UNIT 6
EXPRESS YOURSELF WITH PAPER
“One eye sees, the other feels.”
—PAUL KLEE
Paper is essential in the art room as either a base or a springboard for creating. This chapter looks to paper as an inspiration as much as a medium. Using everyday papers, such as newspaper, cardboard, safety envelopes, and discarded books, magazines, and sheet music, a world of cut-paper collage can open up! By adding a few other art supplies, artwork based in paper can be versatile as well as affordable.
This chapter tears, cuts, pastes, and weaves your ideas into new experiences each time you work through a lesson. Paper can inspire you to create and to be fearless in the process because it isn’t an overly precious material. Paper is familiar and yet can be transformed into artwork unique to your vision.
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COLORFUL BEASTS |
MATERIALS
reference images of endangered animals
pencil
drawing paper
eraser
tissue paper in various colors
scissors
glue stick
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Do you know there are many endangered, or vulnerable, animals? Take a few minutes and check out the list online. Choose an animal that is important to you, and we will make a collage painting of it in this lesson!
There was a group of artists in Europe during the early 1900s called the Blue Rider that created artwork about nature in bright and bold colors. This was during a time when people were more interested in machines and factories than nature. This group wanted to remind people how important and beautiful the natural world was and made art that people noticed through the use of color. We will do the same in this lesson!
LET’S GO!
1. With a pencil, lightly draw the animal’s outline, or contour, on your paper. Add minimal details. (Fig. 1.)
Fig. 1
2. Choose the tissue paper colors that you want to express your animal. Our student chose multiple colors to represent a white polar bear.
3. Begin tearing paper to fit your animal’s shape. Work in small sections. (Fig. 2.)
Fig. 2
4. Overlap pieces for a different look. (Fig. 3.)
Fig. 3
5. Use scissors to cut small pieces or details or repeated shapes.
6. Apply glue to the drawing paper in small sections and press the tissue into place. (Fig. 4.)
Fig. 4
7. Add a background with additional tissue paper, if you like!
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I BUILT THIS CITY |
MATERIALS
newspaper
scissors
card stock
watercolors
watercolor paintbrush
container of water
glue stick
fine-point permanent marker
scrap paper for gluing
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
If you could build a city, what would it look like? What would be going on in, around, and on top of the buildings? Who might live there?
LET’S GO!
1. Open a newspaper and take a look at the columns of text. Do you notice how they look like buildings of different sizes and shapes? (Fig. 1.)
Fig. 1
2. Cut out some building shapes that you see in the columns of text. Cut out more than you think you will need. Think about the rooftop shapes and the building sizes. (Fig. 2.)
Fig. 2
3. Lay the buildings out on the card stock, which will become the background of your city. Do they touch each other or overlap? (Fig. 3.)
Fig. 3
4. Put the buildings aside and get ready to paint the background of your city. Think about what time of day it is and what season it is in your city.
5. With watercolors, paint the entire paper from the top, or the sky, to the bottom. Wash your brush between colors. Let your background dry. (Fig. 4.)
Fig. 4
6. Using the glue stick, apply glue to the back of the buildings and press them firmly to the background. Continue until all the buildings are in place. (Fig. 5.)
Fig. 5
7. If you like, use your fine-point marker to add details to the buildings, windows for example. You may also add water-color to them or just keep them black and white! (Fig. 6.)
Fig. 6
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TINY SKETCHBOOK IDEAS |
MATERIALS
index cards
pens
colored pencils
hammer
nail
scissors
embroidery floss or waxed linen thread
tiny beads (optional)
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Do you like to think up inventions? Have you ever had some great ideas and wanted to remember them later? This lesson shows you how to make a little book to keep all of your big ideas together. It’s tiny so it will be easy to keep in a pocket, ready to record your ideas!
LET’S GO!
1. Fold six or seven index cards in half as shown. Crease the folds well. (Fig. 1.)
Fig. 1
2. Place them inside each other to form the book. (Fig. 2.)
Fig. 2
3. The first card will be your cover. Choose a title for your sketchbook and write it on the front cover with pen or colored pencil. You can also add a drawing, if you like! (Fig. 3.)
Fig. 3
4. Place your book, with the cover on the bottom, on top of your scrap wood. Open the book to the center page. Using the nail and hammer, make two holes on the fold—the first hole 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the top and the second hole 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the bottom. Hammer the nail through all the pages. (Fig. 4.)
Fig. 4
5. Cut a piece of floss or thread that is twice as long as your book’s fold. From the inside center page, thread one end through the top hole and one end through the bottom hole. (Fig. 5.)
Fig. 5
6. Flip the book over and tie a knot with the two ends on the outside fold (called the book’s spine) to hold the book together. Add beads onto the thread, if you like! (Fig. 6.)
Fig. 6
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MAKE A FACE |
MATERIALS
3 small containers, to mix the paint
gesso
acrylic paint in 3 colors
craft sticks or plastic spoons, to mix the paint
cardboard pieces in various sizes
3 bristle brushes, one for each paint color
paper plate
clear glue
oil pastels in various colors
newspaper
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
What does your face look like when you are happy, or sad, or silly? Where are your eyebrows when you are surprised? What colors do you think express anger? Choose a feeling and let’s make a face!
LET’S GO!
1. In your small containers—use one for each paint color—combine equal amounts of gesso and acrylic paint. Stir thoroughly. (Fig. 1.)
Fig. 1
2. Choose the pieces of cardboard that will represent your face, including all the details you want to show. Think eyebrows, hair, cheeks, nose, ears, lips, or other details to express your emotion. (Fig. 2.)
Fig. 2
3. Arrange the cardboard pieces to create your face and decide which color each piece will be. Put the pieces into three piles sorted by color. (Fig. 3.)
Fig. 3
4. Paint each pile in its designated color and let dry on the paper plate. Wash your brushes in the sink. (Fig. 4.)
Fig. 4
5. Reassemble your face and glue the back of each detail to the cardboard face. Press hard! (Fig. 5.)
Fig. 5
6. Let dry overnight. The next day, add more details with oil pastels, if you like. (Fig. 6.)
Fig. 6
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TEAR ME A TULIP |
MATERIALS
colorful paper
tissue paper
glue stick
ribbon (optional)
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Did you ever pick flowers to give someone? Do you ever find a dandelion or daisy growing wild near where you live? Perhaps you have a garden where tulips and other flowers grow but can’t be picked. Think of your favorite flowers and their shapes. Let’s make a paper bouquet.
LET’S GO!
1. Choose a piece of colorful paper for the background.
2. Choose three or more colors of tissue paper and colored paper for your flowers. Check their colors against the background color you chose. You can always change your mind if you don’t like how it looks.
3. Using your fingers, slowly tear the flower shapes from the paper. Make layers of petals for each flower and keep them in piles. (Fig. 1.)
Fig. 1
4. Layout the flowers on the background, arranging them as you wish. Move them around until you find an arrangement you like. Now tear the stems and leaves in the same manner. (Fig. 2.)
Fig. 2
5. Using the glue stick, glue the blossoms to the background, pressing firmly with your fingertips. (Fig. 3.)
Fig. 3
6. Decide if the flowers will be a bouquet or an arrangement in a vase. (Fig. 4.)
Fig. 4
7. If you choose a vase, tear one out of the colorful paper.
8. Glue the stems, leaves, and vase to the background, adding a ribbon if desired. (Fig. 5.)
Fig. 5
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A BIRD IN THE HAND |
MATERIALS
colored paper in various colors
a friend
pencil
scissors
glue stick
scrap paper for applying the glue
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Proverbs are brief, popular sayings that illustrate a moral lesson. For this lesson, I chose, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” What does this mean to you? What do you have that you are thankful for? It can be anything you are glad you have! My student chose a baby chick, as she loves the eggs they provide her family—an actual bird in the hand!
LET’S GO!
1. Choose two large pieces of paper with colors that you like together; one will be the background and the other for your hands.
2. Have a friend trace your hands and arm up to your wrist, or a little further, with a pencil on one piece of paper you selected. You can also try to do this yourself! (Fig. 1.)
Fig. 1
3. Cut out the hand drawings. (Fig. 2.)
Fig. 2
4. What did you decide you were thankful for? Choose a smaller piece of paper and draw the item on it, then cut it out! (Fig. 3.)
Fig. 3
5. Add details by cutting them out of other pieces of colored paper.
6. Arrange your cut-out hands on the background paper. Using the glue stick, glue the hands onto the paper. (Fig. 4.)
Fig. 4
7. Glue your “thankful for” piece into your cut-out hands. (Fig. 5.)
Fig. 5
8. Add more details with more cut paper!
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TWO-IN-ONE WEAVING |
MATERIALS
pencil
two pieces of watercolor paper cut to the same size
colored pencils
watercolor paints
soft watercolor paintbrush
container of water
ruler
scissors
glue stick
mat board
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Do you ever have a couple of good ideas at the same time and can’t decide which one to use? In this lesson, you will combine them into one through weaving. There are many different ways to choose subject matter for this lesson. It can be something in nature, a drawing of a friend or pet, a favorite food—anything you like. Our student combined a cherry blossom drawing with the fruit itself! First, think and sketch some ideas, and stretch your imagination to find unexpected combinations.
LET’S GO!
1. Begin sketching with pencil, if desired, and then add colored pencil to your drawing. (Fig. 1.)
Fig. 1
2. Add watercolor paints as you like. (Fig. 2.)
Fig. 2
3. With a ruler and your pencil, draw vertical lines on the back of the first drawing; draw horizontal lines on the back of the second drawing. These lines can be as far apart as 1 inch (2.5 cm) or closer as shown. (Fig. 3.)
Fig. 3
4. Cut the drawings on the lines and lay the pieces out in order as you go. (Fig. 4.)
Fig. 4
5. Using the glue stick, glue the tops of the vertically cut drawing to the mat board as shown and press firmly. Take the first strip of the horizontally cut paper and weave it over the first glued strip and under the second glued strip repeating all the way across the vertical strips. (Fig. 5.)
Fig. 5
6. For the second row, start with the second horizontal strip going under and then over as shown. The third row will go begin over then under, as the first row did, and the fourth will begin under. Continue in this fashion throughout. (Fig. 6.)
Fig. 6
7. When you are finished, add glue stick to the mat board and stick the weaving down to secure it. Place a heavy book on it until it dries. (Fig. 7.)
Fig. 7
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A NEW ME COLLAGE |
MATERIALS
photocopy of a picture of your head
discarded magazines
scissors
paper
glue stick
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Paper collage is wonderful medium to express some humor and get a little silly with your art. The materials are simple and can be created on a small space! For this lesson, you can be as animated as you want—perhaps even taking three or four different photos of yourself with different emotions. You can choose your mood or make a collage of multiple “yous.”
LET’S GO!
1. From the photocopy of your face, cut out your head and neck. Begin looking through the magazines for a suitable torso for your head to go with—animals, people, even plants—whatever you choose will work! (Fig. 1.)
Fig. 1
2. Choose a few different parts to put together so you will have choices as you go. Do not glue them down yet as you are still arranging and deciding. Look for backgrounds and other surroundings for your composition (Fig. 2.)
Fig. 2
3. When you have made all your final choices, glue the pieces in place. Begin with the pieces that are in the background and work your way forward to the pieces closest to you. Use a piece of paper under your magazine pieces for applying the glue to keep the final artwork free from extra glue. (Fig. 3.)
Fig. 3
4. Press all edges firmly so they stick to the paper. (Fig. 4.)
Fig. 4