Studio Visit Project: Picasso's "Faces"

Picasso with his wife and children

Here is an art project inspired by the playful "Faces" Picasso painted on his ceramic plates and jugs.

Pablo Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, draftsman, and sculptor. He was one of the most recognized figures in 20th-century art. He is known for his wide variety of styles. Late in his life, he moved to the south of France, where he also worked on ceramics. He loved to paint faces on ceramic plates. Here are some of the fabulous faces Picasso painted:

Picasso painted faces on ceramic vases too.

You could invite a friend to your house, for a "Faces" art playdate. You could both paint "Faces" on paper plates. When your "Faces" are finished, you could mount them on the wall. (Use that picture-hanging goop that doesn't stain, and comes off easily.) Do lots of "Faces." Mount them on the wall next to each other.

You could invite a few friends and their families to your house, for a "Faces" holiday party. Everyone could paint some "Faces." Just give each person a brush, some paint and some paper plates. Imagine how exciting your wall will look, with lots of painted "Faces" on it. And, whenever friends visit you, you could ask them to paint some "Faces." Mount them on your wall too.

Materials you will need:

Dining room table or floor

Plastic drop cloth taped down

A package of paper plates

Tape to hold the plates still

Tempera paint

Brushes

Non-marking wall-mounting tape

Step by Step: Prepare some saucers with tempera paint: black, blue, red yellow. Put out some 2" foam brushes. Put out some 1" bristle brushes. Tape a paper plate to your table. Paint two eyes, a nose, a mouth. Add some strokes around the edge. Let the painting dry. Mount it on the wall. Do another painting, then another

You will discover that a wall of "Faces" makes one of the cheeriest holiday decorations ever.