Most Young artists love the idea of creating cardboard abstract sculptures! Something about making something out of nothing is so magical! With not much more than recycled cardboard and paint middle your art students can create 3-D abstract sculptures!! These low-expense materials can produce amazing masterpieces!
Cutting cardboard shapes lends itself very easily to a lesson about the simplified shapes found in many abstract artworks.
Introduce your students to abstract artists that used geometric shapes!
Because so many abstract artists use geometric shapes in their artworks, art history information can tie in with this art-creating method easily!
Some artists that used geometric shapes to create their Abstract art are:
- Pablo Picasso
- Kimmy Cantrell
- Wassily Kandinsky
- Paul Klee
- Piet Mondrian
- Bridget Riley
- Henri Matisse
How to Create an Abstract Sculpture from Recycled Cardboard:
1. Choose your subject matter.
Here are a few possibilities to choose from!
- faces
- fish
- landscapes
- animals
- people
- flowerpots
- cities
- insects
- butterflies…
Students can transform pretty much any subject matter into geometric shapes. The sheer act of cutting cardboard produces angular shapes easily.
2. Cut out and layer cardboard shapes
3. Glue all pieces of cardboard
- Use Elmer’s Glue or Hot Glue guns (depending on age)
4. Paint with acrylic or tempera paints
5. Coat with a clear sealer
6. Construct a stand to make your cardboard abstract sculpture stand upright.
If you are interested in creating cardboard abstract sculptures that stand up you might like this Recycled cardboard Abstract Assemblage Project!
My 7th graders really enjoyed making these freestanding cardboard Assemblage Abstract Fish Sculptures too!
I’d love to see your creations! You can find me on Facebook at SparkeGal’s Art Magic!
