Jacob Lawrence Inspired Art Project for Kids

This Jacob Lawrence-inspired art project is a great way to introduce kids to an incredible artist while exploring color, movement, and  collage creation. With just construction paper, scissors, and glue, we made this fun and mess-free city scape craft in the style of the groundbreaking African American painter Jacob Lawrence. A fun idea for Black History Month or anytime of the year!

Who Was Jacob Lawrence?

Jacob Lawrence was a famous African American painter and storyteller known for his bold colors and dynamic compositions. His art often told stories about Black history, migration, and everyday life. One of his most famous works, The Migration Series, tells the story of African Americans moving from the South to the North in search of new opportunities.

Lawrence’s paintings look almost like collages of color, using blocks, angles, and overlapping shapes to show movement and action. That’s what makes him such a great inspiration for a cityscape craft—his cities feel alive, full of people, energy, and activity!

Why You’ll Love This Craft

• Celebrates an important Black artist – A great way to introduce kids to Jacob Lawrence’s work.
• Encourages storytelling – Kids can create a scene that tells a story, just like Lawrence did.
• No paint, no mess – A perfect collage-based art project with simple materials.
• Great for all ages – Younger kids can create basic shapes, while older kids can add more detail and complexity.

Materials You’ll Need

• Construction paper (various colors)
• Black marker 
• Scissors
• Glue stick or school glue
• Single hole punch (for small details or texture effects)

How to Make a Jacob Lawrence Inspired Collage

1. On different colored sheets of construction paper use a black marker to draw different building, houses, structures that you would see in a city skyline. Include skyscrapers, towers, churches. Use various shapes such as rectangles, triangles, and other geometric shapes for buildings. Make then different sizes and heights to create depth in the cityscape. Once you are happy with the buildings, cut them out.

2. Glue the tallest buildings in the background and layer shorter buildings in front. Overlapping shapes will help create depth and movement—just like in Lawrence’s work!

3. Use yellow, white and black construction paper to cut out windows in different shapes (such as rectangles, squares and ever circles) for each of the buildings. Glue them onto the buildings.

4. Use a single punch to punch of tiny stars from yellow construction paper to fill the night sky.
5. On construction paper, use your black marker to draw out small figures, cars and other items you might find in a city, such as mailboxes, garbage bins, street lights, or lamp posts. Cut them out and glue them to your city scape.

6. Talk about the story behind your cityscape—is it a busy downtown, a small neighborhood, or a nighttime skyline? Compare the final project to Jacob Lawrence’s city paintings and discuss how they feel similar or different.

Ways to Extend the Fun

• Look at real Jacob Lawrence paintings – Show kids his artwork and talk about the colors and themes he used.
• Make a mural – Combine multiple kids’ artwork into one big collage, just like a community story!
• Write about it – Have kids write a short story or description of the scene they created.
• Learn more about Jacob Lawrence here: