This paper mosaic featuring an Autumn leaf design makes an eye catching Autumn or Fall art project for kids.
Paper mosaics are SO EASY to make using our new Printable paper leaf templates.
Last week we used the same leaf template to create comic leaf art. We’ll be sharing a third idea using our printable paper leaves next week so stay tuned.
Mosaics are an art form which require plenty of patience. This is the trickiest thing about them, because they really are very easy.
Younger kids (6 and under) may not have the patience to sit still and fill the whole page, but this is still a good exercise to help them work on their fine motor skills. They could always do a little bit now and come back later to do some more, or you could cut the paper pieces a little bit larger so the gluing down is not so much work.
I particularly love how paper mosaics make good use of scrap paper. It always feels a little bit wasteful throwing paper offcuts and scraps into the recycling bin (in fact I keep a lot of mine in a paper bag to use in other projects for this very reason). With paper mosaics you get to snip all of the scraps into pieces and work them into your art.
Gluing the paper scraps onto the page is a little bit like a jigsaw puzzle, and can be quite relaxing and therapeutic. You need to fill the negative space on the page with small shapes, arranging them so that the space is completely filled. This might mean snipping some pieces down to size once you have smaller spaces left to fill.
How to make Mosaic leaf art
You will need:
- Our printable paper leaf templates (also available in our TPT store)
- Construction paper
- Card stock in a contrasting colour to your construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue stick
How to:
Cut out some paper leaves from coloured construction paper. We’ve used two medium sized leaves, but you could make a mosaic artwork with a single large leaf and also with a selection of smaller leaves (all included in the paper leaf template). It’s up to the artist! Keep the scrap paper which surrounds the leaves aside.
Glue your construction paper leaves onto a sheet of card stock which is a contrasting colour to the leaves. White, black and earth tones work well with warm reds, oranges and yellows of Autumn leaves.
Cut up the scrap paper you’ve set aside into small, irregular-shaped pieces. We’ve used a combination of orange, red and yellow paper scraps.
Place a patch of glue in the negative space surrounding the leaves with your glue stick. Fill this patch with little paper shapes.
You can snip the paper shapes to fit if you need something to fill a particular gap. Once you’ve filled your glue patch with shapes, add glue to another patch of negative space and work the small paper shapes into it.
Repeat this tep until all of the negative space surrounding your leaves have been filled.
You’re left with a gorgeous paper mosaic design!
This art technique can be applied to any paper-cut shapes – not just Autumn leaves. You could do flowers for Spring, a snow scene for Winter, and a sail boat for summer. All you need to do is fill the negative space with small, irregular shaped paper scraps and you have an effective, colourful paper mosaic.
More easy art ideas for kids
- Make some Comic leaf art using this same paper leaf template
- Create mandala leaf prints using leaves gathered from nature
- Use kid’s handprint shapes to create Christmas-themed Silhouette art
- This handprint doodle art idea has always been popular
- Use kitchen sponges to create gorgeous butterfly prints
- Butterfly squish art is a fun and creative exercise in symmetry
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