Geninne Inspired Mail Art Collages

My groups of Mini Modern Artists looked at the collage art of Geninne Zlatkis. Many of her pieces combine old postcards with detailed bird illustrations. My students composed their collages with faux vintage postcards and ephemera and bird and botanical watercolor illustrations. They gave their watercolor paper a wash with coffee to give an antique look. This project was a fun departure for me and my students. I like the touch of whimsy in these.

Harp Seal Pups

 Lauren, 2nd

 Charlotte, 1st

 Scott, 5th

Raya, kinder

 Summer, 3rd

Mia, 2nd

my experiment

It doesn't get much cuter than arctic or harp seal pups - they're like wobbling powder puffs with over-sized Anime eyes.

I rest my case

Interestingly, these seal pups only keep their white coats for about 14 days while nursing on their mothers high-fat milk. They triple their weight at this time and then start to molt, leaving a silvery-gray fur with black spots.

Arctic seal pups have been on my "Future Projects" board for quite some time. It seemed like the perfect final project for my Mixed Media Collage groups. 

My kinder through 5th graders created the seal first on large blue sheets of construction paper. I had them begin by tracing paint palettes for their head shapes. Using white chalk pastel, Sharpie and charcoal, they added shading, details and shadows.  An icy ground was created using white, and a little blue and lavender acrylic paint that they applied using a dry brush method. Wintry skies were done on black paper using chalk pastels. They had the option of creating northern lights or an icy sky backdrop. Seals were cut out and layers then glued together. Nice job kids!