Most people know the Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso, for his surreal and abstract paintings, but he also worked with clay. Much of his work was largely influenced by African artifacts, inspiring him to produce pottery, but also to create paint-and-paper masks on figures in his work.

Help your child get inspired by Picasso's inspiration! This project shows him how to create a Picasso-style, three-dimensional mask.

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MORNING 1

Before starting, share images of tribal masks from South America and Africa with the students, as well as other pottery work by Picasso.

Draw an outline of the mask in pencil on the cardboard. Remember: it needs to be a bit larger than the student's face, as it will be slightly bent to appear three-dimensional.

Help or supervise him as he cuts out the mask shape.

Next, ask the student to draw the outline for the eyes and mouth on the mask. Ask if she wishes to create a mouth with a unique expression, or even one that includes teeth. What does she want the eyes to look like? They can be large or small, or shaped in any style that she wishes.

Then, have her cut a triangular piece of cardboard for the nose (either long or short, wide or thin). This also needs to be drawn larger because it will also be bent when it's attached to the mask.

Help him gently bend (not fold) the mask, so it's curved and appears to fit over a face. While holding it in position, have her observe the top area of the mask that will need support in order to stay in place. Together, determine the size of the cardboard that will need to be cut to keep the mask rounded.

Make sure to assist her as she draws and cuts the top mask shape from the cardboard.

Next, help her to carefully design and paint the mask. Allow it to dry.

MORNING 2

Using white glue, have her add on any colored tissue paper that he wants to use to decorate the eyes, lips, or other patterns. She can glue down string or use toilet paper dipped in glue to help build up ridges, then cover the shapes with colored tissue paper for a more three-dimensional effect. Shapes may take a while to build up, but the effect looks amazing! Set aside to dry.

Now, have her place tape on the edge of the shape that she has cut out to help hold the top of the mask in a curved shape. Make sure she places plenty of tape on the holding piece, as well as the mask itself, to really keep it in a curved position.

Next, have her tape the inside of the nose piece and press it down onto the mask in a bent position. Have him reinforce the edges of the nose with plenty of tape, to make sure it stays on.

Using paint and tissue paper, ask her to cover the nose and the top of the mask, so that it blends in with the rest of the design.

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