3 Fun Frida Kahlo Projects for Kids
Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?
-Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo was born July 6th, just south of Mexico City, in Coyoacán, Mexico. She grew up in big blue house called La Casa Azul with her parents and 6 sisters. Frida was born three years before the beginning of the Mexican revolution. In her writing, Frida described being ushered into the house by her mother as gunfire rang through the streets of her hometown. As a young girl Frida preferred spending time drawing by herself versus playing with her sisters. At age 6, Frida contracted polio, which damaged her right leg making it smaller than the left. Frida hid this deformity under long skirts. When she was 18 she was in a terrible bus accident that broke her spinal cord, collarbone, ribs, pelvic bone, leg, foot, and shoulder. The injuries from this accident were so severe and pervasive that they impacted her for the rest of her life and left her unable to bear children. Suffering, isolation, longing, and loss are recurring themes in her portraits but they are accompanied by an unshakable strength. When you look at the intimacy and detail in these portraits you don’t feel pity you are left in awe of the survivor. Frida created her own style of painting blending the mystical qualities of surrealism with the rooted strength of Mexican folk art. Despite being a prolific and talented artist, Frida spent most of her life known as “Diego Rivera’s wife”. It wasn’t really until the late 70s that Frida’s work was recognized by art historians and political activists. In the 90s Frida reached Icon status as an artist, feminist, and indigenous rights activist.
3 fun kid-friendly art projects that celebrate the iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Frida Kahlo Peg Doll
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Watch the video tutorial below:
2. Frida Kahlo Continuous Line Portraits
Have you ever made a continuous line drawing? It is a lot like a simplified contour drawing but you don’t lift your pen.. hence the “continuous” part. You might notice that the faces on our Fridas look a little wonky but it’s fun to draw in this loose style. Continuous line portraits are also a great way to strengthen hand-eye coordination and observation skills.
Print out a photo of Frida Kahlo and then practice drawing what you see without lifting your pen. Give yourself a nice stack of drawing paper cut into 5”x 5” squares and then play with your continuous line portraits a few times starting from different points on her face or torso.
Wrapping popsicle sticks with yarn is super fun process and the finished frames lend a beautiful contrast to the graphic black and white of the portraits. Just add a little dab of hot glue to attach your yarn and wrap. When you want to change color overlap you will start in the same way. Leave a little edge of wood on the top and bottom of your stick. We decided to apply a little vine with paint pen on two of our sticks for some variety!
