You have just been choosen to paint a large mural at your school site! The commision is $5000 if you can come up with a thematic collage that conveys emotion, experimentation and personal expression.

Collage is a technique in which an artist pastes different cut-out images together to convey a message. The technique is to paint on, draw on , add to, or copy the image you have produced.The image you devise will convey a message, an emotion, a visual statement. You are the artist, you will be asked to search out visual images in which convey your message. You will construct a small scale collage to propose to the school before construction actually starts at the mural site.

The Mural:

We start with a concept, an idea when we began to paint, draw or sculpt. Our minds need visual references sometimes to give ourselves something to draw from. These images you will explore and seek out will become part of your visual vocabulary. In your sketchbooks you will need to write down the names of each artist found, the period of art in which they lived, as well as the medium used. Also write down particular styles, techniques, subject matter, composition, and color usage in which the artist has explored. Your final project will consist of a pasted collage and a final collage rendered in paint or in pencil, a model in which you can present to the school before final construction of the mural.

Brainstorm- Think of as many things as you can about the particular word you have choosen.I am asking you to choose a word from the list under brainstorm below as a starting point. Use some of the links provided as a visual examples of collage based pictures. Once you have choosen a theme for your collage it is up to you to research images that convey your theme.

Imagery- Research images, jot down notes in your sketchbooks. Start to think of images that define the words you have choosen.

Collage- Paste the images in an interesting composition. You school has asked for an aray of visual expression. Collage, Collage, Collage.

Most of these images are somewhat collage based. Many of these artists either collaged ideas from their heads or collaged images they saw in nature to bring together as a whole. Once you have choosen your collage idea and images, create a collage. You will be grateful on how well your idea is expressed through your choosen imagery and your ability to define and explain your collage.Planning and research is key in large scale art production. Use this site as a visual reference to pull ideas from. The more exposure you have to different artists and techniques the greater your artistic awareness. Congratulations on your commission. The mural looks excellent!