Outdoor Art ProjectsThe weather is nice for only a few months during the school year where I live. As a teacher, I make sure to plan opportunities to get outdoors during this short window of time to draw artistic inspiration from nature. Drawing from direct observation of nature is a wonderful way to build foundational drawing skills, and I do like to take my students outdoors to sketch. However, today I want to share a few easy outdoor art projects including Shadow Tracing, Nature Brushes and Land Art that are perfect for beginners. These projects don’t require expensive materials or extensive preparation and are less intimidating than realistic drawing for students new to art. These nature art projects can also work as collaborative art activities at the start of the school year or semester to build community among students.  Shadow Tracing Art ActivityShadow tracing is a wonderful activity to do on a sunny day when shadows are visible. Shadows show distortion, negative space, and shape in visually interesting ways, making them great subjects to explore with a variety of media. The basis of this activity is simple: students use art materials to trace the shadows they observe outdoors. The scale of the tracing and manner in which it is done can be designed to fit the needs of your students, age level and class goals.  For materials, I've used butcher paper and markers, charcoal on toned paper, watercolor on watercolor paper, and pastels on large sheets of colored paper. There are so many possibilities! These tracings can also be reworked into collage and mixed media projects or turned into colorful hallway displays. You can also decide whether you want shadow tracing to be an individual or collaborative group activity. I have taught it both ways for different purposes. Individually, it can be an introspective and meditative exercise for students to do in their sketchbooks or art journals, serving as a starting point for larger independent projects. For example, I have used this activity to explore positive and negative space as an introductory exercise for a relief printmaking project. I've also used shadow tracing as a beginning-of-the-year icebreaker and collaborative project. For these cases, I opt for large sheets of paper or butcher paper so that 3-4 students can work on one tracing together. A colored craft paper roll would be a good option to use with chalk or oil pastels, especially if you want to turn these tracings into hallway art or a classroom display. This focused work encourages conversation among group members. I recommend choosing the groups ahead of time in the classroom and leading a conversation activity before heading outdoors. This way, students don't choose their own groups and have a chance to meet new people. Since the groups and paper are larger, I suggest scouting some good outdoor locations in advance to point out to students. Also, provide some tape so students can secure their paper to the pavement or a wall for tracing. Looking for shadows also gives students the opportunity to be present in their senses and to view forms from a new perspective. Because shadows often reflect significant distortion from the objects that cast them, it can be fascinating to see how they move throughout the day. This activity can be an engaging way to connect natural science with art for a STEAM lesson. Nature BrushesCreating nature brushes from sticks and natural materials like leaves, pine needles, and twigs is a wonderful way to engage students in mark making and observation. By using wire, binder clips, and rubber bands to assemble these brushes, students can craft unique tools for experimenting with mark making using India ink. This activity encourages them to get outside and closely observe the shapes, textures, and structures of the materials they collect, honing their attention to detail. It's an excellent start-of-the-year project because it’s low stakes, fun, and accessible to all students, regardless of their prior art experience. The tactile experience of working with natural materials also fosters creativity and provides a relaxed environment for students who are new to art.  How to Make Nature BrushesI set up each table with a bin containing essential materials: florist wire, wire cutters, rubber bands, tape, and binder clips. Additionally, I place large Ziploc bags on each table so that students can use them to collect natural materials outside. Before heading outdoors, I provide a few examples of "brushes" to give students an idea of what they might gather. I encourage them to think about finding a suitable “handle” and then consider what they can collect for the “bristles.” Once back in the classroom, students use the materials from their table bins to assemble their brushes. I have observed that florist wire is particularly effective for this project because it is both strong and pliable, allowing it to hold various natural elements securely. While students are working on their brushes, I circulate around the room distributing small jars of India ink, cups for water, and shallow containers for mixing. I then give a brief demonstration on how to dilute the India ink with water and how to use their nature brushes to create different marks on paper, such as dragging, stippling, and pressing. Additionally, I place large sheets of paper on the floor so students can experiment with their long-handled brushes. I often use this activity as the introduction to my Pen and Ink unit in my traditional media classes or as the start of my Digital Pattern Design unit in my digital media classes.  After the work period, students participate in an informal gallery walk where they share their drawings and brushes. This activity engages multiple aspects of the creative process, including gathering, observing, creating, experimenting, committing, and reflecting. Land Art Nature Art ProjectFor our "Land Art" inspired outdoor activity, each table is prepared with the understanding that students will use only the natural materials they find during their exploration. Before heading outside, I introduce the concept of Land Art and discuss influential artists like Andy Goldsworthy, who create visually striking installations using elements found in nature. I encourage students to observe their surroundings and think creatively about how to use these materials to craft eye-catching arrangements that are site-specific and ephemeral, meaning they are designed to exist only in the moment and interact uniquely with their environment.  As students explore and collect materials, I remind them to consider the principles of design—such as balance, contrast, and harmony—when arranging their finds. This activity is an excellent way to introduce these concepts, as students can experiment with how different natural elements interact in their specific outdoor setting. By working with what they find, they learn to create visually compelling compositions that emphasize the temporary and ever-changing nature of their surroundings. Once back at their work areas, students begin assembling their Land Art installations using only the materials they’ve collected. I circulate among them, offering guidance on achieving balance and visual interest with their natural finds. This hands-on experience helps students practically apply design principles and understand how their work interacts with the environment, highlighting the ephemeral and site-specific nature of their art. At the end of the activity, students participate in a group reflection where they share their Land Art creations and discuss the design principles they employed. This discussion allows them to reflect on their artistic process and appreciate the variety of approaches within the group. The experience not only fosters creativity but also deepens their understanding of design concepts through a direct and meaningful engagement with the natural world. 
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 How to Use Adobe Photoshop for BeginnersBack in 2020, I moved to a new state and started teaching Digital Art for the first time. While I had 20 years of experience using Photoshop and Illustrator in my own work, I had only worked with students on digital skills individually due to limited resources at my previous school. Excited by the opportunity, I developed a project-based curriculum to teach both basic and advanced tools for photo manipulation, illustration, and simple animation. This curriculum guides students through a series of projects that build on each other, helping them master Photoshop's menus, panels, and tools. Students use Wacom tablets and styluses, and projects are inspired by current digital design trends and contemporary artists. A key part of the curriculum includes beginner Photoshop tutorials, to teach students to manage their workflow and problem-solve both individually and collaboratively. For an introductory project, I designed a lesson I call Visual Autobiography which teaches students to create a layered self-portrait. This project provides students the opportunity to introduce themselves, reflect on creative expression, and learn the basics of Photoshop  Key Photoshop Skills and TechniquesThe Visual Autobiography project introduces a variety of basic skills, keyboard shortcuts and tools. It is also a great way for students to introduce themselves to the class and for me to get to know the students. The skills covered in this lesson include:
 IB Art Exhibition 2020, student work that inspired this digital portrait project Digital Portrait Project InspirationThis lesson was inspired by an IB (International Baccalaureate) Art project created by a student for his exhibition a few years ago. (To see this students full exhibition check out this blog post) His digital self-portrait told the story of an inoperable brain tumor he had since birth, requiring periodic treatment to maintain his vision. These treatments were physically challenging and left him drained of energy. As an active outdoorsman and mountaineer, he used the metaphor of a wildfire in the mountains to express the challenge of his tumor. The portrait shows his silhouette filled with a mountain landscape. Above his ear, smoke from a wildfire rises, and a helicopter is shown responding to the fire. An MRI scan of his brain is faintly visible in the silhouette. This image poetically tells his story, and I found it so moving that I wanted to develop a lesson around visual storytelling and metaphor.
Portrait Double ExposureI have always been fascinated with darkroom double exposure art and liked the idea of introducing this art form digitally to my students for this project. Double exposure art, where two images are blended to create a single, visually striking piece, has evolved from traditional darkroom photography to modern digital art. In darkroom photography, this effect was achieved by exposing the same piece of film twice, overlaying two separate images. This required precise timing and a lot of trial and error to get right. In Adobe Photoshop, creating double exposure art is much more accessible. Artists can blend images easily using layer masks and adjusting the opacity. The use of blend modes and adjustment layers offers the possibility of fine tuning the resulting images to create focal points and cohesion of color scheme. Overall this digital process allows for more control and creativity compared to the old darkroom techniques and impressive results can be accomplished by beginners.  Contemporary Double Exposure ArtistsI like to incorporate Contemporary Digital Artists into my curriculum for students to explore and be inspired by. The artists I share for this lesson include: Barett Biggers, Alexis Folliot, Antonio Mora, and Jenya Byguzou.  Meeting the Bear King by Barrett Biggers Barett Biggers creates dreamy portraits by blending faces with nature elements like forests and flowers. His use of vibrant colors and smooth gradients makes his work pop. For students, studying Biggers' highly detailed compositions (which have a lot of elements) demonstrates how important it is to balance colors and contrasts to make both images in a double exposure stand out while still looking cohesive.  Downtown by Alexis Folliot aka Nevessart Alexis Folliot who goes by nevessart online, combines faces with landscape and architectural elements, creating an intriguing mix of the organic and the structured. Her work demonstrates how negative space (white space) can add visual interest and depth to portraits. Using mostly black and white with low-saturation pops of color, she shows how subtle use of color can draw the eye throughout the composition. Teaching students to play with negative space in Photoshop can help them learn how to effectively guide the viewer's eye.  Photo Collage by Antonio Mora Antonio Mora’s work has a mysterious, dreamlike quality. He often merges faces with abstract textures and landscapes, using high contrast and dramatic lighting to create depth. Mora's portraits are great examples of how contrast can set the mood and make key elements stand out. Students can learn to use contrast to add drama and focus in their own double exposures.  Art by Jenya Vyguzov Jenya Vyguzov is known for his detailed and intricate double exposure portraits that combine photography, nature, and fashion. His use of fine textures and patterns creates rich, complex images. Students can draw inspiration from his work, especially his influences from fashion and album art, to experiment with layers and blending modes in Photoshop, adding texture and depth to their own projects while tapping into pop culture.  Mind Mapping ActivitySince the focus of this lesson is visual storytelling, I wanted to guide students through reflective activities to help them develop their ideas. One of my favorite pre-work activities is mind mapping. This technique allows for structured brainstorming and encourages non-linear thinking, where even seemingly peripheral ideas can become the foundation of a project. We start with a partner activity where students discuss synonyms for "autobiography" and choose the one that resonates with them most. This chosen synonym becomes the center of our mind map, and we explore the associations that branch out from it. I love mind mapping because it often leads to unexpected paths and helps students push beyond their initial ideas to find something truly intriguing.
Gathering Photographic ElementsAfter developing a direction for their projects, students gather photos for their project, either from their own camera rolls or from copyright-free online sources. These photos will be layered into their portraits to tell their story. They also need a base photograph of themselves. Students can pose however they like, and we discuss how different poses convey various messages and moods. I encourage them to use accessories if it fits their story (e.g., sunglasses, goggles, helmets, hats) and to take their photos against a solid background to simplify creating the selections in Photoshop. I've seen students get wildly creative with their portraits, from hanging upside down to make their hair look like it's floating upward, to using a fan to add movement. Some students may struggle with being photographed. I address their concerns individually and offer solutions, such as taking their photo during a private session or using a different photo from their past. I reassure them that the portrait is just a base for the double exposure techniques and that their face will be obscured in the final piece, making the portrait more of an "outline" than a dominant element in the composition.  Each tutorial breaks down a technique, tool or skill, each video is less than 5 minutes Beginner Photoshop TutorialsTo teach the technical skills in Adobe Photoshop needed for this project, I use a series of pre-recorded video tutorials hosted privately on YouTube. This allows students to learn at their own pace. While I use the SmartBoard to demonstrate simple techniques to the whole class, students find video tutorials more effective for complex tasks because they can pause and practice as needed. I also provide a handout highlighting key tools in the Photoshop toolbar to help students memorize the icons and understand tool grouping. Students access these Adobe Photoshop beginner tutorials through EdPuzzle or Google Classroom. Each class begins with a “warm-up” to review or re-teach skills covered in the videos. I created these tutorials during virtual learning and continue using them because they've proven successful. Having my own tutorials ensures that students receive consistent, step-by-step instruction tailored to their needs, rather than relying on existing YouTube or Adobe content.  Screenshot of Virtual Sticker Awards and comments on the group Google Slides critique presentation Art Reflection ActivityWhat I love most about these portraits is how expressive they are. Students become deeply invested in the stories they tell through imagery, often using their own photography. This project is a perfect start-of-the-school-year activity to get to know your students and for them to get to know one another. Students choose a variety of stories to tell, and sometimes they are quite personal. It's important to build a supportive classroom environment to encourage sharing these expressive artworks. Throughout this unit, I include several opportunities for partner discussions where students share their progress and offer constructive feedback. We also do gallery walks where students leave their files with the layers panel open on the screen, and classmates leave post-it note encouragements and questions. By building community along the way, students are ready for a reflective and constructive critique discussion by the end of the unit. To prepare for the critique, students write a reflection about two of their artistic choices and how these choices support their narrative. We present their work in a group Google Slideshow, and students verbally share their reflections with a small group of 4-6 peers. After the small group discussion, students view all the portraits (I teach multiple sections, so it's fun for students to see their friends’ work) in the slideshow and offer Virtual Award Stickers. They are limited to 3 awards and must justify their selection in a comment on the slideshow, explaining why the artist received this award. Students always enjoy this part of the critique, but it does require oversight to ensure the comments are appropriate and use artistic vocabulary. Students are graded on these comments, which helps maintain focus. Additionally, I monitor to ensure students stick to the 3-sticker limit. Digital Art for BeginnersI hope you feel empowered to teach digital artmaking tools, as they are wonderfully accessible to beginners and allow students to engage with their own photography. If you're looking for more Adobe lessons for beginners, check out my Digital Art Lesson Bundle (this lesson is included). This resource includes a variety of projects and tutorials designed to help students master digital art techniques while expressing their creativity.
 Travel JournalingAs a high school art teacher, I'm always looking for ways to encourage my students to engage in regular sketching and drawing practice to hone their observation and visual perception skills. This past school year, I had the chance to lead a student trip to Germany, and it was this adventure that sparked my newfound passion for travel journaling and sketching. The trip was organized around the themes of history and art, and as the art teacher, it was my role to create an art component for our journey. Knowing we would encounter emotionally challenging histories and realities of Germany’s past, I began researching travel journaling as a way for students to document and process their experiences. I aimed to make the travel art journal approachable and accessible, especially since not all the students were art students. My goal was to introduce travel sketching for beginners techniques and incorporate elements of a travel journal and scrapbook to ensure everyone could participate and benefit from the creative process. During all this planning, I never anticipated just how profoundly travel journaling would impact my own art and teaching practice. Keeping a travel art journal transformed my experience on the trip, guiding me to stay present and ultimately changing the way I travel forever.  Travel Art KitWhen preparing for our trip, I knew I needed a travel sketch kit that was lightweight yet included all the essentials. My kit comprised a compact watercolor sketchbook, a fine-tipped pen, a pocket watercolor palette, a watercolor brush pen which holds a small amount of water to paint on the go (this was a game changer), a glue tape runner, and a roll of Washi tape. In addition to these materials I also brought some materials that we could share as a group including Posca pens, crayons for texture rubbings, white gel pens and extra paper. To organize the kits I used mesh zipper bags from Blick art materials that I found in my classroom and repurposed for this purpose. The bags were 10" X 13" which was a good size for including the 8.5" X 11" photocopies I created as a guide to the museums would visit, museum scavenger hunts and art journal guide I created for the trip. I have updated and expanded on this guide and created a *free* Travel Journaling Get Started Guide (pdf with links) for you in hopes it will inspire you and your students to try travel art journaling.  DIY Watercolor Dot CardsFor a lightweight alternative to pocket watercolors, check out watercolor dot cards. I learned about these from a fellow teacher on Instagram after I had purchased the pocket watercolor sets and wished I had known sooner! While the pocket watercolors I packed for Germany worked great for my students, they were a bit bulkier. Watercolor dot cards, on the other hand, are ultra compact and easy to carry. You can buy them pre-made or DIY your own with tube watercolors by placing small dots on a piece of watercolor paper and letting them dry. Just grab a water brush pen, touch the dot, and you're ready to start sketching.  DIY watercolor dot cards Preparing Travel Journaling KitsIn preparation for the trip, I spent time prepping my journal, experimenting with the materials I had ordered, and trying out various techniques like Washi tape resist, architectural sketching, texture rubbings and mixed media collage. During our pre-trip meetings, I presented these techniques to the students, encouraging them to get comfortable with the supplies and to cut out images ahead of time, especially if travel sketching wasn't their thing. We reviewed our itinerary to get a sense of where we would be going and what we would see, helping everyone feel more prepared and excited. I also created a museum guide for them, and included a Museum Scavenger Hunt with a mix of specific pieces and more generic items to look for, to make the free time of our museum visits more engaging and interactive.  Travel Journal TechniquesOnce we were in Germany, I wanted to engage my students in travel journaling, regardless of their skill levels. I devised various ideas and techniques to cater to their diverse abilities. We focused on observational drawing by sketching architectural elements, landscapes, and street scenes. For those less confident in their drawing skills, we explored mixed media techniques, using torn paper, brochures, and found objects to create visually appealing pages. Incorporating text was another important aspect, as I encouraged students to add personal reflections and descriptive notes to their journals. Mixed Media Collage Art Journal PagesCollage quickly became a favorite medium among my students. It’s approachable and offers endless possibilities for creativity. By incorporating maps, texture rubbings, and other found materials like receipts, paper packaging, and tickets, students could visually narrate their travel stories. This technique was especially beneficial for those who felt less confident in their drawing or painting abilities. The use of torn paper edges added a unique, organic touch to their compositions, and I encouraged students to use their watercolors to add backgrounds and areas of emphasis to their pages. If you are interested in seeing more mixed media collage techniques that could be incorporated into travel art journals and other classroom activities check out this blog post on Mixed Media Collage Sketchbook Cover Ideas and this blog post all about Collages for Women's History Month.  This page includes texture rubbings, receipts, a paper gift bag and a postcard purchased at the Art Museum. Texture RubbingsCreating texture rubbings is a great technique for looking at the world around you in a different way. Considering the texture of surfaces forces you to look all around as you move through architectural spaces. One of the best places for creating rubbings that I found on our trip to Germany was the ground. Man hole and grate covers, street placards and infrastructure markings often had interesting textures that showed up well using a wax crayon and somewhat thin paper. For some of these rubbings I used paper I brought on the trip and for others I used the complementary notepad from the hotels we stayed at. If you are traveling internationally consider making rubbings of the coins, this is another fun way to explore the textures you encounter while traveling. While we were in Germany I found an East German coin at the Mauerpark Flea Market and used it to create rubbings for my Travel Art Journal page about our Berlin Wall bike tour.  Creating texture rubbings of a 50 cent Euro coin Shadow TracingTo help students stay present and connected with the environment, we explored shadow tracing. I encouraged them to look for interesting shadows in the landscape and trace their outlines in their journals. This activity was not only a creative exercise but also a meditative practice which served as a way to stay present even when confronted with the difficult and tragic histories we were confronted with on our tour. While at the Jewish Museum at Berlin, I found a shadow of a bouquet in a vase in the Museum Cafe and used a pencil, waterbrush pen and watercolors to create a small painted tracing of the shadow. I found this to be a soothing and reflective activity after an emotional tour of the museum.  Travel Journals as ScrapbooksBeyond drawings and paintings, our travel journals also served as scrapbooks. We incorporated mementos like tickets, brochures, and photos, creating a personal narrative that combined art and memories. This approach allowed students to document their experiences holistically, blending their artistic expressions with tangible keepsakes from the trip. I also like how it makes you more aware of all the paper ephemera around you and seeking out these materials feels like a treasure hunt. I also noticed students engaging more with maps and reading brochures more since they were using them in their travel art journal pages. We often had to look closely at maps to find the exact locations we visited and in the process students would develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the areas we visited.  Travel journal scrapbook page with maps, photos and some brief reflections Unique Materials for Travel JournalsKeep an open mind about what could be used in your travel journal to make art. One of the materials that proved to be a great medium for painting was the instant coffee packets supplied by the hotels on our trip. These dehydrated coffee crystals made a nice sepia toned paint when mixed with water using the waterbrush pen. I used this to add background texture to pages as well as to paint a motif from a carved wood door we saw in Munich. An added bonus is that it makes the journal page smell faintly of fresh coffee.  Using instant coffee as paint in my Travel Art Journal Another unusual technique that I experimented with was paint drag downs. Inspired by "overpainted" photos I saw in the Neue Nationalgalerie by the German artist Gerhard Richter, I used the corner of a postcard and let the paint pool from a Posca paint pen so I could drag down the paint to create an abstract effect.  Engaging Students of All AbilitiesOne of the most rewarding aspects of travel journaling was seeing how it engaged students of all abilities and levels of experience with art. I emphasized that there is no right or wrong way to travel art journal, encouraging them to experiment and explore their creativity. Whether through detailed sketches, vibrant collages, or written reflections, every student found a way to express their experiences. I'm not sharing images of student work here because these journals became very personal to the students. These techniques and approaches can also be used by anyone who enjoys traveling and wants to connect more deeply to their experience of a place. There is a very low bar for entry to the world of travel journaling and it is incredibly rewarding. Travel Journaling After the TripSomething that surprised me was that for most of us the majority of the work in our travel journals happened after the trip or on the flight home. It would have been nice to have more time to work in our journals during the trip but I don't think this is always feasible especially when working with a tour company with tight schedules. But don't let this deter you from sharing travel art journaling with your students or from trying it yourself. Creating pages after the trip or while traveling home is a wonderful way to re-experience the memories and reflect on your experiences. I love this quote by Anaïs Nin "We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect." I find this to be very true of Travel Journaling as well. When you travel with the intention of creating a journal page you pay more attention to your senses and when you create the page you get to relive the experience with a richer understanding.  Travel Journaling Next StepsAt this point I'm hooked on travel journaling. I found it to be personally rewarding as an artist, educator and traveler and I plan to keep using my journal as I travel and also to explore new places close to where I live. As an art teacher I want to approach teaching travel journaling again in the future. There are some things I would do differently and I would find a way to get in a bit more journaling together on the trip (the Germany trip was especially hectic due to some flight and transportation delays) but having more time to work together in our journals at a park or cafe would have been beneficial for the students who had trouble getting stated. If you want to see more about the travel art journal set up or our trip in Germany check out these two Youtube videos: Travel Journal Set Up for International Tour with Students and Art Journal through Germany: Student Group Travel Vlog and please share your own experiences with travel art journaling in the comments below! If you haven't already downloaded it, here is your Travel Journaling Get Started Guide. Looking forward to continuing this journey!  Here I am working in my travel journal on the plane home from Mexico Women’s History Month ArtMarch is Women’s History month, what better way to celebrate the contributions of women throughout history than through making art? These collage ideas offer a creative and engaging opportunity for middle and high school students to explore the stories of women historical figures and changemakers while learning key concepts of art. This project is the perfect activity for in between units or as an opener for a larger project or discussion of the elements of art and principles of design. I am always looking for 1-2 day projects this time of year because of the chaotic schedule with Spring Break and many school assemblies, art shows and performances that happen this time of year. It is always helpful to have a quick but meaningful “mini-project” in my back pocket that can bridge larger unit investigations.  US Library of Congress Free to Use and Reuse Image LibrariesI was inspired to create these collages by the Free to Use and Reuse image sets on the US Library of Congress website. There is a photo library specifically for Women’s History Month as well as a photo library for African American Women Changemakers.) These high quality photos can be downloaded at different resolutions for printing. I recommend choosing the .TIFF file (large file) and then exporting to a jpg format once downloaded to ensure a high resolution image. I recommend using this image archive because it teaches students the importance of using images that are “fair use” and to respect copyright laws and creative property. I also like that these image libraries include images that are not as famous and there were quite a few historical figures I wasn’t aware of. There are also images of unnamed women at work (during WW2 for example) which I think is a nice addition to the project to show that the contributions of everyday people are also important to commemorate this month. Materials for Women's History Collage I find it helpful to curate the materials (have magazine pages torn out and printed images of US monuments and the architecture of Washington D.C.) for this and to have the photos of the historical women already printed so that students are ready to get started after introducing the lesson.
 Introduction to Women's History Collage ProjectTo introduce this project I printed a number of photos from the US Library of Congress Free to Use and Reuse image library and laid them out on the back table. I wrote the names of the women represented in the photos on the back in pencil (so it wouldn’t bleed through the copy paper) and if a specific name wasn’t given to the photo I wrote the description from the image library. For example “Riveter at work on Consolidated bomber, Consolidated Aircraft Corp., Fort Worth, Texas.” I also wrote the name of the image library where I found the image so that students could locate their photo to do independent research. The Library Congress website includes some key information on the photos that could be used as search terms for deeper research.  After choosing their photos students set to work doing some research about their image or historical figure. I put up a slide with some key information to find. This includes the time period, the profession or role of the woman(en), the topics or themes of their work/contributions, and a quote (if possible) of the figure. For the images of women at work this is a little more challenging to find, but they may be able to find a quote about the women who for example worked as riveters during WW2. Once students have some background information I demonstrate a few different techniques to help them get ideas for their project. I find that curating the materials that students have access to also helps with the timing of the project. I have found that when I give students free reign to go searching for images it takes a lot of class time and they often get distracted or overwhelmed by choices. I do think that searching for images has value but for this activity I chose to select the printed elements and it worked out well to keep the focus on the historical figure and celebrating women’s achievements. When selecting collage materials I have found that patterned paper, maps and printed images with an all over pattern or texture work best for this project. I also included some scrap paper from other projects like Gelli-Plate printing and the backing sheets from spray painting because the abstract markings had beautiful colors and textures. Women’s History Month Collage Ideas Patterned BackgroundThis idea was inspired by UK collage artist Naomi Vona who uses paint pens to embellish the background of vintage black and white photographs with intricate and colorful patterns. To create my example of this style of collage I chose a photo of Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Thurston. I liked the pattern in the background of the image and as I am not as gifted at freehanding patterns as artist Naomi Vona I thought this was approachable for me. Thurston was a bold and confident woman who was not afraid to speak her mind and her groundbreaking books shed light on the Black female experience of the rural US South. From my research of Thurston I found two quotes to guide my project, both about time, cycles and how the past shapes the future. To represent this I wanted to evoke the image of repeating rising suns to show the passage of time and repetition. To get the effect of rising suns I cut out circles from an image of a gem (to reflect complexity and boldness) I found and cut slits around the hat and in other areas of the image to place my cut out circles within. I chose a color scheme to work within (3-5 colors) and set to work tracing out the background pattern with paint pens. One thing I found with using the paint pens is that the dark colors layered better over the light colors and that I often had to add a second layer of paint pen to cover the shiny surface of the black and white laser print (if you are using an inkjet printer this might not be an issue.) As a finishing touch I added some cut outs of a calendar to show time and mounted the collage on a thicker piece of black paper. This style of collage creates a visual contrast between the figure and background that highlights the figure as the main focal point.  Narrative CollageThis approach to the project is centered around the idea of narrative or story telling and is inspired by Parisian artist Twiggy Boyer who uses torn paper, drawing and found imagery to create collages that evoke a scene or story. I chose to work with a photograph of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton for this history collage project. Both of these women were key figures in the US abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements. For this collage style I needed the figures to be smaller so I had room to show a landscape in the background. I had the idea of creating a torn paper mountain range in front of the US capitol building to show the long climb towards the liberation of enslaved people and women’s right to vote. I chose mostly light toned paper inspired by Boyer’s style and tore the edges to create the ragged lines of the mountains. Once all the elements were glued onto a mid-toned backing paper (I used this Canson paper) I placed the photograph of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the foreground to show the “mountains” they and other women fighting for their causes needed to “climb” to achieve the dream of equality. I noticed in Boyer’s pieces she often includes vines and flowers climbing through the collage and I wanted to add this element as well so I used white gel pen to draw on one of the layers of paper. When teaching the lesson it might be helpful to have a couple of versions of the photo printed out at different scales and even some black and white images (of related architecture/monuments) for this style of historical themed collage.  Replacing Elements with CollageI drew inspiration from US artist Bisa Butler who creates large scale figurative quilts characterized by their bold colors and intricate patterns. Bisa Butler uses her quilts to tell the stories of Americans with African descent throughout history and carries on a tradition of quilting that has been present in the African American community for centuries (to learn more about African American quilting traditions, check out this blogpost on the Quilts of Gee’s Bend.) I chose to work with a photograph of Eleanor Roosevelt speaking with a British female machinist while on her Goodwill Tour of Great Britain during WW2. Drawing inspiration from Butler’s collages I chose brightly patterned printed images from magazines. I divided them based on color scheme because I wanted the figures to have contrasting color palettes to create contrast as Butler does in her work. I used drafting vellum (thicker than tracing paper) to trace the outlines of the historical women’s clothing and then cut them out to make patterns that I used to trace onto the magazine images to make similarly shaped pieces. It was a bit like dressing a paper doll as I placed the colorful cutouts on the figures and glued them into place. As a finishing touch I cut out the figures from the background and glued them on a pink paper. Once again I drew inspiration from Bisa Butler who layers patterns, I used paint pens to draw a repeated pattern by hand. I kept the pattern small and used colors that would both complement and contrast the figures so they would remain the focal point of the piece. Reviewing the Elements and Principles of ArtThis project is a great way to review the Elements of Art and Principles of Design. Some of the visual concepts that can be highlighted in this lesson are:
Women's History Month Art Display |
