Family Art from Home

Family Art from Home: an archive of downloadable art projects for the whole family

All ages will enjoy our family art projects. Try your hand working with a variety of art mediums that you have available at home. Child and grown-up friendly! 

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Storytelling Prints

This project is inspired by a print in the Museum’s collection from Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, whose images tell the story of contemporary life in New Mexico while incorporating historical and personal imagery.

Woven Bird Houses

Simple yet beautiful, your feathered friends are sure to be drawn to your enchanting abodes. To attract birds to your birdhouse, pay attention to the areas where you see birds in your yard, such as trees, sunflowers and vines.

Atomic Needle Inspired Embossing

Inspired by Atomic Needle a sculpture by Tony Price, located in the West Sculpture Garden, you will use embossing foil to replicate the metal surface and recreate the textures you see on the piece.

Woven Collage

This simple project takes inspiration from basket and textile weavings to create intriguing compositions. Images can be any size and come from any source including magazines, newspapers, photographs and photocopies.

Surprise String Portraits

Make funny portraits by simply dipping your string in ink, placing it on your paper and surprise...meet your spontaneous friend!

Summertime Flower Crown

A project fit for a queen or king! Create a crown in celebration of the summertime floral blooms. Enjoy your new summer accessory bursting with color!

Stick Figure Flip Book

This flip book is a fun and rewarding project for anyone and everyone, regardless of their confidence in drawing. 

Fourth of July Fireworks Design

This project is inspired in part by the Museum’s art collection. Use this work as a starting point to create your own homemade scratch art reminiscent of fireworks!

Clay Play

Have fun exploring some basic clay techniques while creating a figurative bowl to hold your special objects and treasures.

Family Coat of Arms

This project can involve all family members. The original purpose of the coat of arms in medieval Europe was to distinguish sides in the battle. Later it also represented family origin, alliances, and trade. The science and art of heraldry uses many symbols, field divisions, and colors to express and record family identity.

Prehistoric Animals in Ink

Inspiration for this art project came from cave art in Europe created nearly 20,000 years ago. This mixed media project uses watercolor and ink to draw the animal and clay or dirt to recreate the surface of the cave.

Printing with Clay

Make very simple stamps from a small amount of unfired clay which you keep reusing. The subject matter is open ended with patterns and bold designs stealing the show! 

Simple Spiral Pop-up Card

This card delivers a big impact with its bright colors, shapes, and movement. Make someone feel special with this burst of joy!

Paper Roll Plants and Animals

Create an endless array of plants and animals with saved up paper rolls. See your trash transformed into adorable creatures that you can enjoy for years to come.

Thumbprint Storybook

Put away that paint brush or marker, instead use your fingers to create the characters and objects to illustrate your own story.

Miniature Clay Cake Creations

Bring your nimble fingers to the exciting art of designing 3D miniature cakes using clay from your local craft store.

Wire Sculpture Celebration

Abstract or realistic, let’s call it a sculpture and celebrate International Sculpture Day!

Bodies in Motion

This art project is inspired by the sculptures of Alberto Giacometti, the arrival of spring, our willingness to venture outdoors more often and move slightly more. Aluminum foil will be our main material to create the bodies in motion.

Paper Flower Bouquet

Spring is in the air and we all look forward to beautiful cut flower bouquets. While you wait for the flowers to bloom, you can create a simple bouquet of your own from paper found around your home. Enjoy your beautiful springtime display!

Drawing a New Mexico Landscape

With many of us taking advantage of our beautiful state and abiding by CDC rules to stay close to home this Spring break, we might be taking some fun road trips! A meaningful thing to do while travelling or spending time in nature is to capture the landscape as you go. This is a relaxing activity that helps you connect to your surroundings.

Springtime Sticker Sheets

Stickers are a quick way to add decoration to a variety of items including diaries, notebooks and gifts. In this project you will create your own stickers inspired by the spring season.

Let’s Make Tempera Paint at Home!

Tempera is traditionally created by hand-grinding dry powdered pigments into a binding agent or medium, such as egg yolks or casein (the protein found in milk). In this project, we will use ground-up chalk pastel and egg yolks to make the paint. Then we will use our homemade paint to make a still life. This is an egg-cellent activity for the whole family!

No-Sew Fantastical Doll

Dolls can be found in almost every culture. They have been made with clay, fabric, wood, metal, and many other materials. Doll makers often have to know a variety of skills such as mold-making, sculpting, sewing, and painting. For this doll, you will only need some scrap fabric, hot glue, and a little acrylic paint!

Pattern Play Paper Box

Create your own custom origami paper for this lovely and simple paper box project. Fill a box with small treats and leave it at a friend or neighbor’s door to let them know you’re thinking of them!

Letting Loose

Use your non-dominant hand to draw in an ethereal, dreamlike way. The goal is to explore our feelings and develop a narrative of a moment in our personal life through a dream-like lens.

3D Family Portrait

With the pandemic upon us, our families are always on our minds, whether it is because we are missing them or we are spending much more time with them. This three dimensional family portrait showcases four family members that can be drawn or painted and later assembled together to form a standing paper sculpture.

Paper Heart Valentine’s Day Card

The tradition of making paper Valentine’s cards goes back over 200 years! Here is a Valentine’s card with a twist... and some cutouts! You’ll love all the possibilities!

The Paper Crown Challenge

This project is a feat of fun engineering and an exploration of different ways to manipulate thick poster board or tag board in an attractive fashion to create the tallest crown possible! HOW HIGH CAN YOU GO? 

Paper Bead Necklace

Embellish yourself with a beautiful handmade necklace made from recycled papers.

Celebratory Video Card

It is always a good time to reach out to someone you love and send them a homemade video card, whether it be for their birthday, to wish them a Happy New Year or just to say hi!

Profile Memory Book

Journals are wonderful tools to preserve your ideas, experiences and sketches. In this project you will create a personalized memory book. Once completed, memories and stories of 2021 are ready to be recorded and never forgotten!

Family Game Day

Pexeso is the Czech version of the games Memory or Concentration. In this project you will create a handmade one reflecting your personal style. Then share your handiwork by playing the game with family or friends!

Croc-Key-Diles and other Household Creatures

Get creative by using household objects to design real and imagined creatures. Bring your creature to life through adding details and color. Then come up with a clever name for your creature using the name of the object, like the one in the title of this lesson.

Paper Ornaments

Just in time for the holidays! Elevate your holiday decorating with these elegant handmade ornaments.

Woodland Mobile

Bring the outdoors inside by creating a mobile from materials foraged from your yard, neighborhood, or local park.

Soundsuit Inspired by the Artwork of Nick Cave

Nick Cave's Soundsuits are wearable costumes made for dance performances from a variety of found or second-hand materials. Cave and other dancers wear them, transforming them into blurs of color and sound.

Art Deco Gratitude Box

Make a small box to hold memories and messages of gratitude. Make it for someone else and leave it at their door, or work as a family with each person making their own and then everyone leaving special messages on slips of paper inside for them.

Sending Hugs Card

Inspired by Henna hand tattoo designs from India, create a beautiful floral, paisley and abstract patterns on a fun hand-shaped card to brighten a loved one’s day.

Tree of Life Collage

The tree of life can be found in many religions and cultures of the world. It is a timely symbol that represents togetherness and reminds us that we are not alone, but connected to all people on earth.

Alexander Calder Inspired Sculpture

Alexander Calder was known for his playful approach when working with various materials. In this project you will experiment with various shapes and explore the possibility of reassembly to create abstract or realistic sculptures.

Autumn Crown

Create a crown to celebrate the arrival of autumn using natural materials gathered near your home.

Brown Paper Bag Sami Pouch

Sámi People are reindeer herders living in the north of the Scandinavian countries and Russia known for their beautiful and functional ‘duodji’ (handicraft). The pouches are made out of reindeer skin, embroidered in bright colors and sometimes decorated with beads. Inspired by this traditional art form, you will make your own pouch out of a brown paper bag.

Gaudi's Tile Creature

This creature is inspired by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. One of his most recognizable works is The Park Güell in Barcelona, where he covered walls, sculptures, and houses in colorful tiles.

Clothespin Creature

Make an entertaining papier-mâché creature from scratch who can help hold things together around the house..

Glue and Oil Pastel Portraits

Put your pencil away and grab some glue to draw an expressive portrait of yourself or someone you know.

Torn Paper Art

Enjoy the imprecision of torn paper pieces while creating a portrait, landscape, or still life.

Ink Insects

Craft beautiful handmade insects that you would welcome in your home! Insects can be placed in sight wherever they can be enjoyed.

Frame It!

Transform a matchbox into a three dimensional decorative frame for your special image or photograph.

No Yarn Required

This weaving project uses common materials found around the home. Use unexpected materials to create a unique necklace or art weaving to hang on your wall.

Star Book

Make a star shaped book by using paper folding techniques and common materials around the home. This handcrafted book is a beautiful place to preserve your drawings or the stories you want to tell.

Yes, we can!

CAN ACTIVISM is art made of recycled cans with a positive message. The art can be in the form of words, visual designs, or a combination of both. These elements can be nailed onto poles, wooden fences, or movable wooden panels.

Funny Free-form Face

Create a humorous portrait—no drawing skills required! Add a decorative frame to make your portrait display-ready.

Kinetic Face

Kinetic art depends on motion for its effects. In this project, create a kinetic sculpture animating the facial features of either yourself or a family member. This project has many steps so you can easily assign different parts of the project to others and make it a true family project!.

Silver Lining Cloud Suncatcher

Celebrate the arrival of the monsoon season by creating a sun catcher inspired by the stormy skies.

Modernist Bird Mobile

American Artist Charlie Harper is best known for his stylized wildlife prints and illustrations. Make a bird mobile inspired by the artist and the birds in your backyard.

Father's Day Tie

Make a great wearable art piece to celebrate your father on his special day!

Mini Paper Flowers

Make a beautiful paper flower or a whole bouquet from materials you have at home.

Spring Mobile

Make a colorful mobile to celebrate the arrival of spring.

Hand in Foil

In North Africa and the Middle East, dating back to the 7th century, people of all faiths have used hand shaped amulets called “Hamsa” to offer protection to ward off danger. In this project create your own amulet using tin foil.

Shove a Penny Board Game

Nothing brings families and friends together more than a good, old-fashioned board game. This game from the shuffleboard family is played in pubs primarily in United Kingdom. Two players or two teams compete using pennies.

Territorial NM "Tinwork" Frame

Ornamental tinwork originated in New Mexico during the mid-19th century as food products in tin cans arrived through the Santa Fe Trail. As people in New Mexico had limited access to material for artmaking, containers that once held products like coffee, lard, and kerosene were repurposed into picture frames, nichos, candle sconces, and more. Create your own version of New Mexican tinwork at home using aluminum foil.

3D Paper Character

Explore the world of 3D using simple materials around your home. Create a character expressing your different moods or the faces of your family, friends or neighbors.

Radial Abstract Designs

Radial designs move from the center to the edge of a circle. In this project, words and color form the basis for the design. Watch your words transform into a beautiful abstract artwork before your eyes.

International Sculpture Day

Betty Sabo was a painter and sculptor who spent most of her life in Albuquerque. Sabo’s paintings and bronze sculptures can be found in many public spaces around town. Julia Resting is a sculpture and portrait of Julia Seligman, a long-time volunteer at Albuquerque Museum and a friend of the sculptor.  Julia was known for her elaborate jewelry, and could often be seen sitting outside the Museum. Sabo was able to capture both of these things in her inviting sculpture, which encourages visitors to take a moment to sit and relax with her friend.

Botanical Art Illustrations

Celebrate spring and the new growth around you. Make your own botanical illustration inspired by your surroundings and imagination.