Tree Collagraphs

I have completed Autumn tree collages with students before (see HERE and HERE) however this time I have added a print-making element which also adds more texture. 

We began by drawing a large circle on the top half of our paper. This acted as a guide for creating the foliage. Students were given the option of many pieces of coloured tissue paper and were asked to use only the warm colours for their collage. They tore their paper into small pieces and glued onto their paper, overlapping to create new shapes and colours. We then brushed a thin paste over the collage to smooth down any bumps. Students were then given cardboard in many different thicknesses and textures and asked to create a separate collage on a piece of white card. This time they would cut and glue down cardboard pieces to create only the tree trunk. I told them to think of building a large capital letter 'Y' and building on from there. 

Once both collages were complete, students painted their tree trunk using a thick black acrylic paint, lay it face down onto their tissue paper collage and created the final print. Using a collage to make prints in this way is called a collagraph. I think they turned out beautifully!

Spring Planter Boxes

My grade 2 students recently created these mixed media flower planters to celebrate Spring. The project was inspired by my mother in law, Jennie, who managed to collect all of the interesting shaped cardboard boxes from her workplace for me (thank you!!). 

As they looked like mini planter boxes to me, I had students paint them in a terracotta shade. After some tips and instructions, they then made various coloured paper flowers and glued them to small kebab skewers painted green. For the soil, we stuffed shredded paper into each box and painted it black before planting our flowers.

Egyptian Cat Mummies

 

These simple little sculptures are my variation on the cardboard tube owls that have been floating around on blogs and on Pinterest for a while now. Who originally created them? I don't know, but here's one example of the owls at 'Qlturka'. They are so simple to make. Squash in the top of a cardboard tube (NOT a toilet roll as we are not allowed to use them for craft projects for hygiene reasons so we have to buy them unused) to make ears and then cover in paper or papier mache or in our case, masking tape.

As these grade 6 students are learning about Ancient Egypt, they appreciated the feeling of wrapping their cats in tape as if mummifying them! We looked at a few pictures of cat mummies before painting the sculptures and drawing on features and patterns in black marker.