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Autumn is filled with beautiful colors. It really is quite magical. Unfortunately, the colors don’t last. The leaves drop from the trees, and the leaves still hanging on eventually lose their vibrant color. I wanted to find a fun fall op art project for kids that uses the colors of fall. I decided to use the fall leaves as my inspiration.
Are you familiar with Op Art?
In case you are not familiar with the term, it is optical illusion art. Optical illusions are a lot of fun. I’ve always liked how you can draw a picture to make it look like the object is coming off the page or makes you think an object is spiraling down.
I’ve played around with Op Art in our homeschool over the years. Kids love it, and it isn’t as complicated as it seems. We’ve done Op Art flowers and fun summer-themed Op Art, too.
Since fall is here, I wanted to find a fall art project my tween and teen would enjoy. There are a lot of fall art projects out there, but most focus on the younger kiddos. I understand why. They tend to like to do a lot of hands-on crafts.
However, I think it is important for our older kids to join in the fall fun, too. If you are a family with a lot of littles running around, this fall op art project will be a good way to include them in the autumn festivities.
Fall Op Art Project for Kids
So, let’s get started on how to create these op art leaves with your kids. I have a few different ways to begin this project. Let’s take a look.
STEP ONE: Paper
One thing I learned through the art program Beyond the Stick Figure is that large paper can be overwhelming. The instructor, Sally Stanfield, has kids start with smaller sheets of paper. It really is a great suggestion.
**If you want to learn more about Beyond the Stick Figure, click here. It is a fun art program for the whole family.**
For this fall art project, I decided to cut an 8.5 X 11 copy paper into quarters. It was a nice size for this project. Plus, you have four sheets to use for your op art.
STEP TWO: Finding Leaf Patterns
Now, for this part, you have a few options. You can:
- Take your kids outside and look at leaf patterns. Kids can collect a few different kinds of leaves.
- Your kids can use the leaves to look at as they draw their leaf patterns by hand OR trace them.
- Use a leaf pattern to trace. Here is a site that has some leaf patterns that might help.
I looked at a leaf picture online and drew my leaves by hand.
STEP THREE: Starting Your Fall Op Art
Once you begin to draw, it is best to try and center your leaf drawing. To do this, I drew faint lines from corner to corner which marked the center of the paper.
Next, faintly sketch out your leaf shape.
STEP FOUR: Adding the Lines
In order to get the op-art effect, you need to draw in your lines. I used a ruler to draw straight lines that meet in the middle. Continue to draw multiple lines making sure they all meet in the middle.
STEP FIVE: Coloring Op Art Leaves
To keep things simple, I chose two colors. Since this is a fall op art project, you can use common fall leaf colors, but you don’t need to.
First, you will color the sections inside the leaf outline. Make sure to alternate your colors.
Next, you will the color spaces in the background. You will alternate the color pattern here, too, but it will also be opposite colors than the leaf. Take a look at the sample below.
STEP SIX: Finishing the Fall Op Art Project
Now, you can choose if your op art looks good the way it is, OR you can outline your leaf and the background lines. It is up to you. Here are two examples.
Fall Op Art Activity
Now, it is your turn. Get your paper, markers, leaf patterns, and start making some cool op art.
You can choose markers, crayons, or colored pencils for your project. Experiment with coloring materials, colors, and different sized paper.
Fill your house with some beautiful fall leaves inside your own home.
Happy Homeschooling!
Very Cool!!!
Thank you!