Create a Mood with Colors
Make a mood poster using paints, markers, and color mixing to show different emotions, exploring how warm, cool, and bright colors change feelings.
Step-by-step guide to Create a Mood with Colors
Step 1
Gather all your materials and set them on a clean table so everything is ready to use.
Step 2
Pick four emotions you want to show like happy calm angry surprised and decide which ones you will show with warm cool or bright colors.
Step 3
Use your pencil and ruler to lightly draw four equal sections on the poster board and write each emotion name in a section.
Step 4
Squeeze small dollops of paint on your palette and make a color test on scrap paper to try one warm one cool and one bright color.
Step 5
Mix the paints on your palette to make the exact color you want for emotion 1.
Step 6
Paint the entire first section using your mixed color for emotion 1.
Step 7
Mix the paints on your palette to make the exact color you want for emotion 2.
Step 8
Paint the entire second section using your mixed color for emotion 2.
Step 9
Mix the paints on your palette to make the exact color you want for emotion 3.
Step 10
Paint the entire third section using your mixed color for emotion 3.
Step 11
Mix the paints on your palette to make the exact color you want for emotion 4.
Step 12
Paint the entire fourth section using your mixed color for emotion 4.
Step 13
Use markers to add faces shapes patterns and labels in each section to show how the colors make you feel.
Step 14
Let your poster dry completely on a flat surface so the paint does not smudge.
Step 15
Share a photo and a short description of your finished mood poster on DIY.org so everyone can see how colors change feelings.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can I use if I don't have poster board or a paint palette?
Use a piece of sturdy cardboard (like a flattened cereal box) for the poster board and a disposable paper plate or clean egg carton to squeeze and mix paint on your palette during the 'Squeeze small dollops...' and 'Mix the paints on your palette...' steps.
My paint is bleeding between sections or colors look muddy; how can I fix that?
Place painter's tape along your pencil lines before painting, let each painted section dry completely on a flat surface as instructed in 'Let your poster dry...', and rinse your brush between color mixes to avoid muddy colors while following the 'Mix the paints...' and 'Paint the entire...' steps.
How should I change the activity for younger kids or older kids?
For preschoolers, pre-draw the four equal sections and offer washable tempera and large brushes so they can paint one color per section, while older kids can experiment with precise color mixing on the palette, create gradients across a section, and add detailed faces and patterns with markers as in the 'Mix the paints...' and 'Use markers...' steps.
How can we personalize or extend the mood poster after finishing the four sections?
After the paint dries, personalize the poster by gluing textured materials like fabric scraps or sequins into each emotion section, writing the exact color recipes used on the palette, and photographing the finished mood poster to share on DIY.org as in the last step.
Watch videos on how to Create a Mood with Colors
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4 Videos
Crafting Mood Boards: The Art of Storytelling in Design
Mastering Moodboards: Great Creative Work | Beginner to Advanced
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Ask an Expert - How to create and use a mood board
Facts about color theory for kids
🧊 Cool colors such as blue and green tend to feel calming and can make spaces seem cooler to the eye.
🧪 If you mix all three traditional subtractive primaries together, you’ll often get a muddy brown instead of a clean black.
🌈 Mixing two primary paints (like red + blue) usually makes a secondary color (purple), perfect for experimenting on posters.
👁️ The human eye can distinguish about one million different hues—lots of choices for showing mood!
🎨 Warm colors like red, orange, and yellow are often linked to energy, excitement, and attention.
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