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Drawing with Scissors - Exploring Matisse

Students will learn about the life and work of artist Henri Matisse and create artwork using a technique Matisse called "drawing with scissors."

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Have students learn about French artist Henri Matisse (1869-1954), a leading figure in the modern art movement. When ill health afflicted him later in life and he could no longer paint he created collages and decoupage using paper cut-outs. Ask students to look at some of these works such as "Icarus" or "The Sheaf" ("La Gerbe").

  • Step 2

    Matisse, with help from assistants, would cut sheets of colorful paper into various shapes and sizes and then arrange them into lively compositions. Have students create their own paper collage by first painting bold colors on paper and then when it is dry, outlining and cutting various shapes from the paper.

  • Step 3

    Ask students to sketch a design that outlines their plan, then arrange the shapes before gluing them. When they are satisfied with the overall design, they can glue their collage.

Standards

ARTS: Speculate about processes an artist uses to create a work of art.

ARTS: Explore and invent art-making techniques and approaches.

Adaptations

Have students learn about the history of decoupage, which comes from the French word "decouper" meaning to cut out. Ask them to look at the famous stencilled scene of decoupage paper shapes called "A lion attacking a deer" that was created in the early 16th century.

A rebus is a puzzle that uses pictures and letters/numbers to depict phrases. For example, "To be or not to be" could be expressed as "2+ [drawing of a bee] + [drawing of an oar] + [drawing of a knot]..." Have students create a rebus out of cut out shapes and symbols and challenge classmates to solve them.