Layered Collage. Layered Transparency. Final

The final layers collected and glue washed on. We had to switch from glue brushes to fingers dipped in glue to push on the collections without tearing the fragile tissue paper. 

So final ingredient list for first time visitors: Tempera painting on mat board background. Tempera painting on tissue paper. Oil pastel on tracing paper. Shapes and designs cut from wall paper sample books.

Dilute glue wash to layer all the pieces. Interesting bits and pieces -- the torn parts of tissue paper are one form of reveal. The black tempera lines on the tissue paper resulted in a very cool effect, almost floating, while the light colors receded. Some children chose to place the painted side of the tissue paper down and that was interesting. Some areas are more transparent than other others and that is very, very cool.

Layered Collage, Layered Transparency

Building on the Inspiration through Sharing post earlier, the children worked on tracing paper using oil pastels. Keeping the paper still was tough, but they pulled it off. Then, during another session, the children cut out shapes and images from a wallpaper sample book. Stay tuned for the final project.

Inspiration Through Sharing!

There is a wonderful group of educators collectively inspiring each other, imagining possibilities and problem-solving through sharing. The group is called TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behaviors).

Recently, one of their members posted a link to the artist, M.A. Tateishi's site. This member/educator is exploring the techniques of layering paintings using different kinds of paper with her students. Well, I just positively jumped on board!

I imagine that using tissue paper and tracing paper as painting surfaces will result in different levels of transparency and in the end will hide or reveal aspects of the surface they will be collaged on top of. I imagine that we could also paint gift wrapping paper or wall paper as an additional layer.

We began with large sheets of mat board for the background surface and smaller squares of pale yellow tissue paper using tempera on both. Now, I know that tempera applied to tissue paper will flake and I am imagining that this will be fine, fine. I know that watercolor applied to tracing paper bleeds when introduced to a glue wash and I imagine that will also be fine, fine. I have no idea about whether a paint will even hold at all on wallpaper or gift wrap, and that too, will be fine, fine.

Thanks for letting me share and imagine the possibilities!