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!!

Work-in-progress

 My DragonWing Arts students currently have about 4 different projects in progress all at once!  We are having so much fun.  A week ago we painted a bunch of paper with acrylics, and this past week the painted papers were twisted and glued to become a 3-dimensional loom.  The 18x24" painted paper that we previously made, shown below, will be sliced (each child's paper has two different color and pattern schemes) and then woven into the 3D looms.  And then we will embellish!!!

Meanwhile,we have painted these awesome crazy liquid watercolor & salt skies over oil pastel planets (pictures below), for backgrounds we will be using for perspective cities, as I did with my fourth graders before I retired, and posted about, here. 

 

 Here's one of the cities in progress, by a 3rd grader.  She doesn't have her verticals correct on the buildings, but I don't want to overwhelm her, so I'm letting it go.

  My students are a mix of 3rd and 5th graders, and attend two different schools, and I have discovered a few things.  Not one of them has ever heard the word perspective before in art.  Never.  It doesn't surprise me with the 3rd graders, but it does with the 5th graders.  So I think whatever they are able to do is a pretty good first effort! 

And the students (both 3rd and 5th graders) who attend one school district have told me they have not used paint yet in art this year.  All they use is pencils and markers.  (Don't get me wrong; I like markers and pencils, but kids need to paint!)  And the student who goes to a different school district tells me her teacher tells them exactly what to do and they do it, leaving no room for creativity at all.  And this little girl has a fabulous imagination and loves to draw.  Her mother confirms what she has told me about art class, which was why she was very excited to send her daughter to my program.

I have told the moms who drop them off and pick them up not to worry that they aren't seeing artwork coming home with the kids yet; we are doing multi-step projects and they will have a lot to bring home at the end of our 7 week session.  The moms responded - "Are they having fun?"  The kids' answer - "YES!"  The moms then said that even if they never saw a single work of art come home, they'd be happy, since the kids are enjoying themselves, and since the kids aren't excited about their art classes in school.


I have made a commitment: I see them for an hour and a half, once a week, and at some point during that time each week, there will be painting.  The kids are happy; I am happy. 

So be patient - I promise to show you the end result when these projects are complete.

More sweet desserts!

This is the last of the Wayne Thiebaud projects. Third graders drew the dessert of their choice with oil pastels, and painted over with watercolors. Simple and quick.


And here's a while batch of them hanging up.

this may be my favorite fundraiser project

My 3rd graders weren't going to have a lot of time to get this done, so I came up with a quickie project for the fundraiser, "My Home is my Castle". Kids invented castles using Sharpies and no pre-drawing, and then painted with watercolors. Some are still works-in-progress.

Don't you love the "jail place" and "laptop room" in the picture above on the right?

Landscape Reflections by 2nd grade

This quick project began with a discussion of landscapes and reflections. We folded paper in half "the hot dog way" and drew our landscape on the top half with oil pastels. We then mirrored the colors with ripply lines in the water for the reflections, still using oil pastels, and finally painted (the water only) with watered down liquid watercolors. They were completed in two sessions, but I bet you could do it in just one if needed.

Many of my students live right along or near one of several small beautiful Adirondack lakes in our school district. Their artwork "reflects" a very familiar environment to them!