Textural Birds

The Year 5/6 students at Cranbourne East Primary School have been developing their understanding of texture.

Art form: Collage
Art Element: Texture

During this activity, we were focusing on visual texture and how to create the artwork using a variety of processes. For the first session, the students selected a bird they wished to transform into a collage artwork. They then produced a simple drawing observing the shapes and lines needed to create an A4 sized bird that shows not only the features of that particular bird but also the correct proportions of it. During this session the students created the own visually textured papers using rubbing plates from Zart.

The following session they traced the each section of their bird onto the back of their rubbed papers. The students then cut out the sections and glued them onto black card (making sure they left enough room around the pieces to allow for a boarder). The following session they cut the pieces out again leaving a black boarder around each piece. These pieces were then glued down onto their background to create the bird image. The students needed to consider the layout of the artwork and remember to draw on the back of the papers to prevent pencil lines. Students also looked at and discussed the work of Surrealist artist Max Ernst.
Alison Elliott
Visual Art Teacher
Cranbourne East Primary School
Suitable for Level 4