A blog about art making and art education explorations in a humble art room for adults and kids of all ages.

In our busy lives, we believe that Eva’s message of creating a quiet place within yourself to allow your creative intuition to flow

Please Note: All images seen below are of my students artwork only. These photos/lessons are not posted in any particular order regarding the flow of my curriculum. Abstract Self-Portrait Paintin…

A blog about art making and art education explorations in a humble art room for adults and kids of all ages.

Colorful printed paper collage bird project inspired by artist Clare Youngs. Explore collage, drawing, painting and stamping. Kids will learn and have fun while creating beautiful artwork. Grades K-8

Humans are cool. REALLY cool, actually. We’re full of complexities and eccentricities and a uniqueness that makes us one in a million! We can see ourselves in the mirror. We can see ourselves in photos. But have you ever seen yourself in a collage?! Here’s your chance to create a self portrai

Use Arrows above to toggle through examples! SUMMARY: We began this lesson by creating a series of oil pastel-patterned papers. Working with distinct warm or cool color schemes, the students c…

Get cutting and sticking with our easy collage ideas! Discover creative inspiration for your own beautiful collage art with Gathered.

Collage Art Program

I've been wanting to do this project for ages, ever since I saw it on the blog [email protected]. You can find Natalie's original post here. After many illustration and painting projects under our belt, I wanted to do a paper art project with my kids, and knew this one would be perfect for all ages. And boy, was it fun! Be aware that this project is rather time-consuming, as it requires many steps and is done on a large format. It took us three 90-minute classes, but it worked out well, since we lumped the three main steps into one class each. Day 1: Students chose to do either a cat or a dog (large or small breed). I prepared tracers of cat eyes, dog eyes, cat nose, and a small and large dog nose. I used simple cardstock for this. I don't usually use tracers, but felt they were fitting for this projects since the focus was really on pastel blending, painting for dimension and definition, and collaging, and the tracers really saved us a lot of time and effort in an already lengthy, multi-step project. Students traced their eyes and nose on good watercolor or acrylic paper. Eyes were colored using 3-4 analogous oil pastel colors. Starting at the outer edge of eye ball with the darkest color, students colored a ring of color always coloring in the direction of the pupil. The next lightest color was applied in the same way, but slightly touching the first ring of color in order to have the two colors blend. The third and fourth colors was applied in this same way. This process created slightly blended colors where one color ring transforms into the next, and it really looks like the streaks of iris color. You're best off watching Natalie's eye coloring tutorial here. Once irises were colored, black acrylic paint was used to color in pupils and the outer edge of eyes. Reflection spots were added in white acrylic paint. The dog nose was painted using black acrylic paint with white, to create grays. Cat noses were painted with red with white, to create pink. Highlight spots were added here too. Watch Natalie's nose painting tutorial here. This was all we managed for day 1. Day 2: To hugely save on time and cut down on mess and waste, I had prepared and pre-torn strips of paper is various colors, patterns and textures. I used as many different kinds of paper as possible for maximum interest - atlas paper, book paper, painted paper, printed/stamped paper, deco paper, wrapping paper, graph paper, dotted paper, colored construction paper.... and I had my (biological) kids help me create paper using different mediums (watercolor resist, printing with stamps, painting with stencils, scribbling and drawing, printing with bubble wrap and other found objects, etc). I then tore these up into long strips. You could do this step on a separate day with your students (the kids would love it) but I was pressed for time. So, day 2, students were given a large 50x35cm black paper and were told to collage strips of paper in as many different colors and patterns as possible (mindful of balance and harmony, so perhaps repeating a few colors and patterns here and there). Strips should head towards the center and go slightly beyond the edge of the paper. We used acrylic gel medium for our glue. As always with gel medium, we glued under and over, which really helps to firmly seal our strips. This process took nearly the full 90 minutes of class. Collaged strips Day 3: We glued our eyes and nose onto our collage paper. We had many visuals of dogs and cats at our desks, to helps us visualize the facial order, features, texture and fur of our animals. We noted that with animals (and people), eyes are generally placed only as wide apart as the width of our noses. We glued these down and went over them with glossy acyclic gel medium, which gives our eyes and nose that glossy shimmer. Then it was time for adding definition, dimension and texture, and to make our eyes and nose harmonize with and look like they 'belong' to our collaged background. Using only black and white paint (and creating our own grays), we defined our eyes, created a snout shape and chin, considered dimension and facial structure. Again, we looked to visuals of cats and different dog breeds for inspiration. Cheeks, chins and snouts were pushed forward in that we used more white and light grays here, while eyes were pushed back in that we added more black around the edges. Using feather brushes and other fur-rendering paint brushes (fan brush, wisp brush), we added furry lines and texture around eyes, forehead, along the edges of our snouts, and anywhere we wanted that furry look. To make the eyes less 'startled' and to give our eyes more character, we painted over the upper edge of the iris. This softened the look a bit. We even abandoned brushes and used our fingers to finger paint some definition here and there. Fun! All my ages groups, from age 6-14, really enjoyed this multi-step process.... perhaps without even realizing just how much learning was happening! A real winner of a project! Thanks again to Natalie from Elementaryartfun.blogspot.com for the awesome inspiration! Ages 8-11 Ages 8-14 Ages 6-7

A great collaborative kids process art project.

Our first project this year has been a very progressive, multi step, multi media project that has really evolved as we created! Our first project when we got back from hurricane Harvery was to release some stress with scribbling to music.... Students spread out on the floor and scribbled to the sound of fast and slow music by “The Piano Guys” they love these songs because they recognize them from the radio but it’s all instrumental. The students were instructed to use large arm motions that cross over the body. Any motion that crosses from the right side of the body to the left or vise versa uses both hemispheres of the brain since each side controls one side of the body. It is very relaxing and the kids LOVED it!!!!!! The next class kids painted over thier scribbles with water colors, tempera paint, and India ink. They explored the way different paint resists or does not resist the crayon. You can follow me on instagram for more photos "Natty241" And my facebook page "Mrs. Waggenspack's Art Room" They were allowed to use their hands at the end. We try to use all 5 senses for a while brain experience. We talked about abstract art, Kinetic art, And the experience of art. It is a process and not just a product that we create in art. After each experience we gathered on the floor and talked about how they felt in one word. Students said, “Free, alive, happy, exhilarating, dancing, creative, like a real artist, quiet, excited, open,angry, peaceful,etc” When the paintings were finished the students tore them up into strips! They were so upset at first. When they saw the next step they were so excited. The students glued the strips on a late paper for the collage. This took three 50 minute classes. Then students traced the eyes and nose of the animal they wanted and outlines the eyes, nose, and beaks with India ink. ( pictures at the bottom of blog) this is the resin I use. I paint it on with a brush. This resin must be mixed one to one ratio and it is toxic so you must wear a mask. Do NOT let the children use it. You have to do it for them if you want the ultra shiney eyes effect! Wear a mask and use gloves! You can sprinkle glitter in it too for extra FUN!!! Then they glued the eyes and nose on the collage. The next step was to embellish the face and add details. We used India ink and fan brushes to make fur and feathers. When the entire face was finished I added resin to the eyes to make them shine These are how the eyes and noses look before they cut them out. We used the fan brush for making fur. These are the travers they could use for eyes, noses and beaks

There are great rewards to be had if you break out of your creative comfort zone, like gaining more confidence and having a more fulfilling and satisfying art practice.

I've been wanting to do this project for ages, ever since I saw it on the blog [email protected]. You can find Natalie's original post here. After many illustration and painting projects under our belt, I wanted to do a paper art project with my kids, and knew this one would be perfect for all ages. And boy, was it fun! Be aware that this project is rather time-consuming, as it requires many steps and is done on a large format. It took us three 90-minute classes, but it worked out well, since we lumped the three main steps into one class each. Day 1: Students chose to do either a cat or a dog (large or small breed). I prepared tracers of cat eyes, dog eyes, cat nose, and a small and large dog nose. I used simple cardstock for this. I don't usually use tracers, but felt they were fitting for this projects since the focus was really on pastel blending, painting for dimension and definition, and collaging, and the tracers really saved us a lot of time and effort in an already lengthy, multi-step project. Students traced their eyes and nose on good watercolor or acrylic paper. Eyes were colored using 3-4 analogous oil pastel colors. Starting at the outer edge of eye ball with the darkest color, students colored a ring of color always coloring in the direction of the pupil. The next lightest color was applied in the same way, but slightly touching the first ring of color in order to have the two colors blend. The third and fourth colors was applied in this same way. This process created slightly blended colors where one color ring transforms into the next, and it really looks like the streaks of iris color. You're best off watching Natalie's eye coloring tutorial here. Once irises were colored, black acrylic paint was used to color in pupils and the outer edge of eyes. Reflection spots were added in white acrylic paint. The dog nose was painted using black acrylic paint with white, to create grays. Cat noses were painted with red with white, to create pink. Highlight spots were added here too. Watch Natalie's nose painting tutorial here. This was all we managed for day 1. Day 2: To hugely save on time and cut down on mess and waste, I had prepared and pre-torn strips of paper is various colors, patterns and textures. I used as many different kinds of paper as possible for maximum interest - atlas paper, book paper, painted paper, printed/stamped paper, deco paper, wrapping paper, graph paper, dotted paper, colored construction paper.... and I had my (biological) kids help me create paper using different mediums (watercolor resist, printing with stamps, painting with stencils, scribbling and drawing, printing with bubble wrap and other found objects, etc). I then tore these up into long strips. You could do this step on a separate day with your students (the kids would love it) but I was pressed for time. So, day 2, students were given a large 50x35cm black paper and were told to collage strips of paper in as many different colors and patterns as possible (mindful of balance and harmony, so perhaps repeating a few colors and patterns here and there). Strips should head towards the center and go slightly beyond the edge of the paper. We used acrylic gel medium for our glue. As always with gel medium, we glued under and over, which really helps to firmly seal our strips. This process took nearly the full 90 minutes of class. Collaged strips Day 3: We glued our eyes and nose onto our collage paper. We had many visuals of dogs and cats at our desks, to helps us visualize the facial order, features, texture and fur of our animals. We noted that with animals (and people), eyes are generally placed only as wide apart as the width of our noses. We glued these down and went over them with glossy acyclic gel medium, which gives our eyes and nose that glossy shimmer. Then it was time for adding definition, dimension and texture, and to make our eyes and nose harmonize with and look like they 'belong' to our collaged background. Using only black and white paint (and creating our own grays), we defined our eyes, created a snout shape and chin, considered dimension and facial structure. Again, we looked to visuals of cats and different dog breeds for inspiration. Cheeks, chins and snouts were pushed forward in that we used more white and light grays here, while eyes were pushed back in that we added more black around the edges. Using feather brushes and other fur-rendering paint brushes (fan brush, wisp brush), we added furry lines and texture around eyes, forehead, along the edges of our snouts, and anywhere we wanted that furry look. To make the eyes less 'startled' and to give our eyes more character, we painted over the upper edge of the iris. This softened the look a bit. We even abandoned brushes and used our fingers to finger paint some definition here and there. Fun! All my ages groups, from age 6-14, really enjoyed this multi-step process.... perhaps without even realizing just how much learning was happening! A real winner of a project! Thanks again to Natalie from Elementaryartfun.blogspot.com for the awesome inspiration! Ages 8-11 Ages 8-14 Ages 6-7

Today I am going to show 6 ways that I made easy background papers using supplies that you might already have around your craft room!

In this tutorial I am going to be sharing how to do an image transfer with packing tape. Using image transfers can be a lot of fun in your art journals and mixed media projects and they are a great way to achieve an easy, no bulk, layer to your work.

Photographic artwork from the NEW YORK Series by Sven Pfrommer. Diasec work: lambda print behind clear acrylic glass 2mm, with polished edges, with alu-dibond as back and aluminum hanging profile. Artwork is ready to hang. Limited Edition of 25 with certificate. Size: 120 x 90 cm Please explore more artworks from my NEW YORK series: https://bit.ly/3p7cWFT https://etsy.me/3E3u7ye More fine art, wall art, contemporary art, one of a kind art, mixed media art, fine art photography, original art, cityscape art, art on acrylic, canvas wall art, urban art, gallery wall art and limited edition art can be found in my shop: https://shop.svenpfrommer.com More about the artist: I am an award-winning fine art photographer and visual artist. My multidisciplinary practice crosses the boundaries of photography, painting and printmaking; the works are created using acrylic, resin, aluminium, copper, wood, canvas, lambda and dibond. My work is frequently presented in international art exhibitions, on art fairs and has been featured in collections and publications worldwide. https://www.svenpfrommer.com On social media: https://www.instagram.com/sven_pfrommer https://twitter.com/svenpfrommer https://svenpfrommer.tumblr.com https://www.pinterest.com/svenpfrommer https://www.facebook.com/pfrommerphotoart https://www.youtube.com/c/SvenPfrommerArt

Super easy way to make collage paper backgrounds which are great for art journals, junk journals or mixed media art pieces!

Learn this fun and easy method for aging paper! By Thicketworks for Graphics Fairy

The kids and I loved doing this project. First of all, I love combining collage with painting and drawing, and I love big bustling cities. Secondly, this project was an opportunity for my students to visually communicate where they, or their families, comes from. Always big points for personalizing art. The New York artist, Elizabeth Rosen, was the inspired for this project. See her work here. Elizabeth Rosen Objectives were: creating a layered cityscape using various collage and book papers; overlapping buildings; variety in text, color and shape; balance and harmony; perspective (smaller and higher in back, bigger and lower at bottom); and creating depth with charcoal sticks, which we smudged with our fingers. We added personalized symbols which represent our home city of choice. We began by painting our sky in an opaque color. We only painted half way down, because we knew that our collage papers would cover the bottom up to middle portion (saving on time and paint is always good!) We then cut out various collage papers in simplified building shapes and were mindful of varying our shapes and sizes of our building, as well as choosing papers with different fonts, coloration and design, so as to achieve a well balanced and dynamic cityscape. We arranged and then glued, starting at the back of the city and moving down, so that those in front overlap those in back. We then drew symbols, signs or other indicators of the city we were representing (a shopping mall in Dubai, the City Hall in Zagreb, building top water tanks, yellow cabs and a bagel shop in New York, a church and clocktower in Prague are a few examples the kids came up with the identify their city). We cut these out and pasted them on our buildings. Lastly, we used soft vine charcoal to run a black line along the edge of all our buildings, and then smudged lightly with our fingers. This gives immediate and stunning depth and 3-dimension to our city. Represented in the below collages are Berlin, Prague, Milano, NYC, Minneapolis, and an invented city. Kids 7-9. Kids 7-9 Represent in the below collages are Dubai, Budapest, New York, an imaginary city, Zagreb and a Chinese city. Kids 7-11

Hi everybody! Susanne here and I’m sharing an abstract mixed media art journal tutorial today and dive into mark making and transparent layering. I am using a flower from our Pencil Marks 4 s…

A contemporary self portrait project for all ages inspired by the whimsical illustrations of Suzy Ultman.

Our first project this year has been a very progressive, multi step, multi media project that has really evolved as we created! Our first p...

Super easy way to make collage paper backgrounds which are great for art journals, junk journals or mixed media art pieces!

My tried and true tools and adhesives for mixed media collage art.

I’ve been making some little embellishments lately to use in my collage journals. My goal is to use some of the stuff I already have – you know, the stuff that keeps piling up… gel prints, pa…

Our first project this year has been a very progressive, multi step, multi media project that has really evolved as we created! Our first p...

the tutorial materials - click here for the materials list introduction - in the last post I listed the basics that you will need to have a go at my little fabric collage project - please know that you don't need all of the fabrics. For example, some of the things I listed were prompts/ideas for using up old pieces of work ... it's exciting to use up old projects and clear the decks a bit ..... so here we go! inspiration - you may have given some thought to your theme or colour scheme ... if not it really doesn't matter. This is a very freeing and very personal project ... you can copy my colours if you wish but better still if you have your own project in mind. If you have no particular project in mind then using a variety of colours with no particular theme means you may end up with some very lovely abstract pieces, which is exciting! prepare your base layer - get your piece of stiff Vilene or stiff calico or cotton and cut your piece into approximately 9 inches x 12 inches. It really doesn't matter at all if you go an inch smaller or bigger either way STAGE 1 - COVER YOUR BASE LAYER WITH FABRICS AND PAPER layering - from your pile of gathered fabrics and paper ... tear, rip or cut pieces of fabric and paper and glue it straight down on the base layer ... work in an abstract manner and work quickly without thinking too much about placement. Don't be too fussy at this stage and you will get some good results here I have glued some paper and some chiffon with stitched pleats some wool tops and some cellophane wrapper as well as very small bits of metallic fabric with fraying edges glues - I use a glue stick ... but you can also use pva glue if you wish. Glue stick dries quite quickly. Whatever you use, you will need to leave your base layer to dry out thoroughly before moving on to the next stage. If you have a hair dryer you can use that on a medium/gentle setting to help it dry a bit quicker ... but I would not recommend using a heat gun as the heat will be too intense and may burn some of your fabrics and papers working fairly quickly, glue all your pieces on ... overlapping if you wish until your base laver is covered completely like this ... above you can see some of what I've used - the green fern and the pumpkin fabrics are shop bought, there is a piece of old cross stitch, two cellophane wrappers in orange and yellow, assorted torn papers from paper bags and distressed magazine papers, the bee and hive image were torn from a magazine, there is also some hand dyed sari silk ribbon and some little torn metallic sheer fabrics dotted over the piece before moving on to stage 2 - please ensure your work has dried out sufficiently (see above) STAGE 2 - APPLY PAINT TO YOUR PAPERS AND FABRICS blending - using your paints/acrylics or other colouring medium ... use them to blend the fabrics and papers together. There are no rules ... it's up to you. You can use your paints or colouring mediums to either enhance and draw attention to areas you love or to disguise areas you don't like so much. If you don't like what you've done with the paint ... wipe it off, let it dry and paint over with another colour or glue a piece of fabric or paper over the top. You can see in the photo below I've added some burnt umber, gold and sap green ... blending all the colours together. Then let your piece dry completely before the next stage in the picture below I've worked burnt umber and gold paint into a piece of wool blanket and it's optional but, if you wish, you can press your gilding flakes into the paint before moving on to stage 3 - please ensure your work has dried out sufficiently (see above) STAGE 3 - ADD MACHINE OR HAND STITCHING AND THEN CUT UP stitching - after the paint has dried you can further secure your fabrics and papers by stitching through the layers. If you have a sewing machine you can use free motion stitch if you are happy with the technique. If you prefer to do simple stitched lines, running stitch or zigzag then that's fine. Perhaps alter the size of your stitches by adjusting the length and width while you are stitching ... that can add a bit of interest. If you are not happy using a sewing machine (or don't have access to one) you can hand stitch through the layers ... long lines right across your piece in every direction ... I've used a simple running stitch and zigzag stitch below ... then turn your piece over (mine looked like this on the back) ... on the back divide your piece into six smaller pieces by drawing lines with a pencil (divide into as many pieces as you wish ... any size ... it's up to you) then be brave and cut them up with scissors STAGE 4 - WORK ON SMALLER PIECES - ADD TEXTURE add texture - your pieces should now be a bit more abstract and have some interesting lines and areas of colour. The next thing is to select just one of your small pieces to work on. work on your small pieces one at a time personalising them and adding texture and interest. You can add texture by building up more layers of fabric and paint (in the same manner I mentioned above). further texture can be added with 3D elements such as the "emeralds" I've added below. Position your bits and pieces on your little piece, then glue down to keep them in place, then over sew to further secure. I would add my 3D elements first before doing a lot of hand stitching. I tend to hand stitch or sew on small beads as the final stage ... but, of course, it is up to you I added the chiffon and emerald strip which I glued down to "place" it, then stitched it to secure afterwards, I worked some french knots around the piece to help blend it in with the surrounding fabrics and papers at any time, you can also apply more paint if you wish and remember those gilding flakes, if you have some. Press your little shimmery flakes into the paint and leave to dry thoroughly. Cover the gilding flakes with a piece of plain paper and carefully press and smooth the flakes to burnish them into the paint. Gilding over pleats, lumps and bumps ... even little stitches ... will enhance the raised areas. If you don't have gilding flakes ... you could gently rub some treasure gold (or similar), metallic paint, markel sticks or metallic oil pastels over any raised areas you wish to enhance and draw attention to (if you want to go the whole hog ... there are a variety of products out there for adding texture to your piece ... by adding texture to paint as well as texture pastes and 3D paints that you puff up with heat products ... this tutorial does not explore all those possibilities ... but if you are familiar with them ... they are suitable options for adding texture to your pieces. It's just not possible to explore everything in one tutorial within a blog post) gilding on pleats to enhance raised areas hand stitching - when it comes to adding little stitches to your piece ... it's nice to use a variety of different types of thread, use a variety of thicknesses and a variety of colours or toning colours. Stitch your biggest stitches, with your thickest yarns, first ... then fill in around with smaller stitches and blend your colours. I, personally, like tones of similar colour all blended together ... but you don't have to do what I do. Do what pleases you! different stitches - you can use your small pieces to practice new stitches. I'm a terror for always using my favourite french knots ... so next time I do this technique (which will be on Wednesday as I have a Crow Day) I promise to use new stitches. I recommend any of Jan Beaney's and Jean Littlejohn's books for stitch inspiration and I also have Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches which is useful. Online ... you can visit Sharon B's dictionary of stitches for hand embroidery and needlework for beautiful stitch ideas. Be creative and use the stitches out of context to add texture and interest. In addition, you could consider stumpwork or raised embroidery. The possibilities are endless ... stitching through painted areas after working on all six of my little pieces I found that each one took on a new personality they spoke to me and let me know which type of "allotment" they would be ... ... like a story unfolding and I hope that yours will too I hope you have fun with the basic ideas contained in this tutorial work into each one as much as you wish ... until you are happy with your little pieces it is up to you you can refer back to my last seven or eight posts for more detail thank you for reading today and for following along the tutorial will stay on my blog forever ... so don't feel under pressure have fun!! ♥ Posted by Carolyn Saxby

So proud of these artworks. A very big "WELL DONE" to the students of Year 5/6 B, Windsor Public School, NSW, Australia. Your art...

A mixed media art lesson for kids celebrating the art of Marc Chagall. In this lesson plan, students will learn some exciting and effective art techniques with a variety of materials to create a very unique piece of art– a portrayal of themselves, including images of meaningful things in their life.

Mixed Media Collage with Tinker Trays