Create Your Own Matisse Collage

Yesterday you read about Henri Matisse who created large, bold collages late in his life. Today, make your own collage in the style of Matisse.

Supplies Needed:

Acrylic Craft Paints
Poster board
Thick/textured sketch paper
White glue
Plastic Cups
Paintbrush
Scissors

Look around your house or outside and choose a subject. For example, a pine tree. Choose what colors you’d like to use in your collage. Remember, the colors you choose don’t have to be the natural colors of your subject. You might choose to create a pine tree in warm tones: red, orange, yellow, magenta. Or you might use all the colors of the rainbow to create orange slices. You can even use one color for the whole collage like the one by Matisse shown above, Blue Nude. Go crazy. Be creative. This is what art is all about.

When you’ve chosen your colors, paint one sheet of sketch paper in each color. If you’re using all one color, you’ll need to paint a few sheets to have enough material to make your collage.

Let the paint dry.

Cut your sheets of painted paper into shapes. If I were making a pine tree I might use triangles as branches or long rectangles placed at angle and overlapping in the center. Lay your shapes in the desired pattern on the poster board.

Mix some glue with a little water in your plastic cup. Use a paintbrush to apply the glue to the back of each shape and attach your pattern to the poster board. Paint a layer of glue over the top of the collage as well. This will seal the shapes and give the whole collage a smooth finish.

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My Current NaNoWriMo Word Count:

45336 / 50000 words. 91% done!

I’m struggling to write those last few thousand words.