Beautiful Bonnet

Beautiful Bonnet

Color mixing can be quite an art! Discover the relationship between primary and secondary colors and create color harmony in a beautiful Model Magic® hat!

  • 1.

    Ask students if they had to guess the number of colors there are in the whole world, what number would they say? How many colors can they name? There are endless numbers of colors that exist. Even colors that have the same name, like violet, can look completely different! Some colors called violet are dark and look closer to blue, while others are lighter, like lavender. How can that be? Have students look at a color wheel and research the answer to that question.

  • 2.

    Every color wheel, no matter how simple or complex, has three main colors on it: red, yellow, and blue. They are called the primary colors. It is from the primary colors, red, yellow, and blue, that every other color is created! Have students mix any two of the primary colors in equal amounts, to discover a secondary color. There are also three secondary colors! What color is made when red is mixed with blue? Discuss with students each combination of primary colors and the secondary colors they make. Have students fill in a color wheel with Crayola® Classic Crayons on their own to help them remember the primary and secondary colors. They should have red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple on their color wheel when done!

  • 3.

    The color wheel can be used to create harmony in a work of art. Complementary, analogous, and triadic are three types of color harmonies that utilize the color wheel. Complementary colors are opposite of each other on the color wheel. Purple and yellow are examples of complementary colors. Have students name two other complementary colors. Three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel are called analogous colors. Green, blue, and purple are examples of analogous colors. The third type, triadic, creates color harmony by using three colors that are evenly spaced apart on the color wheel. Using just the primary or only the secondary colors would create a triadic color scheme.

  • 4.

    Students experiment with creating secondary colors! Using the primary colors, blend Crayola Model Magic to make secondary colors and sculpt a bright bonnet or hat! Ensure color harmony in the artwork by using complementary, analogous, or triadic colors. Refer to the color wheel for inspiration!

  • 5.

    To create the base of the bonnet or hat, flatten a small amount of Model Magic on a hard surface like a table. Turn a paper or plastic bowl upside down and mold the flattened Model Magic around it, covering the bowl completely. Add a brim to the hat with more pieces of flattened Model Magic. Model Magic that is fresh from the pack will stick to itself. Dried pieces can be glued together.

  • 6.

    Be creative with the design! Explore mixing different amounts of colors together, swirling, twisting, draping, folding, or rolling the Model Magic for exciting effects! Test out pressing into the Model Magic to form patterns and textures. Embellish the bonnet with details, such as flowers, stars, or bows!

  • 7.

    Allow the hat to dry overnight before carefully removing the bowl supporting its shape.




  • Students research the history of hats in their culture. What purpose does this piece of clothing serve today and what purposes did hats serve through time? A written summary of research should be accompanied by a sketch of the hats using Crayola Colored Pencils.
  • Students investigate hats from a specific era of their country's history. What types of hats were popular? What items were used to adorn hats of the chosen era? Students create hats to represent particular era in history. Display the hats and include a paragraph summary organizing students' research for each hat.
  • Why is President John F. Kennedy credited with single-handedly encouraging American men not to wear hats? Students investigate this question. Students extend this investigation with a look at other U.S. presidents and their fashion sense. This research can also include the fashion of the First Ladies. Students organize their research into an electronic presentation for viewing. Original sketches representing student research should be included in presentations.