Artist: Joan Miro (Pronounced: WAHN Me-ROH)CA Art Standards: 1.2, 2.1, 2.3, 2.6, 3.3, 4.2, 5.4

Kindergarten Activity: Miro Inspired Multimedia DrawingsInspiration found on: artprojectsforkids.org/paint-like-miro-with-tissue-paper

and Pinterest (link below)

Music Suggestion (on YouTube):Spanish Flamenco Guitar Romantic Instrumental Relaxing Chill Out, Live Better Media

Miro -- Figures and Dog in Front of the Sun,The Beautiful Bird Revealing the Unknown to a Pair of Lovers

Teacher Help: Please have YouTube video: “Joan Miro. Brief biography and paintings. great for kids

and esl.” ready to show. Be prepared to transition from video to projector Be prepared to dismiss students to their desks and clarify instructions when the

students move from discussion to project (if needed).

Materials Needed (If possible pass out materials before students are in class or have docent assistant pass out supplies while docent is teaching.):

IN SHARED SUPPLIES: bowls for holding tissue paper, blue handled paintbrushesIN ARTIST’S BIN: watercolor paper, Sharpies, Pacon Bleeding Tissue Paper (cut into squares), spray bottles (3), 15 laminated sheets of Miro-like drawings

Place on desks for each student: watercolor sheet, Sharpie Per pair of students: bowl of tissue paper, sheet with Miro images For your use: Keep spray bottles out of the reach of students. Please have a copy of all

the supplies by you so you can demonstrate project.

Discussion (on rug with project sample and image board):1. Today I am going to introduce you to an artist who is from Spain. Spain is in

Europe. Does anyone know what language they speak in Spain? (Take responses.) Muy Bien! They do speak Spanish in Spain!

2. Raise your hand if you speak Spanish, or if you know some Spanish words. (Acknowledge responses.) Que bien!

3. The Spanish artist you are going to meet is named Joan Miro. “Say, Joan Miro.” Bien.

4. Okay, I have another question for you. Raise your hand quietly if you ever get frustrated because you cannot draw something the way it really looks? (Acknowledge responses.) I know the feeling. It can be very frustrating.

5. The interesting thing about Joan Miro is that he wanted his drawings and paintings to look like a child made them. He could have made his artwork look realistic, but he didn’t want to. Even more interesting, the older he got, the more his work looked like a kid made it!

6. I am going to tell you something a little bit crazy, but you have to promise you’ll never do this at home. Do you promise? (Pause) Joan Miro even painted and drew on his walls and his ceiling like a little kid might! But because he was a grown-up and it was his house he didn’t get in trouble!

7. I am going to show you a video about Miro. In this video you are going to see how Juan Miro’s style changes over time. The first part of the video will show a photo of him and tell you where he is from, then you will see how his work changes. At the end I will ask you to vote on your favorite Miro style or medium.

Watch: YouTube Video: Joan Miro. “Brief biography and paintings. great for kids and esl.”

Pause at 1:06 – This appears to be a photo of Miro’s art studio. Look at the scale of Miro’s work. Are his paintings large or small? (Acknowledge responses.)

Pause at 2:26 – This painting shows some of the shapes that you might add to your artwork today. There are a lot of abstract shapes here, but are there any shapes you recognize? (Acknowledge responses.) You might think this is funny, the art here is shown sideways! Maybe Miro wouldn’t care. I don’t know!

Pause at 2:43 – This painting looks like something a young child might draw, don’t you think? What about it reminds you of something a child would paint or draw? (Possible responses might include color and line choice, how simple the figural drawing or the star are.)

Discussion (after video): Show Miro Image Board and explain the four different categories of work shown

(cubism, magical realism, surrealism, and sculpture). Each image is shown with a number next to it. Ask students to show with their fingers (1, 2, 3, or 4) which of Miro’s works they like the best. (Acknowledge responses.)

Tell Students: Now we are going to make art work in the style of Miro. The work your finished piece will look most like is number 3, “Figures and Dog in Front of the Sun.” (Point to image board.)

For the first part you will copy me, then you will get to add on details that are all your own. Your finished work will look something like this. (Show sample.) The color will go on at the very end and in a really special way, but I’ll explain that to you after we’ve completed our drawings.

Ask Students: Before you go to your seat, who can tell me what you should do first thing when you get to your desk? Yes! You should put your name on your paper. Please write your name small, but big enough to read, on the bottom corner of your paper IN PEN. Your paper will go the hamburger way (vertically).

Dismiss students or have teacher dismiss them.

Process (while students are at their seats):1. Explain that they are using permanent marker, so should try very hard not to get it on

their clothes or on their neighbor’s clothes.2. Go through drawing step-by-step. (Instructions for this are provided in bin).3. Tell students, “Now please cap your pens.” (Give them time.)4. Project the laminated Miro-like drawings on the overhead.5. Say, “I am going to set the timer for four minutes. During that four minutes I want you

to add to your Miro drawing using images that you see on that sheet. So that your work looks like the artist’s you should only try to draw shapes like those on the sheet.

6. If you are done before the timer goes off, you can enjoy the music, or you can look at your composition and see if there is anything more you can add to it.

7. I will show you how to add color to your image after the timer goes off. Go! (Modify time depending on the interest level of the group.)

8. Ask students to join you on the rug (space permitting) and explain the bleeding tissue paper. (Paper may be torn and layered.) They may put down their paper and wait for you and other volunteers to come by and spray their papers with water. Be sure the tissue paper is not falling off the sides of the watercolor paper. The tissue paper will blow around a bit while being sprayed. Kids can just push it back into place.

9. Students should then brush the water over their paper until it is evenly distributed.10. The pieces should then be set aside to dry. The tissue paper should be pulled off after

the piece has dried completely.

Sample Miro Drawings

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0b/5b/31/0b5b31f515cb88c63a5c1fae3acb0c67.jpg