Van Gogh-Inspired Landscape Collage

 

Description: To create this "Starry Night" inspired project, the first step was to create a collage background using cut-up tissue paper and gel medium. I also applied a coat of gel medium over the top of the pieces and a final coat over the completed background. There was then some dry time in order to allow the ability to draw over top of the background using oil pastels. This step is when the Van Gogh-inspired swirls were added to the collage. 

The next step was to decide on and cut out a landscape silhouette on black construction paper. I decided on an elevator landscape from my hometown. I drew details on the landscape using more oil pastels and then glued the silhouette to the collage background.

I used some new materials for this project including gel medium and oil pastels. The gel medium is a nice resource but it is important to understand the dry time that comes with using it. The oil pastels were also slightly tricky because you have to learn how much pressure to apply to make precise lines while not pressing too hard and breaking the pastel. I also struggled with the edges of  my paper curling up while it dried on the rack but I am unsure how to solve that.

Extension: To integrate this with an ELA lesson, you could require students to create a silhouette that illustrates a landscape that correlates with a novel you have read in class. This gives them the opportunity to make some connections between what they have read and what they visualize about the story in their heads. It also gives them some creative freedom while still following the assignment guidelines.