Hands On Learning: The Art Coloring Book

Art history can be an exciting experience when the viewer becomes a part of the art. The Art Coloring Book (Use the Look Inside feature through this link.) is a great way to bring art history to learners and let them add to, change, and be a part of the piece of art.

This experience will help them to remember the piece of art better as they will have a part in each piece.

The Art Coloring Book takes a famous work of art and prompts the child to add to, change, draw their own part, etc. in each piece.

Making this a part of your art history teaching is simple.

1. Show the original artwork to your student. Many pieces you can find online or in a book.
2. Let them look at the piece for a few minutes.
3. Take the piece away and let them tell you everything they remember from the piece.
4. When they are ready, display the piece again while you open The Art Coloring Book to the page that corresponds with the piece you just showed them.
5. Read the prompt and let them take part in the creation. Each child will do this differently, and it is fun to see the way they interpret the prompt.

While the majority of the prompts are intertwined with the artwork within the book, here is one you can recreate at home.

Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers

Preparation - In the book, there is a vase drawn, and the child should fill the vase. For this activity, draw a simple vase on a white piece of paper for your child to use. Then they will draw their own bouquet using their favorite medium (crayons, coloured pencils, paints, etc.).

1. Show Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers to your student. You can view it here.
2. Let them look at the piece, zoom in, and look at the details.
3. Take the piece away and let them tell you everything they remember from the artwork.
4. Display the piece again. Give them their paper with the pre-drawn vase and read the following.
5. “Vincent van Gogh loved big yellow sunflowers. Who are you going to give your bouquet to?” (Roeder, p. 82)
6. Let the child create their own version of Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers and give it to someone they choose.

The activities in the book would be most fitting for elementary age students but could be done with middle school as well. The preparation is quick, and the activities vary throughout the book, which makes them more interesting to your student.

The Art Coloring Book is a great way to teach art history in a fun and exciting way. Kids remember things more when they take part in a project or work hands-on with what they are studying. Creating their own part of the piece of art will help them to remember the art later in life. Having it bound in a book makes this a treasure they can keep forever.

Read through the Bringing Art History to Life section in the Fall 2019 magazine.

This article has been written by homeschooling staff writers of The Canadian Schoolhouse (TCS). Enjoy more of our content from TCS contributors and staff writers by visiting our Front Door page that has content on our monthly theme and links to all our content sections.