The Snowy Day: by Ezra Jack Keats, author
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Little Peter wakes up to discover that snow has fallen during the night. He celebrates the snowy day making footprints and snow angels - an ageless childhood experience. According to Horn Book magazine, The Snowy Day was "the very first full-color picture book to feature a small black hero"....Caldecott Medal 1963
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Imitate Ezra Jack Keat's snowy illustration style using cut-out construction paper, watercolors, and a scene-building collage technique.
Watercolor Snow Collage:
Materials:
- construction paper (including speckled or flecked variety)
- white drawing paper
- paintbrush
- jar of water
- scissors
- glue
- choice of collage base - poster board, heavy paper, cardboard, mastboard
Process:
1. Assemble supplies including paper scraps and watercolor paints to make a snowdy collage.
2. Some of the paper for the collage can be painted ahead of time. paint on white construction paper with watercolor paints, experimenting with different painting effects:
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sprinkle from a brush
swirl with a wet brush
blur on wet paper
speckle by shaking a brush lightly
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smudge with tissues
splatter from a very wet brush
drip tiny dro0ps on paper
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3. Paint and cover several sheets of paper in different ways. When dried briefly, these self-painted papers will add to the supply of papers that can be cut for the collage.
4. Cut some of the paiinted paper into curving shapes that resemble Keat's piles of deep snow. Arrange them oon the base paper and glue in place. Note: The beauty of the watercolor paper is that snow does not have to be white to look like snow. The color adds depth, shadow and light.
5. Cut or tear other papers to form more of the snowy scene, such as these suggestions -
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tall building
tree
house
bundled up child
stoplight
snow fort
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footprints
cat
dog
footprints, snow angles
snowballs
sled
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Think up ideas and add them to the collage too.
6. Continue until the base paper is filled with paper collage shapes and cut-outs that form a snowy scene.
Variations:
Create a snowy collage of:
- torn papers only (not cut), for a softer look
- magazine and newspaper cut-outs
copyright © 2005 MaryAnn Kohl
This art activity is copyright protected.
Permission is granted to reprint one copy for personal use only.
Please contact maryann@brightring.com or 800-480-4278 for permission to reprint
multiple copies or to disperse.
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