I was wishing for some pretty colored paper to collage with when I realized my stash of recycled food boxes would do the trick. I save these boxes for their bright colors and enjoy finding new ways to recycle them.
1. I started with a black piece of paper, where I lightly sketched the outline of a head and neck.2. My boxes came from food that held cereal, crackers, granola bars...anything that is clean and has lots of color to it. I began by choosing the eye shapes, then lips and nose. Then I found a skin color box and cut it into little “tiles”. All these shapes are glued down using a thick layer of glue stick glue. Any extra glue blobs are OK as they dry clear. More is better in this case to keep corners from popping up.
3. Finish the portrait with some interesting clothes and hair. It took some patience to try to fill in as many small pieces as I could, so I plan to encourage students to not rush through this project. The more detailed shapes they include, the more interesting their artwork will become.
