drawing with scissors · our inspiration for this project comes from a very famous artist… henri...
TRANSCRIPT
Drawing With
Scissors Your Project: Snip colorful pieces of
paper into a cut-work creation that expresses something you love, or makes your heart happy. Use the style of drawing with scissors like Matisse to design a colorful cut-work masterpiece that reflects your personality.
Our inspiration for this project
comes from a very famous artist…
Henri Matisse 1869 - 1954
Matisse was a French painter, graphic
artist, designer and sculptor.
He lived through some of the most
traumatic political events in recorded
history, the worst wars, the greatest
slaughters, but there is no trace of
them in his work. His work was joyous,
and Matisse was, in his old-age,
advised by his doctors to wear dark
glasses because the colors in his paint
palette were so bright!
Matisse’s Cut
Paper Collages
Later in his life, Matisse was
stricken with physical handicaps
that prevented him from painting,
and he turned to cut paper
collage and drawing, both of
which he could do from his bed.
One great thing about cut paper shapes is that you get
both a POSITIVE and NEGATIVE SHAPE from just one cut.
Below is a classic example of positive and negative shape.
What do you see in each picture?
As you cut out your shapes, try to use
ONE CONTINUOUS CUT so you can
preserve the negative shape and use
it elsewhere in your collage!
Next you will be looking at some other artist
examples of cut paper collage. As always, take
note of what you like and dislike about the
artworks, and be thinking about your own
design!
Remember your assignment:
Snip colorful pieces of paper
into a cut-work creation that
expresses something you
love, or makes your heart
happy. Use the style of
drawing with scissors like
Matisse to design a colorful
cut-work masterpiece that
reflects your personality.
“My collages are created
through a combination of
delicate paper cut outs.” –
Sally W. Spiegel
What makes this piece look so 3-D? Also, notice how nice
the border frames the design on the inside!
Sally used text and tiny intricate pieces in this collage, then
framed it out with a tic-tac-toe frame.
How did the artist
separate the black
on black shapes in
the artwork below?
The artwork above has
a lot of negative space
in the background.
What do I mean by
negative space?
Would a border have
made this collage more
interesting?
This artist did a
great job of
adding lots of
interesting details
to their work.
•What keeps the
dice from
appearing flat?
•What about the
rose?
•How did they
add shadows to
the figure?
Can you spot some
positive/negative
shapes in these
works of art?
Notice the use of
patterned paper in the
work below. That is a
great way to add
texture to your collage!
This artist uses
overlapping shapes and
shadow lines to make her art
appear 3-D. Can you find
examples?
How did
this artist
make the
buildings
in the
distance
look far
away?
How did
they
make the
river
appear to
flow into
the
distance?
This collage is VERY successful because of all the intricate details and
overlapping shapes. It looks so 3-D! Look how they used different
shades of green to show various plant shapes on top of one another.
These two collages
are a great
example of
foreground, middle-
ground,
background.
Can you find all 3?
These collages are reproductions of
famous paintings…do you recognize
them?
Let’s get started on our collage
ideas!
Create a list of 5 things that you love, or
that make your heart happy and reflect
your personality in some way.
**Not all things make good subject matter
for collage, so consider how it might look
as an artwork before adding it to the list!
MAKE YOUR LIST NOW.
Next, you need to choose your 3 favorite ideas, and
begin thumbnail sketches of those in your sketchbook.
It helps to make a small list of things you could use in
each collage. For instance -
Springtime in Denton
1. Butterflies
2. Sunshine
3. Green trees
4. Blossoming flowers
5. Arts & Jazz Fest
Japanese Gardens
1. Lotus flowers
2. Bonsai trees
3. Cranes
4. Koi fish
5. Peaceful feelings
These are just 2 ideas for a collage. By listing the items
that represent the theme, it makes it easier to create a
thumbnail sketch.
After you choose a final thumbnail sketch, you can
begin making your pattern pieces in your sketchbook, or
on scratch paper. Draw out each shape, and cut out.
You should label them as seen below.
FLOWER
CUT 4
FLOWER
CENTER
CUT 4
SHAPES LIKE THESE FLOWER
DETAILS CAN BE CUT FREE
HANDED
Next, you trace your pattern
pieces onto colored paper,
and assemble with glue…
LEAF
CUT 4
When assembled, the final product should look
something like this. Never glue down pieces to the
background until ALL PIECES have been cut out. Then
you can practice arranging them until you get it perfect.
The VERY LAST STEP is gluing all the pieces down!!
Your collage must include the
following things…
1. A decorative border that relates to
your theme
2. At least 25 cut paper shapes that make
up your collage
3. Colored paper and patterned paper
4. Small paper details on top of other
shapes (example: The shapes on top of
the flower)
5. Positive and Negative Shapes