Summer Collage

Summer collage - boat study in blue
Our boat study in blue

Collage projects are great for all ages and abilities of children, as even the most reluctant or hesitant artist can produce an exciting result. They also work particularly well with mixed aged groups. We've used paint as well as collage materials to produce these wonderful artworks, and chosen to restrict our materials to the blue palette.

Blue collage, sea and sky
Sea and sky in blue

Summer Collage Ideas

We chose to do a study in blue, using a visit to the seaside as inspiration. First we mixed up various shades of blue paint, experimenting by adding small amounts of white. We used the paints to create a background "sky", which we embellished with glitter and stick-on jewels.

We created the details of sea and boat by raiding our craft cupboard for bits and pieces, using fabric, card, craft foam and pipe cleaners. Try making shapes using cutting and tearing techniques for variety, or use hole punches and special edged scissors for a different effect.

More Ideas:

Explore the green palette and do a collage of fields, plants, flowers and trees. You could incorporate real leaves and flower petals if you don't mind the collage not lasting too long!
Mix your colours to do a garden collage. Create a collage of the garden as seen from a distance, or do a close-up of one border or flower bed. If you have an old seed catalogue or gardening magazine, the children could cut pictures of flowers out of it to add detail.
Try a beach scene using real sand, sprinkled on like glitter, or golden caster sugar, for texture. Use yellows and blues. See our sandcastle collage below.
Rather than producing a "scene", younger children can cut pictures out of magazines to represent the colours of summer.
Older children could try an "emotions" collage, using an abstract design to represent how summer makes them feel.

Sandcastle collage
Bring home some supplies from your next visit to the beach and create this gorgeous sandcastle collage picture to remind you of your outing!