Murakami Flower Turkey Art Project for Kids

This Murakami Flower Turkey art activity combines pop art color, Japanese-inspired design, and Thanksgiving fun in one creative classroom project or at-home activity. Fun Thanksgiving art inspired by Takashi Murakami’s famous smiling flowers, kids will explore color, line, and pattern!

What Is a Murakami Flower Turkey?

This elementary art project is perfect for grades 1–4 and introduces kids to contemporary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami and his Superflat movement. Use our free printable template or draw your own turkey to create colorful feathers inspired by Murakami’s playful flower designs.

Grades: 1–4
Focus Elements: Line, Color, Pattern, Shape
Time: 1–2 class periods
Art History Focus: Takashi Murakami and the Superflat Movement

Supplies Needed

Turkey template (or plain drawing paper)
Colored markers or crayons
Cardstock for the background
Scissors
Glue stick
Black marker for outlines

💡 Want a completely unique turkey disguise? Older kids can draw their own turkey outlines, faces, and flowers! Check out all our Turkey art here!

How to Make a Murakami Flower Turkey

Step 1: Print the turkey body template.
Step 2: On another sheet, draw large flower shapes to use as feathers or use the template. Each flower should have several rounded petals, just like Murakami’s iconic smiling flowers.
Step 4: Color each petal with bright, contrasting colors—pinks, blues, yellows, purples, and greens. Outline everything with a bold black line for a pop-art effect.
Step 5: Cut out the body and feathers and glue them onto a background sheet of cardstock to assemble your Murakami Flower Turkey masterpiece!

💡 Encourage students to fill the entire page with color and pattern for a true pop-art effect.

murakami flower and turkey pieces colored and ready to glue

Who is Takashi Murakami for Kids?

Takashi Murakami is a Japanese artist who loves mixing traditional Japanese art with today’s pop culture. He was born in Tokyo in 1962 and studied at the Tokyo University of the Arts, where he learned a traditional form of Japanese painting known as Nihonga.

Murakami is famous for using bright colors, bold black outlines, and big smiling flowers in his art. His style is cheerful, playful, and full of imagination! He often mixes ideas from anime (Japanese cartoons) and manga (comic books) with fine art you might see in a museum.

He even started a new art movement called Superflat, which uses flat, colorful shapes inspired by Japanese animation. Today, Murakami is one of Japan’s most well-known artists and has inspired people all over the world to see how fun and exciting art can be.

Flowers series (1995–present) – A collection of colorful, smiling flower designs in repeating patterns.
727 (1996) – One of his first major works introducing the playful character Mr. DOB.

Discussion Prompt:
What feelings do Murakami’s smiling flowers give you? How does color affect the mood of his artwork?

Extension Activities

Murakami Flower Grid: Have students draw a grid of multiple smiling flowers to explore repetition and pattern.
Color Challenge: Use only warm or cool colors for each flower feather and discuss how this choice affects the mood.
Compare and Contrast: Pair this project with our Loïs Mailou Jones Tribal Pattern Corn Art to explore how two artists from different cultures use pattern, line, and color.
Artist Research: Have older students learn more about Murakami’s Superflat movement and its connection to Japanese pop culture.