Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Preparing for your own cubist painting
• Part 2 of 3: Putting your idea on canvas
• Part 3 of 3: Making a cubist painting for children

Cubism is a painting style introduced between 1907 and 1914 by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. The cubist style wanted to show the two-dimensional character of the canvas. Cubist artists divided their objects into geometric shapes, using multiple and contrasting perspectives within a single painting. It was called cubism when Louis Vauxcelles, a French art critic, called the shapes in Braque's work "cubes". Creating your own cubist style painting can be a fun way to learn more about art history and take a fresh look at painting.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Preparing for your own cubist painting

1. Prepare your workspace. When doing any art form, you need to make sure you have a tidy workspace. Choose a space with lots of natural light and a table or an easel to place your canvas on.
   • Put newspaper in your workspace to keep it clean.
   • Use a glass of water and a soft cloth to clean your brushes between color changes.
2. Choose your canvas. For convenience, it is easiest to buy a ready-made canvas, but you can stretch a canvas yourself if you wish. Size and shape are up to you, but larger or medium canvases are the easiest to paint.
   • If you just want to practice, you can also create paintings on large multimedia art paper.
   • Every art supply store has paper and canvas.
3. Collect your other materials. To create a cubist-style painting, you need sketching material, a canvas, brushes, paint and lots of inspiration.
   • You can use any type of paint to achieve a cubist style, but acrylic works well, especially for beginners. Acrylic paint is versatile, often less expensive than oil paint, and makes it easier to create sharp lines.
   • Choose brush brushes intended for acrylic paint. Find a few different sizes for versatility as you paint.
   • Have a pencil and erasers handy for sketching before painting.
   • You can also use a ruler or measuring stick to draw clear and straight lines.
4. Choose your topic. Although Cubism was an abstract form of modern art, most Cubist painters took their examples from real life. Although their paintings are highly fragmented and geometric, a subject was still discernible.
   • Decide whether you want to paint a human figure, a landscape or a still life.
   • Choose something that you can view and study in real life while you are painting. For example, if you want to paint a figure, see if a friend can pose for you. If you want to paint a still life, arrange a group of objects or an object, such as a musical instrument.
5. Sketch your subject in pencil on your canvas. This will be the guideline for your painting. Don't worry about capturing the details. Use broad, gesticulating strokes to capture the movement of whatever it is you are studying.
   • Once you have a general sketch, use your ruler to sharpen the edges.
   • Wherever you sketched soft rounded lines, go back over them and turn them into sharp lines and edges.
   • For example, if you're sketching a person, go over the rounded line of the shoulder and make it look more like the top of a rectangle.

Part 2 of 3: Putting your idea on canvas

1. Add more lines. You want the geometry of your painting to be more than just a baseline of your subject. Think of different ways in which you can further break down the shapes in your painting.
   • Look at the light. Instead of shading and mixing, in Cubism you use light to create shapes. Sketch, in geometric shapes, where the light falls in your painting.
   • Also, use geometric lines to indicate where you would generally shade in the painting.
   • Don't be afraid to overlap your lines.
2. Create your color palette. Within Cubism, artists focused on the form in a painting, rather than color. They often used neutral browns and blacks. In Braque’s painting "Candlestick and Playing Cards on a Table," you can see his use of neutrals to emphasize form.
   • If you want to use bright colors, go for one to three bright main colors so that your painting retains its striking geometry.
   • You can also use a monochrome palette in a single color family. Picasso, for example, made many paintings in mainly blue tones.
   • Put your paint in front of you on a palette or (paper) plate. Use white to lighten the shades. Mix the colors you want.
3. Paint over your sketch. The sketch should guide your painting. Use darker colors to thinly outline the individual geometric shapes you created while sketching. Unlike a traditional painting, you don't have to blend all your colors. You want your lines to be clearly distinguishable.
   • With acrylic paint you can apply colors to make your paintings feel more dimensional.
   • If you must, use your ruler to guide your paintbrush like you did with your pencil. Try to make your paint lines as sharp as your pencil lines.

Part 3 of 3: Making a cubist painting for children

1. Choose kid-friendly art materials. Choose materials that kids find easy to work with and won't make a big mess.
   • Washable acrylic paint works well for painting with children. You can also have a masterpiece "painted" with markers, crayons or colored pencils.
   • Choose a large sheet of art paper or a notebook to create your cubist-style painting.
   • you also need brushes, and a pencil and eraser.
   EXPERT TIP

   Choose the topic for your piece. This could be something as simple as a vase of flowers or even a single flower. You're going to draw this subject first, then use lines to break it up.

   • Pick something you have on hand. Practice drawing from life instead of just drawing from your imagination.
   • Practice making small sketches of your subject in a sketchbook. You want to determine exactly how you will draw it for your final painting.
2. sketch your final drawing on your art paper. You need to draw lightly with your pencil so that if you make a mistake you can erase it and start over.
   • While you're sketching, remember that your drawing doesn't have to be completely realistic.
   • It's okay to overlap lines and exaggerate looks. You're just going to make it even more abstract.
3. Break larger shapes into smaller ones in your drawing. Use a pencil and ruler to draw straight lines in all directions. Use your creativity to decide where to place them.
   • Avoid large empty spaces in your drawing.
   • You also don't want to create too many areas with a lot of small geometric shapes.
4. Paint the shapes in your drawing. You are going to paint each section you created individually. Experiment with using your brush in different directions to create texture.
   • Use black or brown paint to create thin outlines around the shapes you created.
   • Try to stick to using just a few different colors.
5. Show your creation. Add the final details and don't forget to sign your name at the bottom of your cubist painting.
   • These paintings are great decorations for children's rooms.
   • They also make great gifts for Mother's Day, Father's Day or a birthday.