Mixed media art

Over the last couple of days at Mairtown Kindergarten we have been looking at combining art and photography. Initially we were inspired by artists such as Andy Warhol, famously known for his captivating ‘pop art’, and this lead us on to create our own versions.

We began with the children posing for a few photos. After they selected which one they liked the best we used the computer to change it into black and white and printed it off into a block of four photos.

Experimenting with colour and having fun

Of course painting on black and white photographs is almost as old as photography itself – old photographs were often enhanced with paints and dyes. With this in mind and after looking at, examining, and discussing some of Andy Warhol’s work the children began.

It took concentration and lots of forward thinking for the children to decide what colour dye they should use for their eyes, faces and the backgrounds – so that all the colours individually stood out.

Juliet – “When my red dries it turns to pink. All my mouths are purple; all my necklaces are going to be red”

Grace - “I’m going to make all my eyes the same”

Abbey – “do you like my two faces?”

Emma – “I want all my crowns to be the same colour”.

The photographs enabled the children to play close attention to the detail of their faces; to the contours and outlines, the curl, length or texture of their hair.

When the dyes had dried many children decided to build on their work. Using pen they added details such as eyelashes, lips and eyebrows. What a great idea, this added depth and focus to their art work.

 Some of the finished masterpieces.

  

“There is more to art than just drawing a picture that looks like something. The process of creating a piece of art is precious, especially when you make something relevant and make a bold, personal and contemporary statement” Source unknown

Christine