMACIVICKIDS.

For this month’s theme, CMA chose a drawing game inspired by the Surrealist artists of the early 1900’s, folding a piece of paper so that each child works on an equal section (hence the equity!). Each section of the drawing is completed independently, without seeing what comes before or after. The big reveal at the end will have everyone laughing! You can see their project idea here.

For my “twist” on CMA’s project, I wanted to share a fun variation I call “Mix ’n Match Faces”, adapted from a project in the classic book Gene Baer’s Wild & Wonderful Art Lessons.

Keeping with the theme of “Equity”, each student works on an equal, three-part section of a single piece of paper to create a face. Then, with the help of a few strategically-placed cuts, the paper can be re-folded again and again to create so many silly variations! It’s fun for a group of students to collaborate on a single Mix ’n Match, but each student could also make their own.

My talented artist/friend, Bridgett Spicer, did the drawings for my sample project below! Be sure to check out her website to see more of her art, and follow her on Instagram! If you happen to be in Portland, you can see her work in person at Sidestreet Arts.

You’ll need:

12” x 18” white construction paper
6” x 9” card stock (I use an old file folder)
scissors
pencils, markers, crayons, etc.

Directions:

Mix 'n Match Faces step 1 — 1. Fold your 12” x 18” paper in half lengthwise. Then open it up and fold the long edges in to meet in the middle. Unfold and cut off one of the four long sections.

Mix 'n Match Faces step 2 — 2. Use your 6” x 9” card stock as a template to fold your paper into three equal 6” x 9” sections. You can trace along the edge of your card stock with a pencil first if that’s helpful.

Mix 'n Match Faces step 3 — 3. Cut on the fold lines that cross the 6” x 9” sections on either end, stopping when you get to the middle section.

Mix 'n Match Faces step 4 — 4. Draw a face in the middle section, with the forehead and hair in the top part, the eyes, ears, and nose in the middle part, and the mouth, chin, and neck in the bottom part.

Mix 'n Match Faces step 5 — 5. Pass your paper to the next student who folds the three flaps on the left over the middle section and draws a new face, lifting the flaps back and forth as they draw to make sure that any connecting lines between the new face and the face below it line up with each other.

Mix 'n Match Faces step 6 — 6. Repeat this step with a new student who folds over the flaps on the right and draws another new face.

Add some color with markers or crayons, if you want. You can make Mix ’n Match Booklets with people, animals, or any crazy creatures you can imagine! For subjects that are more horizontal than vertical, simply turn your paper so that the flaps move up and down, instead of right and left.

Be sure to share your projects with the hashtag #cmacivickids!

Bonus points for any students who can use their math skills to figure out how many possible combinations there are with this project! (Hint: Multiply the number of choices of top parts x middle parts x bottom parts = 3 x 3 x 3 = 27 possible combinations!)