Photo Collage

We celebrated the new year with a Photo Collage lesson in First Friday Art Club in January 2018.  Hoarding a collection of nature photography which was donated by a patron and combining it with discarded magazines, we had a very busy afternoon of creating.

Clip and Arrange

A friend donated hundreds of printed photos of nature last year and I have been saving them for a program like this.  Beautiful images of flowers and insects helped set the mood for my collage.

Clipping for colors

I also had a stack of discarded magazines from the library collection.  Students were allowed to cut and paste images they chose.  The idea of inspiration boards or vision boards was mentioned as a goal for students who were stuck on all the cool images.

Morphed Creature

Vision boards were too limiting to some students.  Junho was determined to create new creatures and characters by morphing elements from other images.  He commented and gave a story line with each new creation, too!

Washington with a Wolf Sleigh

Soon enough scissors and papers were flying.  Characters were popping up and nature was taking shape on our canvas boards.  Things started to get silly with a team of siblings.  We discovered the fabulous feeling of a tech free Friday.

All About Me

Sophia's mission was an "All About Me" board.  She was a quick worker, cutting and gluing without waiting.  She told me as we worked that she does this type of craft at home.  Considering how much technology laden homes can be, it is impressive to find a young student who appreciates the original form of "Cut and Paste."

Work Quickly

We discovered how fast this program can go.  An hour and a half seemed a little too short for this process.  Jina planned to use more of her family photos, but felt rushed to have a final project before she left, so she worked with the images she had pre-cut from magazines.

Very Geometric

It seemed that that we just started to have fun when we only had 10 minutes to finish and clean up.  Therefore, some things got rushed.  I never heard the final story about George Washington or the other morphed character.  The only message we see is to "Leave a Legacy for Wildlife."  We will call that piece, "Beyond Abstract."

Roy G. Biv

Believe it or not, it took the full class time to have a visit from Roy G. Biv.  The color stripes look fabulous, but this piece is not complete.  The artist decided to take it home to continue working.

Mod Podge it Up

After all image elements were in place, I recommended sealing everything in with Mod Podge.  The jar we have dries to a high gloss finish, despite the look of it when wet.  Sophia was the first to get a coating before she left.

Trim the Edges

Some students wanted to have images go off of the canvas.  I said that is a great idea. We call that "Breaking the Box."  Younger students can identify with this idea by coloring outside the lines.  For some students, they wanted a clean edge, so trimming was required.

Elmer's Skin

In our rush to finish, this student realized how gross and fun gluey skin can be.  I remember having so much glue on my hands in art class, I would wait for it to dry, so I could peel it off like skin.  This was totally a thing in the last century (yes, I am that old).  Do students get to play like this today or is technology stealing this experience?

Winter Bouquet

Even with teaching this class, I was able to create my own Photo Collage.  My goal was to brighten my office space during the winter doldrums.  Although I worked quickly, I still need to add a coat of Mod Podge to seal in the edges.  After a weekend on my desk in a warm building, the edges of several images curled up.  A coat of glue will flatten all of it to a smooth surface.

This wraps up another fun First Friday Art Club.  Visit us in February when we paint "Acrylic Cats with Filomena Jack."  Its sure to be a hoot....or a Meow!

Catch you on the Flip Side!
xo,
Erica