Mary Blair’s colorful and cute artwork is one of the most recognizable styles in Disney history. Her playful use of shapes, bold colors, and whimsical buildings makes her work especially fun to explore with kids.
In this Mary Blair art lesson, kids can learn about the Disney Legend behind the look of it’s a small world, complete a free printable activity, color a Mary Blair-inspired castle, and create their own artwork using simple geometric shapes.
Best of all, you only need basic art supplies, making this an easy Disney-inspired art project for homeschool, elementary classrooms, or a creative afternoon at home.
Who is Mary Blair?
I have included this free and easy printable worksheet to guide your child through some of the information they can find online about Mary Blair. Here are some websites that you can direct your child to.
Mary Blair Art Lesson Suggested Activities
Color a Mary Blair Inspired Castle. The second page of the worksheet is a Mary Blair-inspired castle kids can color.
How to Make a Mary Blair-Inspired Castle Art Project
- Best for: ages 5-12, with adult help as needed
- Prep time: About 5 to 10 minutes
- Craft time: About 15 to 20 minutes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Mess level: Moderate
- Adult help: Needed for cutting, depending on the child’s age
Mary Blair Castle Art Project Supplies
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Markers or crayons
How to Make a Mary Blair-Inspired Art Project
- Choose your colors. Encourage kids to pick several bright or unexpected colors.
- Cut geometric shapes. Make squares, rectangles, circles, triangles, arches, and diamonds.
- Build your scene. Arrange the pieces into towers, buildings, flowers, animals, or imaginary structures.
- Glue everything in place.
- Add details. Draw windows, doors, patterns, stars, flowers, clocks, or decorative lines.
- Talk about the artwork. Ask what makes their picture feel playful or unusual.
What Kids Can Learn From This Activity
This activity is meant to inspire creativity rather than copy Mary Blair’s artwork. Kids can experiment with geometric shapes, patterns, color combinations, and basic composition.
Meanwhile, younger children can practice identifying shapes and using scissors. Older kids can look more closely at how color and repeated patterns help create a particular artistic style.
Watch a Ride Through of It’s a Small World
Have your child point out some of the common elements in the art. You can ask your child questions like:
- What shapes can you find?
- Which colors appear together?
- Do the buildings look realistic or imaginary?
- Can you find repeated patterns?
- How are people and animals simplified?
- Which part would you like to recreate?
- What is your favorite scene?
Mary Blair is a great example of a female artist that has made a mark in Disney history and in the animation industry. My hope is that this short study will help your child appreciate her art and the attraction a little bit more.
Dis you know that if you are an adult Disney art fan, that the Contemporary resort offers a fun art project inspired by Mary Blair? Disney sometimes offers a paid “Magic of Mosaics” recreation activity at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Guests create a mosaic inspired by Mary Blair’s artwork. Activities and schedules can change, so check the current resort recreation schedule before your visit. If you’re dreaming about a Walt Disney World vacation, I would love to help you create a trip built around the experiences your family will enjoy most. You can schedule a complimentary consultation with me to start planning.
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