Cubism Art Project for Kids – Georges Braque Watercolor Birds

There are many famous artists of the 20th century, and one you may not have heard of is French painter and sculptor Georges Braque. Georges Braque was born in France in 1882. As an adult, he worked as a house painter and decorator, following his father and grandfather’s footsteps. George Braque met Pablo Picasso in 1909, and they began working together. He, alongside Pablo Picasso, developed the modern art movement known as Cubism. A French art critic described a picture by Braque as “full of little cubes,” and the term Cubism was born. Learn more about this abstract art style and Georges Braque with this Cubism Art Project for Kids!

Have more fun with modern art with this Cubism clover art project based on the work of Irish artist Mary Swanzy.

Braque and Picasso worked closely together until the outbreak of World War I. Braque set his art career aside and joined the French army. After returning from the war, he moved away from the cubist style and favored artwork with bright colors and eventually more human figures.

In the 1940s, Braque began experimenting with images of birds in flight. He created many variations of bird paintings, as seen in these examples.

The inspiration for this art project is The Birds, 1953, by Georges Braque.

Braque’s The Birds from 1953

The simple bird design and limited choice of colors make this artwork perfect to use as a glue-resist watercolor project.

Supplies Needed for This Cubism Art Project for Kids:

• Watercolor Paper
• Watercolor Paints
• Palette
• Paintbrush
• Elmer’s Glue (white)
• Container of water

The first step of this art project is to draw the bird shapes in white glue.

Carefully squeeze the bottle consistently to get a nice even line of glue and create the bird shapes.
Next, use the glue to draw a few stars and a moon in the background.
Allow the glue to dry until completely dry and clear. Make sure to keep the paper flat while the glue dries.

Here is a detail of what the glue looks like wet vs. dry.

The glue will dry clear and preserve the paper’s white color as the outlines of the birds. When you apply paint to the paper, the glue lines will resist the color and contain it within the shapes. Once the glue is dry, apply clear water with the paintbrush inside the birds. It is OK if the water is outside of the shape as well. The glue will resist the watercolor, and the paint will stay within the shape of the bird.

Watercolor Glue Resist How To

Mix a little water with black paint in the palette and dab the black paint onto the wet paper inside the bird shape. Let the water do the work, and you will see the color will quickly spread in the water on the paper. Allow the color to spread to the edges on its own and add more color as needed. Once you have painted the birds, allow them to dry (lying flat).
Next, paint the background with the same technique using blue paint. That’s all there is to it!

Allow the painting to dry flat to avoid any paint running over the glue and into the other areas. If you accidentally paint over the glue lines, use a clean damp tissue or cotton swab to remove the color. Here are the finished watercolor birds: