Print out the desired motif page on white paper.
About the artist and his artwork
Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954) counts, alongside Pablo Picasso, among the most important artists of the modern movement. His pictures are much loved due to their warm colors and playful motifs. Matisse fell ill in 1941 and from that time on spent his life in a wheelchair. Since he found it difficult to work with a brush he began “to paint with scissors” – that is, to cut out bits of paper like he’d once done as a child.
How can I use this resource?
With this download you can create impressive paper cutting collages in the style of Henri Matisse. The silhouette templates can be colored with watercolors or printed on colored paper. After cutting out, the designs are glued together to create colorful paper collages. A fantastic project for group work!
How to do it - with colored paper:
- Print out the desired motif page on colored copy paper.
- Cut out the rectangular motif areas along the solid outlines.
- Carefully cut out all of the Matisse motifs, making sure to keep the offcuts.
- Print out the background sheets on different colored copy paper.
- Cut out all the background areas along the solid outlines.
- For group work the backgrounds should be arranged and glued onto a large sheet of stiff packing paper or light card.
- Lastly, arrange and stick the Matisse motifs and offcuts onto the background sheets.
Cut out the rectangular motif areas along the solid outlines.
Paint the reverse of the rectangles with bold poster paints and allow to dry.
Carefully cut out all of the Matisse motifs, making sure to keep the offcuts.
Print out the background sheets on white paper. Paint the reverse side with one solid color and allow it to dry.
You can also cut the background sheets in half before you paint them and then paint the reverse of each half in a different color.
Once dried, cut out the background areas along the solid outlines.
For group work the colored backgrounds should be arranged and glued onto a large sheet of stiff packing paper or light card.
Then arrange and stick the Matisse motifs and offcuts onto the background sheets.