andy warhol flowers

Andy Warhol, Flowers, 1970, screen print on white paper.

NorthPark Center staffers continue to come up with crafts for kids based on its vast art collections. This one is inspired by Andy Warhol’s 1970 version of Flowers. Here are NorthPark’s instructions:

Materials:

Paper
Ruler
Paint
Paintbrush
Potato and/or bell pepper
Scissors
Glue

Instructions:

1. Create a border. We used a pencil and ruler to draw the area we will be painting in. Feel free to skip this step.

2. Paint your background. We created our background by painting two layers of different colors. This allows us to create the playful grass-like texture you see in Warhol’s print. First, paint your paper green. Let this dry completely.

3. Make the DIY stamps. While the green paint dries, we created our “stamps” using a potato and a bell pepper. You can choose one or the other, or use both! For the potato, depending on your age, have a parent help cut the potato in half and then carve a very general flower shape on the cut end of the potato. Whatever is not carved out will be what the paint sticks to, and therefore, will create the flower image. For the bell pepper, simply slice off the top. This will be your stamp.

4. Paint it black. Once your green paint is fully dry, paint over it with black paint.

5. Carve it out. While the paint is still wet, use the end of your paintbrush or the tip of a pencil to “carve” away sections of the black paint, allowing the dried green paint to show underneath. Imagine you are making the grass and leaves of the flowers. There’s no right or wrong way to do this.

6. Stamp it. Using either your potato or bell pepper, dip your “stamp” in the four colors of your choice to create Warhol’s hibiscus flowers.

7. Cut it out. After your print dries, you can cut it out and paste it on another clean sheet of paper.

Watch the NorthPark video here.