Art Projects: Bears

Realistic or cartoonish, there are bear-themed art projects for every skill level.

Whether you're a seasoned crafter or a bored kid, bear-themed art projects are a cute way to express your creativity. The theme is popular enough that there are endless supplies and projects available at any craft store. Once you know what you want to make and what materials you want to use, it all comes down to finding a bear project that matches your skill and patience levels.

Wall Hangings

Felt, scissors and paint are all kids need to create their own bear wall hanging. Each child cuts out a teddy bear shape and paints on its face to create a cute bear. Skilled crafters can use different colors of felt to cut out a large bear and quilt pattern. Just glue the felt pieces onto a piece of cardboard to create a faux baby quilt you can hang on the nursery wall. You can also use a square of felt as a canvas for painting your own bear picture.

Figurines

Regardless of whether you're a kid using colored dough or an adult using expensive clay, anyone can make an artistic bear figurine. Kids can create a cartoonish bear with just one large ball for the body, one medium ball for the head, four small balls for the limbs and two small balls for the ears. Those same basic parts can also be used with clay, and then molded and sculpted into a more realistic bear form. You can air dry, bake or glaze your bear to finish it. You can also leave it plain or paint it, depending on your preference.

Tiles

Whether you use them as coasters or wall art, hand-painted tiles never go to waste. Any spare tile works, as long as it's large enough to fit your picture. Kids can use craft paint to create colorful bears on a picnic or playing games. Adults can take time to stencil polar bears or hand-paint grizzly bear silhouettes across each tile. Paint eight tiles, each with a different bear silhouette, and hang them on the wall to turn the tiles into a real work of art.

Collage

Try a collage project to turn old magazines and construction paper into a picture of bears in the wild. A simple collage can consist of magazine pictures, such as a tree and bear, glued onto a piece of construction paper. Kids can also color the paper with a basic background, such as sky and grass, and glue cut-out pictures to complete the scene. An intricate collage can consist of small magazine and paper pieces that come together to form a single tree or bear.

References

• BillyBear4Kids: Make a Clay Bear
• Creativity Portal: How to Magazine Collage