You’ve probably made collages by cutting out different shapes and gluing them down on paper. For this collage, instead of using scissors, you’ll tear out the shapes you’ll be using in your art. Things get a little more challenging because you’ll create these shapes while holding the paper behind your back.
You will need some construction paper and a glue stick. Thin paper like gift-wrap and tissue paper may be too delicate to tear the way you want it to.
How to Tear Collage Shapes
Cut or tear a sheet of construction paper into four-to-six pieces. It will be easier to work with small pieces of paper than a large sheet that will get in your way.
Stand up and hold a piece of paper behind your back. Decide on the shape you want to make. You are going to tear out this shape while holding the paper behind your back the entire time.
The first few times, try simple shapes such as circles, rectangles, or triangles. This isn’t easy. You’ll be relying on your sense of touch instead of your ability to see and judge if a shape looks correct. One of the advantages to tearing the paper is that the edges will be rough and a bit ragged.
If a circle shape is warped, no one will notice since the circle’s edge won’t be smooth. If your circle looks more like a cloud or a triangle, no one will know unless you tell them the shape was supposed to be a circle!
How to Tear Elaborate Shapes
When you get the knack of creating something that you can’t see, you can move to tearing out the shapes of trees, houses, and animals – all while keeping the paper behind your back.
Tear the paper slowly, making tiny tear marks. Feel the details that you are creating. Pause every so often to run your hand over the shape you’ve torn. Try not to drop the paper or set it down while tearing out a shape; it will be difficult to pick it up and finish it from mid-point.
Creating a Collage with Torn Paper
Once you have the shapes that you want, you are ready to create your collage. You can look at the paper while doing this, or you can discover what you can create if you glue your collage together while working behind your back.
If part of a shape didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to, you don’t have to throw it out. Instead, overlay another shape over the section you’d prefer to hide.
Use the bits of paper that your tear from around the shapes as accents in your collage.
The advanced option, instead of tearing random shapes, is to create a picture using shapes like trees and animals or fish and waves. Overlap some of the shapes to add depth and interest to your picture.
Try the challenge of tearing shapes from paper held behind your back and then turn those shapes into a collage. Turn this into a game to play against other people. It may take a while to develop the knack of creating something while relying on your sense of touch, but it can be fun to try on that next rainy day.
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