Below you’ll find a Romare Bearden tutorial and coloring page. He was a preeminent African-American artist who had a prolific and distinguished career.

Romare Bearden, one of the most important African American artists of the 20th century, is actually best known for his collage work. Created largely from painted paper, magazine clippings, and bits of fabric, his works were based largely on boyhood memories of life in the rural South and in New York during the Harlem Renaissance.

Collage work aside, it is also possible to imitate Romare’s work by just drawing in his distinctive style. This tutorial shows students how to draw a very simple silhouette of a musician, one of his favorite themes, leaning slightly forward, playing a string instrument that fills up the page. This abstract look very much follows Romare Bearden’s way of seeing his world, which is a fun view to try on.

Drawing large shapes that are supposed to touch the top and bottom of the paper are also helpful in asking students to fill up their entire paper. A tendency to draw small is natural when starting out, so anything that kind of pushes them to think big, is helpful.