How to Make a Monet Inspired Painting with Kids

by | DIY

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Posts on Robyn’s French Nest may contain affiliate links. You can see our full disclosure details here.)

Looking for a spring art project with kids that looks pretty? Check out this fail-proof Monet inspired painting, fun for kids and adults!  This will be a piece that you can use in your spring decor too!

For those who may be new here, welcome!  Thanks for hopping over from The Happy Housie!  Wasn’t that such a fun idea?  There are so many beautiful ideas in this blog hop.

If you are a regular reader, I encourage you to read through the entire hop!  You’ll definitely find lots of inspiration!  Today’s post is a little different.  I have done this craft so many times with students, but never with my own kids!  Spring break seemed like the perfect time to give it a try.  The subject matter won’t surprise you, though, I’m sure!

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I love vintage French decor pieces.

However, I also love French music and art.  While I don’t consider myself an expert in art, I have had the privilege of seeing some amazing French art, up close and personal!

We love to travel and France is definitely my favorite country we’ve visited.  On one trip to France many years ago, we visited Giverny.

If you’re familiar with the work of Claude Monet, you would immediately recognize the cute bridge with draping trees and thick lily pads.  In fact, you can probably picture it right now!

Here’s a picture we took:

The Most Beautiful Day!

Seeing his home and the actual gardens that inspired his work was one of the most beautiful days I have ever experienced.

So, as a music teacher, I decided to incorporate some art into my music unit on music from the Impressionism era.  As it turns out, it is a lot more enjoyable to listen to Debussy while creating Monet inspired art!

While on spring break, I decided to use some art materials we had on hand and have my own kids get creative too.  This Monet inspired art is fail-proof and guaranteed to beautiful.  It would make a great gift idea too, especially with Mother’s Day coming up soon!

A small canvas is easy to tuck into decor and the colors of the Monet inspired art is perfect for spring!

Adults could have a lot of fun with this too and use a lot of painting techniques that I literally know nothing about.  I know they would turn out amazing!

It ended up being a lot of fun for the kids, too, and we all enjoyed some quiet, creative moments!

How to Create a Monet Inspired Painting with Kids

Materials Needed for Monet Inspired Art

  • Canvas, size of your choice
  • Painters tape
  • Acrylic paints in cool colors (green, blue, purple, white; washable is recommended for kids!)
  • This project looks beautiful with watercolors too!
  • Variety of brush sizes
  • Download music by Debussy to listen to while you paint!

Steps to Creating a Monet Inspired Painting

Step One: Create the Bridge

Tape off an arched bridge across the canvas.  Older kids can be creative with this, though you may need to tape this off in advance for younger children.  Don’t worry about it being too perfect.  Take a look back at Monet’s bridge in Giverny.  It is worn with time and definitely has imperfections.

What makes Impressionistic art great for kids is that it is to give an idea or a feeling, rather than an exact depiction of anything.

Step Two: Create Trees and Water

 

Have the kids create the sky above the bridge and water below the bridge.  If you are teaching specific art techniques, there are great ways to make this look realistic.  Our purposes are just for fun, so I left this open for interpretation and creativity!

Take a look at the gardens again before painting.  You really don’t see much blue sky, but rather a canopy of green.  Therefore, you’ll want to use a variety of greens above the bridge and a mix of blues below the bridge.

 

Step Three: Lily Pads

 

Using lighter shades of green and some lavender accents, add lily pads to the water.  Look back again at the actual gardens and notice that while lily pads have a generally round shape, they are not all the same.  Embrace the child-like interpretations for this step!

For the lily flowers, try making three white lines on top of the lily pad, then feathering in lavender around.

 

Step Four: Creek Banks

 

Once the painting is a bit dry, take shades of green and give the illusion of the creek banks, under the bridge, along the edges of the canvas. 

Use smaller brushes to feather and blend this in!

 

Step Five: Add a Variety of Shades

 

After the trees above the bridge are somewhat dry, take a smaller brush and mix some shades of green to give more definition and depth.  

Again, there are very practical and wonderful art techniques for shading.  For our purposes, we just wanted to have fun with it and experiment.

 

Step Six: Remove Tape!

 

The last step is to carefully remove the tape.  Wait until the paint is completely dry, of course, and then do step six!  

Then, style and enjoy or give as a sweet, homemade gift!

 

As you can see, we are not professional artists.  I always joke that I can’t draw a good stick figure.  Nonetheless, creativity is good for the soul and the kids had a lot of fun with these.  Plus, it is a great chance to weave in a little history and culture too!

 

This spring paper craft blog hop is full of great ideas and I hope that next, you’ll hop over to visit Lucy at The Craftberry Bush!  You are going to love her creativity and, of course, great style too!

Make sure to visit all of the blogs in this hop today.  There are so many great ways to enjoy some creative moments during this spring season and you’re sure to find an idea that inspires you!

 

Blogger’s Best Series – Spring Paper Crafts

Easter Banner Printable | The Happy Housie

Framed Watercolor Flowers | Craftberry Bush

Designer Coasters | My Sweet Savannah

How to Create a Monet-Inspired Painting with Kids | Robyn’s French Nest

How to Make a Paper Bag Bunny | Most Lovely Things

Lemon Wreath DIY | Happy Happy Nester

DIY Book Page Garland With Wooden Tassels | Thistlewood Farms

How to Make a Terra Cotta Pot Beautiful | My 100 Year Old Home

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!  

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Posts on Robyn’s French Nest may contain affiliate links. You can see our full disclosure details here.)

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