Holiday 3D Collages

I LOVE doing open ended projects with my elementary students.  They just flourish with the freedom these kinds of projects give them and it is so cool to see what they will come up with!

At this time of year, 

they have LOTS of energy and its time to harness that energy in a creative endeavor.  My fifth graders were given the opportunity to celebrate the holiday and winter season by creating a winter or holiday scene of their own design with cut pieces of construction paper.  I gave them each five

3D O’s to put behind various objects in their collage, making them pop out.

 They LOVED this!  The novelty of getting to have parts of their artwork instantly become a little more three dimensional was so fun for them and seemed to spark their creativity.  Isn’t it interesting how little unique things like this can open a door of wonder and self expression in elementary kids (and big kids, for that matter!)?  Who doesn’t love a fun process?  

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Social Issue Collage

Isn’t it great when art can not only express and entertain…but also inform?  There are artists all throughout history who have used their art to be educators (and as an Art Educator - isn’t that a cool thought??!)  My Art 2 sophomores recently studied the work of Romare Bearden, chose a social issue to study and then created a “teaching collage” about it.

In this project, we start out by watching this video which introduces them to African American artist Romare Bearden (1911-1988).   After watching the video, they read this short biography about “Uncle Romie” and his accomplished, interesting and varied life.  

They make a list of social issues that affect our society (from teen suicide to drug abuse to climate change and so on…) and then do some research before choosing which one they want to study more in creating their artwork.  

Once they have chosen and researched, I ask them to make a planning sketch and a list of material they will need.  They need to create handmade artworks for the collage, but they can also include publications, printed information, photos and three dimensional objects.

We create these on a mat board base.  Painted papers are cut into patterns and shapes for the first layer and then further layers are added.  Students are encouraged to think about educating the viewer as they create.  They also need to think about how the eye will move through the piece.

The success of these pieces from year to year honestly varies, but no matter how the artwork turns out, it is gratifying to see students opening their eyes and minds to issues that affect our world.

Happy Learning!

Zentangle Collage

As I stated in an earlier post, Zentangles are hot now and we Art teachers are having a great time finding creative ways to use them.  Here’s another example of how we’ve played with them in my high school classes.  

Using acrylic paint, students make textural papers that they then cut up and use in a nonobjective collage.  They are directed to think about the use of shape, color, repetition and balance in the creation of these pieces.  

Notice how I didn't have my example Zentangle done
so its "hidden" among the painted papers? Tricky, huh?

As they are working on their papers, they are also creating a Zentangle that will be cut up and used in the collage.  

Knowing they are going to cut up their piece is sometimes a blessing (because they can hide parts that don’t work well) and sometimes drives them crazy (when the piece as a whole looks great and they don’t want to “ruin” it.) 

The challenge comes in layering the collage in such a way that the Zentangle pieces stand out, but also look like they belong with the painted pieces. I always enjoy seeing how the kids will solve the design problems they encounter.  I can almost see the wheels turning in their heads - and that does my heart good. As I often say, “That’s why Art is good for your brain!” :-) 

I hope you are having fun figuring out interesting ways to incorporate Zentangles into your curriculum.
Happy Creating!!