Is it okay to Eric Carle ALL THE THINGS?*
That’s a rhetorical question. Yes. Yes it is.
This egg decorating idea is inspired by the technique Eric Carle uses to illustrate his iconic picture books.

*2019 is the 50th anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and also Mr Carle’s 90th birthday.
I feel like it is the perfect year to be Carle-ifying everything. #youhavebeenwarned

Want to try egg decorating inspired by Eric Carle?

Here’s what you will need:

Tissue paper
Cardboard scraps
Acrylic paints
A variety of painting implements
Craft glue
Foam eggs

How to:

Eric Carle paints tissue paper which he then collages with to create his illustrations.
We are no strangers to this process- you can check out our painted tissue paper art here.
In that project, we painted big sheets of tissue paper.

For this project, we scaled down.
We painted smaller rectangles and squares of tissue paper- a much more manageable process!
Tape your tissue paper to cardboard scraps for a DIY easel. The paint will bleed through the tissue paper.

Tissue paper is obviously quite delicate.
This is a great exercise for mini artists to experiment with mark making and pressure. Too much paint, too much pressure and the paper will tear.

Decide on your paint colours and provide your little artists with different painting implements.
As you apply paint, you need to keep gently lifting your tissue paper up off the cardboard to prevent it sticking.
Pull out all your Eric Carle books and pore over his illustrations.
A great prompt to use with the kids is: “How do you think Eric Carle made those marks?”

If you’re looking for a cool effect, pull out the bubble wrap!
Slather some paint onto the bubble wrap and then place your tissue paper on top. Press lightly, lift and voila!

If you have a bit of paint overload happening, simply lay another piece of tissue paper on top of your design.
It’s a simple printmaking exercise that quickly increases the sheets of painted tissue paper that you have. (And trust me, you’ll want loads of the stuff!)

Once your tissue paper is all dried, here comes my favourite part!
Tear the paper into little strips, ready for collage.

Then you simply cover your foam eggs with your tissue paper pieces.
A thin layer of glue will keep corners down- just keep gently pressing down as you glue your tissue paper around the egg.
This step can get messy, so keep a wet towel nearby for your fingers.

You can use any craft glue. We were recently sent some Bostik products to trial. This is not a sponsored post!
I’m wondering how I survived this long without the Bostik Fine and Wide glue stick in my life.
It has two applicators for ease of use, a non-drip pen applicator that flows in a fine clean line as well as a spreader, for larger applications. It made the collage process super speedy.

Once your foam eggs have dried, decide what you are going to do with them.
You could use them as a table display. Or turn them into a mobile. (My sleep-deprived brain just couldn’t quite figure that one out today. But I’m sure you’ll have better luck!)

We decided to turn them into a door wreath. Because our postman deserves some Eric Carle Easter in his life too.
I simply used the hot glue gun on the eggs to affix them to an embroidery hoop. Simple!

Are we friends on Instagram? This egg decorating project is a part of Hopfest- an Easter and Spring eggstravaganza happening over on the Insta with a crew of crazily creative ladies. Be sure to check out all the ideas for oodles of inspo!

I love seeing when people try my projects! If you try this egg decorating inspired by Eric Carle, tag me on social media!
@ohcreativeday on Instagram or Facebook.

I’m running Eric Carle-inspired READ + CREATE classes these school holidays for preschoolers and Kindy kids. Click here to book so you don’t miss out!