How to Make Your Own Circus Poster

Circuses acts are bigger than life.

Posters were a way to announce that the Ringling Brothers or Barnum & Bailey circuses were coming to town. According to Essortment, circuses have been around since Roman times, although they declined during the Middle Ages. The circus was first introduced to America in 1793 by John Bill Ricketts, an English equestrian. From riding acts with horses, the circus evolved to include jugglers, wild animals, clowns, tight-rope walkers and flying trapeze artists. Designing your own circus poster is a creative way to learn more about the colorful history of the American circus. During the frontier days, traveling circuses roamed the country and entertained young and old alike in small towns in remote areas.

Things You'll Need

• Poster board
• Paper
• Pencil
• Colored pencils or markers
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Eraser
• Compass

Instructions

1. Go to the library and study the examples in a circus poster book. Notice how the poster was an advertisement that tried to include all the major acts so that the audience knew what to expect. So putting an elephant on the poster, but not having one in the show, would disappoint people.

2. Sketch the components you want to include in your poster -- a lion tamer, jugglers, or dogs jumping through hoops to name a few -- on regular paper. Use a ruler to draw a straight tight-rope and a compass to help you get a round ball to balance on the end of a seal's nose.

3. Position the images where you think they should go on the poster board and then play around with them until you get the creative design you want. Set the images aside.

4. Calculate the best place to place the letters announcing the circus. Make them big and bold so that people can see them from a distance. Outline the letters in pencil.

5. Reassemble your design. Evaluate the effect and see if you need to reposition the acts or if your first design still works. Draw the acts on the poster board in pencil. Don't press too hard as you may want to erase the line.

6. Color in the letters first. Use bright colors -- red with black outlines -- to attract attention. Then color in the sketches. Don't worry about erasing the lines as the colored pencils or markers will cover them up on the final copy.

References

• The Circus in America: Circus; Ricketts' Circus, 1793-1800
• South East Museum: The Early American Circus; Traveling Menageries
• University of Capetown: Tips for Poster Designac.za
• Catalysis: How to Make a Successful Poster

Resources

• Freelance: Circus Posters