Mondrian Masking Lesson

Piet Mondrian was an abstract painter from the Netherlands.  He is well-known for his grid-like paintings using black lines to form squares and rectangles combined with the sparing use of primary colors.  Choose a more complicated example for older children.  The painting we used as an example is "Composition in Red, Yellow, and Blue."

Vocabulary to Introduce:

square

rectangle

horizontal line

vertical line

primary colors

abstract art

Materials:

-watercolor paper

-watercolor

-masking tape or painters tape

-water in bowls to wash brushes

Preparation:

If you know your children will be tempted to use colors other than the primary colors for this lesson and you choose to stick to the example, tape off the remaining colors with masking tape.  Fill bowls with a minimal amount of water to prevent major damage in the event of a spill.  Pre-tear the pieces of tape for the lesson.  Painters tape pulls off easier than masking tape and decreases the chance of ripping the paper.

Age Modifications:   

-Older children can create a larger, more complicated grid of lines.  Either black oil pastel or black sharpie can be used to draw the lines.

-For younger children the lesson can be completed by either cutting strips of black paper to create the lines and allowing them to paint the primary colors in or using sponge cut squares and rectangles to print after allowing the students to use a paintbrush

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process:
to add black lines.