van gogh's got it

The second project we completed for our study of Van Gogh had a modern twist. We created a cityscape with varying skyscraper heights. First we cut out tissue paper in "swirly" and "moving," organic shapes and applied it to our background sheet of construction paper. I chose to tack down my many pieces with a little Elmer's glue before I sealed it all. After I applied all of my pieces of tissue paper, as well as the skyscraper silhouette, I used the medium to seal it all. The medium dries to a plastic. It is comparable to Mod Podge. After the piece was dry I used a silver Sharpie to create line and movement in the design. You could also use oil pastels. I think I may have gotten a little carried away with the Sharpie on mine, but I really enjoyed the process! After the project is trimmed and framed, it is important to press it to create a nice, flat, finished project.
An extension activity that would go well with this project would be for students to write a narrative about the scene they created. Perhaps this is the view the main character sees from their window at night, they are on an adventure in the city, or they dream of the big city lights. I think students would really enjoy creating a story to accompany their beautiful Van Gogh inspired scenes.
I encourage you to check out my blog list to follow the link to "NSU K8 Art Methods 2012" blog to look at the projects of my classmates! The "ArtSavesLives" blog displays the work from the Mixed Media class I am in this semester.

Have a creative day!
Marissa