Pattern: Plaid Cat Collage

This is a collage project, suitable for elementary grades, using paper painted in a plaid pattern. If you encourage the use of "Halloween" type colours (oranges, purples, greens) it could make a nice Halloween project. One of the main objectives, though, is to teach students how to paint a plaid pattern, and how to look at an animal in more simple terms of basic shapes in order to create a collage (similar to the technique used by Eric Carle).

I was initially inspired by the "Mixed Media Plaid Puppy" project posted by Barbara Boville on the Incredible Art Department website here.

So start off by showing students example of plaid patterns. Maybe point out some that students themselves might be wearing. Have them describe the pattern and colours used. A plaid is a pattern consisting of crossed horizontal and vertical bands in two or more colors in woven cloth. Common examples of plaid patterns include: tartan (most common) and the more simple gingham. (Source)

So to start off, students need to use flat brushes in at least three different sizes: 

large, medium and a thin one. For the paint, you can use watercolours, tempera or acrylics. 

This is the most simple way I found to create a plaid, but there are limitless ways so just experiment. 

We used watercolour paint. Start off by painting the thickest or widest lines first and then work down to the thinnest lines. On white paper (heavier weight is best), paint three wide stripes (largest brush) horizontally, then turn the paper around and paint three vertical lines. Depending on how watery your paint it, you might need to wait a bit at this point before adding any more stripes or the paint will just end up bleeding together. Try to have student work on 2-3 different sheets of paper separately so each one has a bit of time to dry in between.

OK- then switch to the medium sized brush and add more stripes both horizontally and vertically.

You don't need to use the same colour at this point.

Using a smaller brush, add some thinner stripes of colour. Again, you can switch up your colours.

Finally, try to add some really thin stripes. And there you have a basic plaid. You can paint over more and more if you like, continuing to layer different colours to get a more complex design.

For younger students (Grade 2 for example), a simple check or gingham pattern is much easier. Try to have the kid paint the stripes as close to each other as possible. Using larger paper will help alot with this.

The next class, once the paper is dry, flip it over and have students draw the basic shapes for a cat collage- encourage them to 'break-down' or separate the head, the body, paws, tail and ears. Cut those apart.

Assemble them onto a black sheet of paper and arrange it how you like, then glue all the pieces down using a glue stick. Then add facial features using markers or more collage pieces or 

googly eyes or however you like.

Ta da!

Glue Pictures- faux embossed metal

This is a project I found in an Usborne activity book. It's very simple and needs only a few supplies: white glue in a bottle, a piece of card, and gold and black acrylic paint. 

I've seen this lesson done with glue and then you put aluminium foil on top, but this skips that step and it still looks good- like faux embossed antique metal.

So each student needs a piece of heavy card (we used cut up cereal boxes)and a bottle of white glue 

(FYI: we used Elmers brand glue for this- it is fairly thick and that's good. I think some no-name generic school glues might be too runny and therefore not work. So test your particular brand of glue out before teaching this to a class. Tacky glue would also work brilliantly as it's thicker than regular white glue.)

You can choose a subject matter for the project for more focus, or leave it open-ended. I chose birds.

Draw your design onto the card lightly in pencil. 

Practice in a sketchbook or scrap paper first. Try to fill the page.

 Then, using a glue bottle, slowly and carefully pass over all the pencil lines.

You may have to touch up areas. Just take your time. 

If you make a mistake, just wipe it off and start again.

Let dry flat overnight. 

By the next class, the card will have curved/warped a bit, but that's ok. 

The glue will have also flattened out a bit.

Now it's time to create a faux antique metal effect. Paint the whole picture with gold or bronze or silver metallic acrylic paint. Let dry. 

Once it's dry, get some black acrylic paint ready and a damp paper towel or cloth.

Paint the entire picture with black paint and then, using the damp paper towel, gently rub away the black paint, revealing the gold underneath. This gives sort of an antiquing effect.

   

You can use this technique with lots of age groups, from elementary to Grade 8 as you can see from the results below.

Collage Pop-Out Fish

This is a fun and colourful fish project suitable for elementary students. I usually do it with Grade 3 classes. I found this project in an art activity book years ago-I will take a guess and say that it might have been from an Usborne book, but I truly don't remember for sure. 

This would be a great project to collaborate with any classroom teachers if they are studying fish and underwater themes. Students could research a specific fish and use the correct colours and shapes of fins, etc. This also makes a really nice hanging display.

So the supplies you'll need are very simple: tissue paper, regular white paper, white glue, aluminium foil

Start by choosing two or three colours of tissue paper for your fish.

Rip them into a bunch of strips.

I had my 2 year old niece try this project out for a little summer activity. Preschool kids can do the collage part, but adults or older siblings would have to do the cutting and folding for them. 

Take some watered down glue in a container and use a flat paintbrush to gently glue down all the strips of tissue paper, covering all the white paper. Paint over-top of the tissue paper as well, to really seal it down.

My niece used ALOT of glue and only managed to cover about 10% of the paper before she lost interest ;)

Overlap the tissue paper to create new colours.

Once you've covered all the white paper, it's time for the aluminium foil.

Oh, you could also add some glitter at this point as well!!!!

Rip or cut the foil into some thick strips and glue those down. Use full strength white glue 

because the watered down glue won't hold it.

Let the paper dry over night. The next day it will have curled at the edges, so it helps to 

flatten it with heavy books for a day or so.

Ok- once the paper is dry and relatively flat, lay it out portrait style and fold it in half 

(bring the bottom up to the top)

Draw half of a simple fish shape- just the body and a tail.

Cut it out. 

Now take the top of the body and fold/bend it down until it almost reaches the bottom fold.

Crease well (the paper will be thick due to the collage layers, so crease it well).

Turn the fish over. Bend/fold the other top edge over in the same way. Crease well.

Unfold. Draw 8 lines going from the bottom fold up to the top fold. Make these about a finger width size. Also cut a mouth. 

Cut the lines, making sure to stop at the top fold.

Open up the fish. At this point, some of the foil may have peeled off- it doesn't seem to stick very well (seeing it's a non-porous surface). You can glue it back on or rip it off in frustration like I did ;)

Ok- now for the 'pop-out' part.

Hold the head and pull the first strip out. Keep the second strip inwards. Keep going, making sure to alternate out, in, out, in and crease each strip well.

Done!

Success!

Now to add the features. Use the scraps of the collage paper (students can swap 

papers to mix and match) to cut out fins.

Glue on a large eye.

If you want to hang them up for a cool display, punch a hole at the top and 

add some yarn/string/ribbon, whatever.

Ta da!