Mix It Up–Poetry and Art

Are you the creative type?  There are soooo many Teen programs to choose from @ your neighborhood libraries. For a complete list of activities and programs, see the CLP Teens Events page.

Teen Time:  Mix It Up–Poetry and Art

September 24, 2013 @ 5:30 PM  CLP–Mt. Washington

Let’s mix it up with a block out poetry collage that combines poetry and art in one creative project.  Start with a page or passage from a book.  It can be any kind of book.  A comic book.  A telephone book.  Even a newspaper or magazine will work for this project.

Find a page in a used book, newspaper or magazine that you don’t need anymore.  Rip out the page that you want to use.

OR

Make a copy of the page using a photocopy machine or printer.

OR

Type and print your passage using Word or Publisher.  If you choose this method, you can get really creative with font size and styles.

Read your passage and select the words that you need to write your poem.  Using a marker, block out the words that you don’t need and leave the words you do need to create your poem.  If you typed your passage, you could use the strike-out or highlight functions to write your poem your poem.

Glue your blocked out poem to a piece of cardstock or watercolor paper.  If you want, you could use a wood plaque.  These can be found in craft stores.  Use watercolor paint, markers or colored pencils to add some flair and context to your poem.  Are you feeling blue or sun shiny yellow?

Finish your mixed up project using collage techniques to add creative elements.  Cut out pictures and words from magazines.  Decorate your piece using stickers, ribbon, duct tape, glitter and paint.  There are no rules!

For more collage ideas, I highly recommend the following books:

Collage Playground:  A Fresh Approach to Creating Mixed-Media Art by Kimberly Santiago

Collage Unleashed:  Paint. Bind. Stitch. Play. by Traci Bautista

Mixed-Media Paint Box:  Weekly Projects for a Year of Creative Exploration by Tonia Davenport

Vision Box Idea Book:  Mixed Media Projects for Crafting the Life of Your Dreams by Mark Montano

Just remember to mix it up!  There are no rules!  Get creative and have fun!

~Marian