Romero Britto is an exciting artist to study with students of all ages because kids love Pop Art. He is a Brazilian born, Miami Beach, Florida native. As a youth, Britto doodled on every notebook, cardboard, or newspaper he could get his hands. After spending time in Paris studying Picasso’s Cubist works and Matisse’s Fauvist paintings, Britto combined these styles along with graffiti art to create his own neo-Pop Art style. His art conveys a positive message of love and life.
Today, his work can be found in airports, museums, advertisements, hospitals, parks, in stores, and anywhere else art can be found. Romero Britto believes that art is meant to be “…enjoyed by the masses.” In the spirit of sharing the love of Pop Art, here’s a fun back to school project to create Romero Britto Pop Art Owls. Art teachers and regular teachers alike will enjoy this project as it makes for an eye-catching bulletin board idea.
Romero Britto Project Set Up
I’m willing to bet your students are like mine in that they love to play games of any kind. In my art room, I use them as a way to get my students pumped about creating art. I also like that they’re fun but manageable and require little effort on my part to run. I get to be the guide on the side while they roll, roll, roll!
So here’s how the game works: First, the students roll the dice five times to collect patterns for the design. Then, decide if you want your students to:
- Use the owl tracer provided and either draw directly on it or transfer it to a thicker sheet of white drawing paper. Thicker white paper is nicer to work on; marker bleed is harder to control on plain white copy paper.
- Or, practice drawing the owl on their own. If choosing this option, they will need to draw a large owl that fills most of a sheet of white drawing paper.
As an art teacher, I want my students practicing by themselves, so that’s my route. Use the tracer if you’re short on time.
Designing the Owl
Next, the students draw six to ten diagonal lines through the owl design. Looking carefully at Britto’s work, he would sometimes draw two diagonal lines across each other, so encourage them to do that. Then have them fill the areas in with their chosen patterns. Since there are only five patterns, they will need to repeat those 5 patterns, balancing them out throughout their design until most areas are filled. Encourage them to leave some empty. The blank areas will provide contrast to the patterned areas.
Lastly, they will color in their design. Romero Britto used bright, bold colors in a balanced composition. When I teach color balance to my students, I instruct them to color on area in and then move across the page and color something else using the same color. Then they can switch colors and repeat the process.
Romero Britto Art Projects for Kids That Work
- No prep, fuss-free!
- More than a coloring worksheet
- Interactive and engaging
- Hands-on learning
- Low cost, minimal materials
- Easy to implement
As teachers, we need to free ourselves up from the constant prep work that impedes our ability to focus on our student’s needs. Many things need to get accomplished in a day’s time, from lesson plans to parent communication. One of them shouldn’t be constantly designing classroom resources when someone else has already done it for you.
You can check out this Romero Britto Owl Project in my shop as well as other Britto art projects. It comes with the game board, step-by-step photo directions, and a tracer. It’s perfect for your back to school bulletin board!
