This lesson involved drawing with scissors to create shapes out of paper for collages. I wanted to introduce this type of "drawing" to my first graders because they were obsessed with drawing to perfection. If it didn't look right to them, they had a habit of throwing it away. This was not only a waste of paper, but also detrimental to their own perceptions of their artistic talent. By getting rid of pencils and erasers, the students had to create images (either abstract or representational) to simulate Matisse's own cut paper collage work. The students learned about positive and negative space and how to overlap. I was impressed with their work and have included some samples. Enjoy!
Materials: construction paper, glue sticks, scissors.
This student wanted to add a little bit more to his piece.
Adding little details.
Those little pieces can be tricky to glue.
