Get your Yayoi Kusama polka dot Pumpkin

Inspired Artwork by 1st grade kids

This is a fabulous art lesson to learn about a current artist and an alternative way to create pumpkin art. 

Not your everyday art.

The students explored basic design principles with opposites to create contrast within their composition: 

1- black vs white 

2- line design vs dots

3- warm colors (usually lighter) vs cool colors (usually darker)

  I came across this art project over at Plastiquem.

The artwork explains itself, but here are simple directions just in case.

•  First the kids picked from either light/warm  or dark/cool color papers to draw their pumpkin on.

• Next, if they picked a warm/lighter color, then they painted with black dots. If they drew their pumpkin on a cool/dark color, they painted white dots on their pumpkin. 

• When painting the pumpkins we started in the middle of each pumpkin section. We dipped our thumb to make the larger dots, then a pencil eraser top for the next size, and then a pencil tip for the smallest size. If the students were able to follow those directions, their dot design really popped!

• Once the pumpkins were dry, we cut the pumpkins out and used the opposite warm/cool or light/dark color for the back ground. If their dots were black, then they created a triangle design background with white. You get the idea. 

The kids learned many basic design and color theory principles and had fun. 

Original artwork by Yayoi Kusama

(below)

 Read a short life story about Yayoi Kusama