Layered landscape collages with textured watercolored papers

The theme of this 8-week session of DragonWing Arts was "SCAPES - Landscapes, Seascapes, Cloudscapes, Dreamscapes!".  My students completed several projects, including the toothpaste batiks I previously told you about in this post.  This week we finished another project, that I've been planning since the first class.  But, as usual, we ran out of time, so these fun layered landscape collages, with textured water-colored papers, were assembled in less than one hour.  This explains why I was not too picky when the kids sometimes didn't layer the landscapes properly.  We just didn't have time to nitpick!  The lively colorful piece pictured above was made by a third grade boy.

 We were in such a hurry to get done, I didn't get great photos of the completed projects, so these pics will have to do.  I especially loved the decision of the second grade girl who made the piece above, to work vertically and let her waves extend beyond the frame of the page.

 The landscape above was created by a third grade boy, and outlined with black Sharpie.  The papers used for these collages were created in prior art classes.  The base paper, which became the sky, was made using tube watercolors, on watercolor paper, textured with salt.  Below is a sampling of what they looked like.  We used some kosher salt for the first time, along with regular table salt, and it was rather strange.  It stuck to the watercolor paper and wouldn't come off!  So we left it there!

The mountain landscape below was created by a second grade girl. Papers used for the collages were created by marbling with liquid watercolors and shaving cream, and also using watercolors with bubble wrap, wax paper, or saran wrap applied to it.

Below is a sampling of some of the papers my four students created.  We used tube watercolors on watercolor paper.  I had experimented with liquid watercolors and wasn't satisfied with the results.  I had several sample tubes of liquid watercolors, and these worked great, since there was enough pigment to really make the textures show up.

 I think I need to invest in a drying rack! 

Back in April, we marbled some paper using shaving cream and liquid watercolors.  I wrote about the process here.  In that post, I didn't divulge what we were going to do with the marbled paper.  Which was a good thing, since we ran out of time to do everything I'd planned.  But I can tell you now that my original plan was to do landscape silhouettes with black ink on the marbled paper.  Instead, we incorporated the marbled papers into our landscape collages. 

 I had planned to have more time for the students to make these magical landscape collages, to look like some imaginary or fantasy landscape.  But we just lacked the time to add some of the extras I had intended.  Still, I love the way they turned out, and I'm proud of my kiddos for digging in and getting them complete in time for their final "art show" with their parents!

Here's my proud students showcasing all the work they completed this spring!

Like I said earlier, I've previously told you all about those circular "toothpaste batiks".  In a subsequent post, I promise will explain the colorful cityscapes and the two other smaller pieces the kids are showing, one of which was great fun in the making, but not exactly as successful as I'd hoped.  Live and learn!! 

 Look  under the table in the picture below.  There's a photo bomber!!