Collaged Winter Landscapes

Grade Level

5-6, 7-8, 9-10

Duration

Five 45 minute classes

Materials

watercolors, watercolor paper, brushes, glue, salt, plastic wrap

Media

Watercolor, Collage

Lesson Objectives

For the student…
to create various watercolor techniques on watercolor paper.
to improvise a landscape through layering the ripped and torn paper

Introductory Activity

The student will be introduced to watercolors. Teacher should demonstrate a variety of water color techniques: washes, gradients, color blending, lifting colors, blooms and backwashes, adding texture with salt, and adding texture with plastic wrap and bubble wrap.

Lesson Process

I give students a couple sheets of large to execute the watercolor techniques demonstrated. I encourage them to pain large swaths of each technique and to generally experiment and even combine techniques.
In a second demo I show students how to improvise a landscape. I discourage them from using references but to rather see what materializes as they rip, tear and experiment. I show them how to rip the paper and pay attention to the edges. One side will have a white edge that can be used to its advantage. Students do have access to a scissors as well as a paper cutter (note: review how to use the paper appropriately and safely). We talk about how the ripped edges make good clouds or mountain peeks while sharp edges can be nice to describe a horizon line or a tree branch. Student can glue strips to each other and/or use a piece of cardboard or scrap matt board (ask you local frame shop for the scraps and you may get lucky as I did). I also find having a few precut matts helpful for students to place over their collage. It helps remove clutter and see the potential.

Students can also paint on top of a collage as well using dry brush.