Mosaic Flower Vases

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Kindergarteners learn about color patterns and practice their cutting and gluing skills with these lovely mosaic flower vase drawings!  We study Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers and Irises for inspiration, and each student created their own arrangement of beautiful blooms! 

Tiny paper "mosaics" can be purchased from art supply catalogs, but if you have a good paper cutter and are on a tight budget (like me!!), it's easy to chop construction paper into little 1/2 inch squares!



Step 1:  Mosaic Patterns

We begin by looking at Vincent van Gogh's paintings in this PowerPoint, with a special focus on his Sunflowers and Irises paintings. I sometimes like to read a book to my students before we begin an art project, and Laurence Anholt's "van Gogh and the Sunflowers" is a great story to go with this lesson!


Students choose a color for their vase and a stencil shape. They trace their stencil on the colored 4.5"x6" paper and then cut out the shape. As an alternative to using a stencil, students could simply fold the paper in half and cut out their own shape. They would likely require some guidance to ensure the vase is large enough to create some mosaic patterns on.

Each table gets a little cup of mosaic squares. We talk about different color patterns we could make with the squares.  I demonstrate how to apply gluestick to the squares and then arrange them on the vase. Students can get to work on making their mosaic color patterns. Some students just about finish their rows of mosaic patterns by the end of this first class period, but most students need more time to finish later.

Step 2:  Creating Flowers

On the second day, students get a blank piece of 9"x12" white drawing paper. We write our names at the top and use this side of the paper to practice drawing all different types of flowers. After we get some good practice in, students flip this paper over to the blank side, which will become our final drawing.

Students glue their mosaic vases from last week onto the lower middle of their papers. They add a few long stems coming out of their vase and then draw blooms at the top of the stems. They may draw a whole vase of one type of flower, or create a variety. Leaves are a nice finishing touch, and the flowers can be colored with crayons and colored pencils.

We also use rulers to draw the table for the vase to sit on, and students decorate the "tablecloth".

Unless the class periods are especially long, I find that students typically need a third day to finish these projects. Students can finish gluing the mosaic squares to their vases, and they finish coloring their flowers and tables.

Happy Coloring!

A Vincent van Gogh PowerPoint to accompany this lesson can be found in my TpT store, All About Art!

 

Click here for more K-8 Art Lessons inspired by great artists!

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