Cardboard Canvas Mona Lisa Art Project: This is a fun and educational art project that is sure to be a hit with students. The project encourages visual thinking and creative expression. Students will discover the “language of shapes” as they create the famous painting using only a cardboard canvas, tape, and scissors.
This is the first in a series of posts featuring the Cardboard Canvas Mona Lisa Art Project. This project is a creative, artful way of reusing discarded cardboard. The project and this blog were inspired by Promesa, a non-profit organization that facilitates creative projects among people in need and organizations that want to help them.
This project was done with the help of a group of young adults who took classes at Promesa, an organization that provides educational programs for low income families in El Paso, Texas. The kids were a great group to work with, they were hard working and enthusiastic about doing something different from what they are used to doing. They came up with the idea of using recycled materials to create a modern version of Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Mona Lisa. For more information about Promesa please check out their website http://www.promesaejc.org/ . Also please feel free to share this post and its links so others may get involved with the project or donate materials for future projects.”
I’m not sure if I have any new insights to offer about the Mona Lisa, but I did find the project interesting because of what it revealed about my own creative process.
The project was inspired by an art show called Cardboard Canvas, which was on display at the Indianapolis Art Center (IAC) last summer. One of the artists in that show created a Mona Lisa replica entirely out of cardboard and tape. It is impressive how much detail was packed into this work. The artist used objects such as straws, forks and spoons, gum wrappers and other recycled items to represent different textures. The piece also includes a likeness of Leonardo da Vinci’s signature as well as individual fingerprints from each of the artists who worked on it.
In my opinion, this particular piece is quite abstract and not very successful because it lacks a clear focal point. The eyes are too small to be noticeable; there are no recognizable facial features. In this sense, it is not very realistic and therefore doesn’t have much in common with Leonardo da Vinci’s original work.
The shapes and colors that you want to use in your artwork are limited by the color of the cardboard. To help define your color choices, you may want to print out a small card with a grid like the one below (or download this PDF). We cut it out and taped it to our painting area.
**”Mona Lisa” Painting Instructions
1. Tape down the large cardboard sheets so that they do not move around when you paint.
2. Paint a background color on all four sides of the box using flat, even strokes. Make sure to paint about an inch away from all edges so that not too much paint seeps out. Allow each side to dry thoroughly before moving onto the next step.
3. Use your white and black acrylic paints to add details to your painting. Use the brush or paint roller to make straight lines or circular shapes, or use a crumpled piece of paper for texture (this works especially well for clouds!). Try not to let your lines bleed into each other too much (unless you want them to).
4. When your painting is complete, allow it to dry completely before removing any tape and unpacking it.”
I have seen this all over the web, and it’s a great project to do with your kids. This is a good example of art that can be made with items you probably already have at home.
Here is the link:
http://cardboardmonalisa.blogspot.com/
The blog gives you step by step instructions. Enjoy!
This is a tote bag that looks like The Mona Lisa. It was inspired by the example of the artist Andrew Wyeth, who in 1970 said he could make a realistic painting of a horse out of anything.
Tote bags were used as a canvas because they are readily available and inexpensive. The content was inspired by an image found at http://www.artcenter.edu/press/images/gallery/images_details.cfm?image_id=60443
It just so happens that this particular bag is decorated with blue lines and images depicting various mathematical calculations and shapes, which makes it look even more like Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece The Mona Lisa . . . .
This was an art project I did with my classes that uses the same techniques as a Da Vinci style Mona Lisa. The students will be able to recreate the painting in their own way by using their own ideas, colors and designs. We will make a large mural piece out of this art project. This is great for all ages, grades K-12.
It can be done at home as well. It is better to use more colors but it can also be done with fewer colors but you will get the idea of how it can be made.
